Marcos’ hunger, health programs need stronger funding, reforms, analysts say

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s programs to reduce hunger and improve healthcare could become defining parts of his administration’s legacy, but their impact will depend on implementation, sustainable funding and institutional reforms, analysts said. Joy G. Aceron, convenor-director of transparency group G-Watch, said the government must address persistent gaps in nutrition and healthcare access before presenting the programs as a legacy. “There has been an increase in stunting and based on our health monitoring, access to healthcare remains out-of-pocket with government programs, including YAKAP, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) coverage, zero-balance billing and others, still unable to make a dent,” Ms. Aceron told BusinessWorld via Facebook Messenger. Mr. Marcos in a video message released on Saturday said his administration would ensure Filipinos have enough food and access to healthcare. “We need to make sure that our people are not hungry and that they have access to healthcare,” he said. He cited twin programs that provide rice distribution six times a year and free school feeding, as well as free medical consultations. The President also highlighted zero-balance billing in Department of Health wards and the expansion of value-added tax-exempt medicines as measures meant to reduce healthcare costs. The sustainability of these programs will depend partly on the government’s ability to secure funding while balancing other spending priorities. Ms. Aceron said the government should assess why stunting has increased despite substantial investments in nutrition, warning that implementation weaknesses could result in public funds being wasted. “It is hard for the Marcos government to talk about legacy now on the premise of planned new programs only,” she said, adding that the programs need transparency, public participation and accountability mechanisms to determine whether they are working. Anthony “Tony” C. Leachon, a health reform advocate, said the programs were commendable but remained fragmented and short-term. “Healthcare and hunger reduction could indeed become defining parts of the President’s legacy,” Mr. Leachon said via Viber. He said lasting reforms would require a universal and far-reaching approach anchored in sustainable legislation and adequate funding. “Piecemeal programs, while helpful, will not address the systemic problems of malnutrition, poor access to healthcare and the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases,” he said. Mr. Leachon said expanded sin taxes could provide a sustainable funding source for healthcare if revenues are transparently allocated to health programs, preventive care and PhilHealth. “Evidence from past reforms shows that higher sin taxes reduce consumption, particularly among the youth and low-income groups most vulnerable to aggressive marketing,” he said. He said such revenues could also support PhilHealth, which he described as having been chronically defunded. “We call on Congress and the administration to ensure that revenues raised are transparently allocated to health programs, preventive care and PhilHealth case rate expansion,” Mr. Leachon said. In his fifth State of the Nation Address last month, Mr. Marcos called for immediate tax relief measures to help Filipino workers cope with rising living costs. The Department of Finance (DoF) subsequently proposed the Promoting Growth, Revenue and Equity towards Socioeconomic Sustainability bill, which the administration wants Congress to pass within the year. The measure will raise the personal income tax exemption threshold to P350,000 from P250,000 and exempt micro and small enterprises from the minimum corporate income tax. The DoF estimates revenue foregone at P326.92 billion from 2027 to 2030. To offset the reduction in collections, the agency proposes expanding sin and wealth taxes and updating the motor vehicle road user tax, including higher levies on sugar-sweetened and alcoholic beverages and vaping products. The DoF expects the package to generate P518.71 billion in fresh revenue, resulting in a net fiscal gain of about P191.77 billion. For the Marcos administration, the test will ultimately be whether its hunger and healthcare programs produce measurable improvements and can be sustained through stronger institutions and reliable funding beyond his term.