NAGKAISA Hails OSG Stand on PhilHealth

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