NAGKAISA Convenor and PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda
said: “The new OSG is sharp. She very well know that you can’t reverse a
clearly unconstitutional act—kahit first-year law student makikita ’yan. Kahit
gaano pa kataas ang opisyal di pweding baliwalain ang ating mga batas.”
The country’s largest labor coalition, NAGKAISA, welcomed
the decision of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) not to seek
reconsideration of the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the questioned
PhilHealth fund transfer.
“The Constitution is not a suggestion—it is the supreme
law,” NAGKAISA Chair Sonny Matula of FFW said. “The Supreme Court simply upheld
constitutional supremacy and the rule of law. No matter how noble the intention
or how lofty the office, everyone must bow to the mandate of the fundamental
law.”
NAGKAISA Chair said the OSG’s stance reflects institutional
discipline under the leadership of Solicitor General Darlene Marie Berberabe,
noting that “a Solicitor General who brings the sharpness of a UP law professor
and a well grounded public servant is
exactly what constitutional governance requires—hindi nadadaan sa ‘good
intentions’ kapag malinaw na bawal sa Saligang Batas.”
Affiliates of NAGKAISA—some of whom are among the
petitioners—stressed that the issue is not politics or ‘bashing,’ but
constitutional limits that cannot be crossed.
The coalition noted that the Supreme Court ruled Department
of Finance Circular No. 03-2025, issued by then-DOF Secretary Ralph Recto, to
be unconstitutional. In a decision penned by Associate Justice Alma Consuelo M.
Lazaro-Javier and unanimously concurred in by all the Justices, the Court held
that Recto usurped the President’s exclusive authority to transfer funds, in
direct violation of Article VI, Section 25(5) of the Constitution. The Court
further ruled that the circular violated the Universal Health Care Act and
applicable special tax laws governing PhilHealth.
NAGKAISA also belied as hollow attempts to frame the
controversy as mere political persecution, following remarks attributed to
Batangas Governor Vilma Santos suggesting that critics were only targeting the
Rectos because they are in power.
“That line is hollow,” NAGKAISA Convenor and SENTRO Deputy
Secretary General Nice Coronacion said. “This is not about fame, family, or
power. This is about a constitutional red line. You are not criticized for
being in power—you are criticized for acting as if you are above the law.”
“The Rectos may be high and powerful,” the coalition added,
“but they are not above the Constitution.”
NAGKAISA concluded that the ruling protects PhilHealth
members—especially workers—because PhilHealth funds are public trust funds that
must be managed strictly in accordance with law.
NAGKAISA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
27 December 2025
