Palace: MAIFIP funds won’t go through politicians

Malacañang on Monday sought to allay concerns over the proposed allocation of up to P51 billion for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) next year, saying the funds would not pass through politicians.

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said MAIFIP funds would be released directly to local government units (LGUs), with the Department of Health (DOH) implementing the program.

“Hindi po kasi dadaan sa mga politiko ang pondong ito. Didiretso po ito sa local government units, sa LGU hospitals, at ang magpapatupad din po nito ay DOH,” Castro said.

(The funds will not go through politicians. These will go directly to LGUs, LGU hospitals, and the DOH will implement the program.)

MAIFIP provides financial assistance for the medical expenses of indigent patients, often through “guarantee letters” issued by senators and congressmen.

On Saturday, the bicameral conference committee, composed of senators and House members, approved an increase in MAIFIP funding to P51 billion for 2026.

The increase followed an appeal from the House contingent to restore the program’s allocation to P49 billion, higher than the P24.2 billion proposed by the executive branch under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

The move drew criticism from several sectors, most notably from Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), who described MAIFIP as a “health pork barrel” 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.

He added that access to health care, basic education, and social protection should not be acts of “generosity dispensed by those in power.”

Castro did not directly say whether the President would veto the MAIFIP allocation in the proposed 2026 national budget.

She said the increased funding is intended to allow the DOH to implement the Marcos administration’s zero-balance billing policy in LGU-operated hospitals.

“Ang plano po kasi ng DOH ay maiangat at maitaas ang budget ng MAIFIP para mas matugunan ang zero-balance billing sa LGUs,” Castro said.

(The DOH plans to increase the MAIFIP budget to help shoulder zero-balance billing in LGUs.)

“May mga ospital po na hindi sakop ng DOH at nais pang palawakin ang serbisyo sa ating mga mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng zero-balance billing sa LGU hospitals. Hindi po ito idadaan sa mga politiko; ito ay manggagaling sa DOH,” she added.

(There are hospitals not under the DOH, and there is an intention to expand services through zero-balance billing in LGU hospitals. This will not go through politicians; it will come from the DOH.)—MCG, GMA Integrated News