Cardinal David decries MAIFIP in proposed 2026 budget

A key leader of the Catholic church in the country on Sunday denounced the proposed funding for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), calling the program a “violation of human dignity.”

In a statement, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio "Ambo" David, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), described MAIFIP as a “health pork barrel” in the national budget that allows politicians to control who receives aid and how much.

“Health care is no longer delivered as a right flowing from need and citizenship, but as a favor mediated by political power—a classic system of patronage that turns illness into utang na loob,” David said.

David said access to healthcare, basic education, and social protection should not be acts of “generosity dispensed by those in power.”

“When institutions work, the poor do not have to beg; they simply apply—and are served,” he said.

The prelate urged Congress to renounce pork barrel allocations, “not only in their old, blatant forms, but also in their newer, softer, and more seductive versions.”

MAIFIP provides financial assistance for the medical expenses of indigent and financially incapacitated patients.

However, the program has drawn criticism for its heavy reliance on guarantee letters from politicians, a practice critics say perpetuates patronage politics.

On Saturday, lawmakers raised the proposed funding for MAIFIP to P51 billion for 2026 as lawmakers from both chambers of Congress worked on finalizing the national budget for next year.

Speaking for the House contingent, Nueva Ecija 1st Dist. Rep. Mika Suansing, appropriations committee chair, warned that upholding the Senate’s proposed cut would supposedly affect an estimated 1.1 million patients.

Sen. Loren Legarda said that, “in an ideal world,” there should be no need for guarantee letters from senators and congressmen for patients to receive medical assistance.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said he would not ratify the 2026 budget bicameral conference committee report unless provisions related to MAIFIP are corrected, citing non-compliance with the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.

“All health-related funds must be subsumed under the Universal Health Care program of the Department of Health," Lacson said.

"Guarantee letters from politicians will only guarantee patronage politics, not the health care needs of Filipinos, especially the indigent,” he added.—MCG, GMA Integrated News