The unresolved issue of PhilHealth deductions for PWDs

My mother, a person with disability, retired in 2024 at the age of 65, after years of being the municipal budget officer in Ilocos Sur. She’s a registered PWD, and according to Republic Act No. 11228, which mandates PhilHealth coverage for PWDs since 2019, she should have stopped paying PhilHealth premiums back then. But the deductions from her salary never stopped, even on the day she retired.

Countless PWDs across the country, both in the public and private sectors, continue to have PhilHealth premiums deducted from their salaries—a clear violation of the law.

RA 11228 amended the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability. Under the law, the premium contributions for all PWDs shall be paid by the national government. Meanwhile, the premium contributions of PWDs in the formal economy shall be shared equally by their employers and the national government. Government funds for the contributions shall be sourced from collections under the Sin Tax Law.

My mother didn’t stay quiet. She’s an intellectual and well-read, so upon reading the then newly passed law, she filed a petition demanding a stop to the unlawful deductions. She was not alone; she was joined by her coworkers who were also PWDs. They filed a petition at the PhilHealth office in La Union, which was then forwarded to the regional office in Dagupan. They also emailed the main office of PhilHealth, but there was never a resolution.

It’s disheartening, but not surprising. Because this is what indifference looks like in our country. Laws are passed with fanfare and are forgotten the moment the press conference ends.

I want to call for a full refund of the premiums wrongly taken from all PWDs since 2019, when the law took effect, and to stop all ongoing illegal PhilHealth deductions from their salaries. I also want to call for an increased public information campaign to ensure their privileges are met.

I’m not a PWD, but I’ve been paying mandatory PhilHealth contributions since 2014. That’s over 10 years of deductions from my salary. And yet, it was only this year that I was finally able to use any of those benefits. The diagnostic procedure that I did not pay at the hospital was worth around P7,000. That’s a full decade of paying into a system that barely worked for me.

The last time my mom used her PhilHealth benefit was in year 2003, when my younger brother, who is now a medical doctor, had dengue.

Passing a law is easy. It gets you media coverage, praise, and political points. But implementation requires hard work, oversight, and dedication. Lawmakers should not just pass a law, they must monitor if it is being implemented properly and effectively in every corner of the country.

This issue doesn’t end with PWDs. How about other vulnerable groups such as the solo parents and indigents? They are likely facing similar challenges in claiming the benefits and assistance meant for them.

The Philippines is good at making laws but poor in implementation; people are protected only on paper. It’s ironic that vulnerable groups who need assistance most have to fight for the rights they already have.

Why is it that laws that are meant to ease the burden on the people are rarely effective, while laws that take from the people (such as the expanded value-added tax) are aggressively and fully implemented? The government seems quick to collect but slow to deliver.

This isn’t just about PhilHealth. This is about how our country treats its people, especially those who are vulnerable. What good is a law if the government fails to live by it? Maybe hypocrisy is the real constitution in this country.

TERESA MAY BANDIOLA,
bandiolateresamayb@gmail.com