Philippines Case Study April 2022

CASE STUDY
Three Decades of Devolution in the Philippines: How This

Has Shaped Health Financing and Public Financial
Management Reforms
April 2022
ThinkWell
@thinkwellglobal
www.thinkwell.global
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge feedback on earlier drafts from Hélène Barroy, Inke
Mathauer, Nirmala Ravishankar, and Ileana Vîlcu; valuable comments from Genaline
Aguirre, Eduardo Banzon, Mary Juliet Labitigan, Juan Antonio Perez III, Oscar Picazo, Lester
Tan, and Lourdes Risa Yapchiangco; and editing and production support provided by
Marissa Maggio.
Recommended citation:
Nuevo, Christian Edward, Jemar Anne Sigua, Mary Camille Samson, Pura Angela Co, and
Maria Eufemia Yap. 2022. Three Decades of Devolution in the Philippines: How This Has
Shaped Health Financing and Public Financial Management Reforms. Case Study Series on
Devolution, Health Financing, and Public Financial Management. Manila: ThinkWell.
This case study was developed with support from ThinkWell’s Strategic Purchasing for
Primary Health Care grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health
Organization’s grant to support the Sustainability Strategic Focus Area from Gavi, The
Vaccine Alliance. This case study is part of a series produced jointly by ThinkWell and the
World Health Organization to explore the implications of devolution for health financing
and public financial management in Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria,
the Philippines, and Uganda. This series sheds light on how health financing functions are
organized within and impacted by the devolved system of government in a country. It also
explores how devolution has shaped public financial management processes in the health
sector, including budget development, approval, execution, and accountability.
For more information, please visit our website at
https://thinkwell.global/projects/sp4phc/.
For questions, please write to us at [email protected].
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................................... 2
Abbreviations.............................................................................................................................................. 6
I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 8
II. Methodology........................................................................................................................................... 9
III. Country Context ..................................................................................................................................... 9
IV. Health Financing Landscape in the Context of Decentralization .......................................................... 14
A. Revenue Raising…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………17
i. Revenue Collection……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18
ii. Intergovernmental Transfers……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..22
iii. Budget Development and Negotiation…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
B. Pooling…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 27
C. Purchasing………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 31
i. Purchasing Roles and Responsibilities……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 32
ii. Provider Payment and Contracting…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 33
iii. Benefits Package Design………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 34
iv. Budget Execution…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 35
D. Reporting, Oversight, and Accountability…………………………………………………………………………………………..44
V. Discussion ............................................................................................................................................. 46
VI. Limitations ........................................................................................................................................... 49
VI. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 49
References ................................................................................................................................................ 52
Annex 1: List of Peer Reviewers……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 58
Annex 2: Consolidated Statement of Receipts and Expenditures of Local Government Units (Provinces,
Cities, and Municipalities) in Million PHP, 2018-2020…………………………………………………………………………….59
Annex 3: Financial Performance of the DOH for 2019………………………………………………………………………….. 60
3
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Organizational structure of the public health system, showing government levels and health
offices devolved to the LGUs...................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 2. The Philippine health system fund flow ....................................................................................... 15
Figure 3. Total health expenditure of the Philippines in million PHP, 2014-2019………………………………………..16
Figure 4. DOH budget and sin tax revenues for health, 2013 to 2018 ......................................................... 19
Figure 5. IRA dependency of provinces, cities, and municipalities,2018 ...................................................... 22
Figure 6. IRA dependency of different regions compared to their total income in million PHP, 2018 .......... 23
Figure 7. Total and per capita health expenditure of provinces per income class versus PhilHealth payments
to public facilities in million PHP, 2018. ...................................................................................................... 24
Figure 8. Distribution of DOH budget between PhilHealth premiums of subsidized individuals and other
DOH programs in billion PHP, 2015-2019 ................................................................................................... 29
Figure 9. PhilHealth premium collection in million PHP, 2000-2019 ............................................................ 30
Figure 10. Financial performance of the DOH in billion PHP, 2015-2019 ..................................................... 36
Figure 11. Financial performance of the DOH HFEP from in billion PHP, 2008-2019 .................................... 37
Figure 12. Percentage of local government health budget utilization, 2012-2018 ....................................... 38
Figure 13. Percentage of LGU budget allocated to health and percentage of health budget spent among
different regions, 2012-2018 ..................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 14. Fiscal health expenditures and share of central and local governments in billion PHP, 1991-2005
.................................................................................................................................................................. 40
Figure 15. Per capita IRA and per capita local government health expenditures in PHP constant 2000 prices,
1992-2013. ................................................................................................................................................ 41
Figure 16. National and local health expenditures in million PHP, 2005-2019 ............................................. 41
Figure 17. Budget allocation across expenditure components, 2009 to 2020.............................................. 42
Figure 18. Provincial health expenditure as percentage of the per provincial income class, 2009 to 2018… 44
4
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Key policies that shaped the Philippine health system………………………………………………………………….10
Table 2. Devolved health functions by level of government……………………………………………………………………….13
Table 3. Current health expenditure by health care financing scheme in million PHP, 2014-2019………………16
Table 4. Interactions for revenue raising for health among various actors of the health system………………..17
Table 5. Current health expenditure by revenues of health financing scheme in million PHP, 2014-2019….18
Table 6. PhilHealth’s premium contribution schedule in PHP, in accordance with the UHC Act………………… 20
Table 7. Sources of LGU revenues………………………………………………………………………………………………………………21
Table 8. Key budget development and approval roles………………………………………………………………………………..25
Table 9. Usual schedule of key activities for the development of the annual national and local budgets
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25
Table 10. Interactions for pooling of funds for health among various actors of the health system…………….. 27
Table 11. Interactions for purchasing for health among various actors of the health system…………………….. 31
Table 12. Preliminary summary of current operating expenditures of provinces, cities, and municipalities in
million PHP, 2019……………………………………………………………………………………………………………............................ 42
Table 13. Mechanisms for financial accountability of LGUs………………………………………………………………………… 44
5
ABBREVIATIONS
ACR All Case Rates HCPN health care provider network
AIP Annual Investment Plan HFEP Health Facilities Enhancement

Program
AO Administrative Order
HSC Health Score Card
BHS barangay health station

HMO health maintenance organization
BLGF Bureau of Local Government

HUC highly urbanized city
Finance
CHO City Health Office ICC independent component city
COA Commission on Audit ILHZ interlocal health zone
DBM Department of Budget and IRA Internal Revenue Allotment

Management
Department of the Interior and LCE local chief executive

DILG
Local Government
LGC Local Government Code
DOF Department of Finance
LGU local government unit
DOH Department of Health
LHB local health board
DPRI Drug Price Reference Index
LIPH Local Investment Plan for Health
DSWD Department of Social Welfare and
Development
MHO Municipal Health Office
DTTB Doctors-to-the-Barrios
MOA Memorandum of Agreement
EO Executive Order
NGA national government agency
GAA General Appropriations Act
NGO nongovernmental organization
GDP gross domestic product
NHIP National Health Insurance
GIDA geographically isolated and Program
disadvantaged area
NHTS-PR National Household Targeting
GOCC government-owned and System for Poverty Reduction
controlled corporation
6
ODA Official Development Assistance PHO Provincial Health Office
OFW overseas Filipino workers PHP Philippine peso
OOP out-of-pocket PIB Performance-Informed Budgeting
PAGCOR Philippine Amusement and PSA Philippine Statistics Authority

Gaming Corporation
RA Republic Act
PCB Primary Care Benefit
RHU rural health unit

PCSO Philippine Charity and
Sweepstakes Office
SHF Special Health Fund
PDAF Priority Development Assistance
Fund
SLA Service Level Agreements
PDP Philippine Development Plan
THE total health expenditure
PFM public financial management
UHC universal health care/coverage
PHI private health insurance
WHO World Health Organization
PhilHealth Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation
7
INTRODUCTION
Over the past five decades, sub-national government units in most countries around the world have
assumed some extent of decision-making authority (Cheema and Rondinelli 2007).1 This often occurs
through devolution, a reform that typically involves the transfer of different government functions related to
sectors, such as health, from the national government to sub-national units. Devolution often entails changes
to public financial management (PFM) rules, systems, and processes. Similarly, countries have also initiated
health financing reforms, such as expanding publicly managed health insurance, eliminating user fees, and
introducing performance-based payments, to move closer to the goal of achieving universal health coverage
(UHC). While national governments exercise a high degree of control over the design of health financing
reforms, their implementation in decentralized contexts is heavily influenced by local politics, policies, and
processes. Sub-national government units in decentralized systems are often expected to be accountable in
purchasing of primary health care services, exercising considerable control over the funds flowing to public
facilities, including from user fees or insurance reimbursements.
Public funds and its management take on a crucial role in ensuring sustainable health financing for achieving
UHC (Kutzin, Yip, and Cashin 2016). Globally, public financing accounted for approximately 60% of health
spending in 2017, and increased faster than any other source of health expenditure over the preceding decade
(World Health Organization 2019). This has increased recognition by governments and development partners
regarding the importance of PFM to effective, efficient, and equitable health spending (Cashin et al. 2017;
Barroy et al. 2019). Furthermore, the specific context of decentralized health systems as it interfaces with PFM
mechanisms is crucial in understanding realities of how allocation of public funds for health materialize.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and ThinkWell jointly developed a series of case studies to explore
the implications of decentralization for health financing, with a focus on PFM. The cases shed light on how
health financing functions are organized within and impacted by each country’s decentralized system of
government. They also explore how decentralization has shaped PFM processes in the health sector, including
budget development, approval, execution, and accountability.
This case study details health financing and health-related PFM processes in the Philippines, a lower-middle
income country in Southeast Asia, with a democratic government in the form of a constitutional republic
with a presidential system. The current governmental structure has been in place since the ratification of the
1987 Constitution, following the 1986 People Power Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of former
President Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986). The 1987 Constitution also gave autonomy to local governments,
which are composed of three levels: 1) provinces and independent component cities (ICCs) or highly urbanized
cities (HUCs); 2) component cities and municipalities; and 3) barangays, or small districts. In 1991, the Local
Government Code (LGC)2 instituted a system of decentralization where local government units (LGUs) were
given more powers, authority, responsibility, and resources including those for basic services, such as health
(Republic of the Philippines 1991). Although LGUs were given a greater share of the country’s internal
revenues, as well as additional taxing power because of devolution, these additional sources of funds continue
to insufficiently cover the cost of their additional mandates. Over the years, the government has introduced
various health system and financing policies plus initiatives to address the weaknesses of this current system.
This case study aims to provide a current snapshot of the PFM processes in the Philippines.
1 The literature offers several typologies to distinguish between different forms of decentralization (devolution vs. de-concentration,
administrative, fiscal vs. political decentralization), which are discussed in a separate methodology document.
2 Republic Act No. 7160 – An Act Providing for a Local Government Code of 1991.
8
METHODOLOGY
ThinkWell and WHO developed a set of questions to guide data collection in the selected countries to
answer the following overarching questions:
‒ How are the three health functions—revenue raising, pooling, and purchasing—and related governance
functions organized and affected by a devolved system of government in a country?
‒ What challenges related to devolved health financing exist and how do these affect progress toward
UHC?
‒ How do PFM processes unfold across government levels, and what is the role of sub-national
governments in allocating, spending, and reporting public funds for health?
‒ What is the role of health facilities in PFM processes?
Data for the Philippines was mainly collected through desk review, supplemented with expert interviews.
The desk review entailed a purposeful review of documents and data that could be accessed online, including
gray literature from local or national governments, international organizations, development assistance
projects, and peer-reviewed literature. When sources lacked LGU-specific information or examples, we sought
information from stakeholders from Antique and Guimaras, the two partner provinces of ThinkWell in its
Strategic Purchasing for Primary Health Care project in the Philippines through key informant interviews with
local experts. Results of the desk review were also validated with a mix of experts that focus on the country’s
health financing and overall health system (Annex 1). Given the complexity and diversity of the country’s PFM
structure, the findings presented here are not intended to comprehensively capture all sub-national practices
and policies. Instead, the information presented from the national and local levels illustrate some of the
current realities, variabilities across the country, and reform trajectories and opportunities.
COUNTRY CONTEXT
The Philippines is a lower middle-income country in Southeast Asia with an archipelagic geography. It has
7,641 islands with more than 300,000 square kilometers of total land area (National Mapping and Resource
Information Authority 2017; Philippine Statistics Authority [PSA] 2016). The country has three main island
groups, divided into 17 regions, 81 provinces, 146 cities, 1,488 municipalities, and 42,046 barangays
(Department of the Interior and Local Government [DILG] 2020). Based on the country’s 2015 census, the
current population is estimated to be at 100.8 million, of which 51.2% live in urban areas (PSA 2016). Of note,
only 7,437 barangays (17.7%) are classified as urban, while 34,599 barangays (82.3%) are classified as rural. In
2019, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated to be at US$377 billion, with a growth rate of
around 6%, while GDP per capita was at US$3,485 (World Bank n.d.).
Over the years, the passing of several key laws shaped the governance and delivery of health services from
one that is highly centralized, at the national level, to the more decentralized structure that was established
by the LGC of 1991 (Table 1). The Department of Health (DOH) was established after World War II to supervise
the implementation and operation of health facilities in the country, as stipulated in Executive Order (EO) No.
943 (Office of the President 1947). The Rural Health Act of 1954 established a network of rural health units
(RHUs) in all cities and municipalities and established provincial health officers in each province under the
3Executive Order No. 94, s. 1947 – Reorganizing the Different Executive Departments, Bureaus, Offices, and Agencies of the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines, Making Certain Readjustments of Personnel and Reallotments of Funds in Connection
Therewith, and for Other Purposes.
9
purview of the Secretary of Health (Republic of the Philippines 1954). 4 The DOH created its first eight regional
offices to assist in managing these municipal and provincial health offices (MHOs and PHOs). During the
Martial Law era from 1972 to 1981, the set-up of the health system under the then named Ministry of Health,
continued to evolve following the merging of public health and hospital services under the integrated PHO.
This restructuring created health districts that are comprised of district hospitals, RHUs, and barangay health
stations (BHS), which aimed to facilitate the implementation of the primary health care approach as espoused
by the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 (Cuenca 2018). The ratification of the 1987 Constitution following the
1986 People Power Revolution, however, called for a system of decentralization via the LGC envisioned to
“provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure.” Initially, the Ministry of Health,
renamed back to the DOH, was envisioned to still retain centralized control of the health system by virtue of
EO No. 119,5 except that of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which will be governed by its own
regional DOH as mandated by Republic Act (RA) No. 67346 and amended by RA No. 90547 (Office of the
President 1987; Republic of the Philippines 1989 and 2001). However, LGUs still continued to operate with
severe resource constraints. A devolved health system was recognized as an opportunity for local actions to
become more agile and to allow LGUs to address their specific issues directly and more swiftly. When the LGC
was signed into law in 1991, the different levels of LGUs were granted fiscal and administrative autonomy for
basic services, including that of health, while the DOH shifted its function to policy and standards setting,
stewardship, and technical and financial assistance. In this devolved framework, the DOH affirmed its adoption
of primary health care principles via community health development through partnerships with different
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) (Rebullida 2006).
Table 1. Key policies that shaped the Philippine health system

Year Policies Description
1947 EO No. 94, s. 1947 Reorganized certain departments under the executive
Reorganizing the Different Executive Departments, branch of national government, including the DOH;
Bureaus, Offices, and Agencies of the Government of the initially dictated the structure and function of the DOH
Republic of the Philippines, Making Certain
Readjustments of Personnel and Reallotments of Funds
in Connection Therewith, and for Other Purposes
1954 RA No. 1082: Rural Health Act Created a national network of public health facilities at
An Act Strengthening Health and Dental Services in the the community level; organized in all cities and
Rural Health Areas, and Providing Funds Therefore municipalities via RHUs and health centers
1982 EO No. 851, s. 1982 Reorganized the DOH (then renamed to Ministry of
Reorganizing the Ministry of Health, Integrating the Health); integrated public health and hospital services
Components of Health Care Delivery into its Field under PHOs and placed district hospitals under the
Operations, and for Other Purposes MHOs; arranged district hospitals, RHUs, and BHS into
health districts to implement primary health care
4 Republic Act No. 1082 – An Act Strengthening Health and Dental Services in the Rural Health Areas, and Providing Funds Therefore.
5 Executive Order No. 119, s. 1987 – Reorganizing the Ministry of Health, its Attached Agencies and for Other Purposes.
6 Republic Act No. 6734 – An Act Providing for an Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
7 Republic Act No. 9054 – An Act to Strengthen and Expand the Organic Act for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Amending for
the Purpose Republic Act No. 6734.

10
Year Policies Description
1987 EO No. 119, s. 1987 Expanded and reorganized the health sector; Ministry
Reorganizing the Ministry of Health, its Attached of Health renamed back to DOH
Agencies and for Other Purposes
1991 RA No. 7160: Local Government Code Mandated responsibility and autonomy to manage
An Act Providing for a Local Government Code of 1991 local health facilities and services to different levels of
LGUs
1992 DOH Rules and Regulations Implementing the Provided guidance on the reorganization of the DOH
Local Government Code of 1991 and devolution of health functions to LGUs
1995 RA No. 7875: National Health Insurance Act Established the PhilHealth as the national health
An Act Instituting a National Health Insurance Program insurance entity; later amended by RA No. 9241 (2004)
for All Filipinos and Establishing the Philippine Health and RA No. 10606 (2013)
Insurance Corporation for the Purpose
1999 DOH’s Health Sector Reform Agenda DOH reform framework aimed to improve the way
health care is delivered, regulated, and financed
2004 DOH AO No. 185 s. 2004 Supported the implementation of local health system
Guidelines on Identifying Geographically Isolated and reforms in GIDAs with marginalized populations
Disadvantaged Areas and Strengthening their Health
Systems
2005 FOURmula ONE for Health (F1) DOH reform framework for 2005 to 2010
2006 DOH AO No. 2006-0017 Provided an incentive scheme framework for

Incentive Scheme Framework for Enhancing Inter-LGU enhancing inter-LGU coordination and sharing of
Coordination in Health through Interlocal Health Zones resources for health through the establishment of ILHZs
and Ensuing their Sustainable Operations
2011 Kalusugan Pangkalahatan DOH reform framework of the DOH for 2011 to 2016
2012 RA No. 10351: Sin Tax Law Restructured the excise tax on alcohol and tobacco to
An Act Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and be allocated to the NHIP and for medical assistance and
Tobacco Products […], and For Other Purposes health facility enhancements
2017 FOURmula One Plus (F1 Plus) for Health Health system reforms framework of the DOH for 2017
to 2022
2019 RA No. 11223: Universal Health Care Act Provided key reforms to assist in the achievement of
An Act Instituting Universal Health Care for All Filipinos, UHC in the country
Prescribing Reforms in the Health Care System, and
Appropriating Funds Therefore
Source: Authors, compiled from relevant policies

Abbreviations: PhilHealth = Philippine Health Insurance Corporation; AO = Administrative Order; GIDA = geographically isolated and
disadvantaged area; ILHZ = interlocal health zone; NHIP = National Health Insurance Program
11
The LGC, as well as the succeeding policies that followed, resulted in a health sector composed of many
autonomous local health systems run by provinces, municipalities, and cities—but with weak ties to the
DOH. Figure 1 shows the current organizational structure of the health systems and the different units
retained by the DOH, as well as those devolved to the LGUs. The DOH coordinates with the different LGUs at
the provincial, municipal, and city levels through its regional departments. However, these levels of
decentralized governance are fully autonomous unlike the previous district health system structure, leaving
DOH regional offices with little influence on health expenditure and the way these resources are allocated at
the local level (Capuno, Rivadeneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). The health functions that were devolved to the
LGUs include the authority and responsibility for local health facilities and the direct provision and
management of health services, such as public health programs, promotive, and preventive health care
(Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018; Cuenca 2018). In terms of organization, elected local chief executives
(LCEs) govern each LGU. Each local government has a local health board (LHB) chaired by the LCE, with
representatives from the DOH through DOH Provincial Health Teams. The LHB functions as an advisory board
to the LCE and the local legislative council on health-related matters. Table 2 summarizes the different levels
of government and their devolved health services and responsibilities as per the LGC, although there may be
some variations in actual implementation.
Figure 1. Organizational structure of the public health system, showing relationships among government
levels and health offices devolved to the LGUs
Sources: Republic of the Philippines 1991; Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018; Capuno, Rivadeneria, and Beazley et al. 2018
12
Table 2. Devolved health functions by level of government
LGU LCE Public facility type Devolved health services and responsibilities
Barangays Barangay BHS Maintenance of BHS; provision of basic health care services
Captain and day care services
Municipalities Mayor MHOs; RHUs Implementation of programs and projects on primary health
care, maternal and childcare, and communicable and non-
communicable diseases; access to secondary and tertiary
health services; purchase of medicines, medical supplies, and
equipment needed to carry out the said services
Component Mayor CHOs; RHUs Implementation of programs and projects on primary health
Cities care, maternal and childcare, and communicable and non-
communicable diseases; access to secondary and tertiary
health services; purchase of medicines, medical supplies, and
equipment needed to carry out the said services
Cities Mayor CHOs; city Hospitals and other tertiary health services; coordination of
(HUC or ICC) hospitals and health service delivery of the municipalities and cities within
health centers their jurisdiction
Provinces Governor PHOs; provincial Hospitals and other tertiary health services; coordination of
and district health service delivery of the municipalities and cities within
hospitals their jurisdiction
Sources: Cuenca 2018; Capuno, Rivadeneria, and Beazley et al. 2018

Note: MHOs, CHOs, and PHOs may function as managerial or administrative offices not engaged in service delivery.
Improvements in health outcomes and performance of health care facilities and health workers at the local
level have shown marked variations across LGUs after devolution of health services (DOH 2012). Some LGUs
have largely failed to adapt to their devolved functions and accountabilities in their new responsibilities,
leaving some local health facilities poorly equipped and poorly staffed. Studies on the initial implementation of
devolution from 1998 to 1999 have shown that many provinces and smaller municipalities had insufficient
funds to pay the salaries of the national workers delegated to them. The cost of implementing the Magna
Carta for Public Health Workers,8 which came after devolution, was also not factored in the estimation of costs
of devolved functions. Although some financial support was provided by the DOH to ensure that the Magna
Carta was implemented, these were eventually scrapped in succeeding administrations. Aside from financial
reasons, other factors also contributed to constraints in health and human resources. For instance, midwives
were forced to resign because they were displaced or moved away from their places of residence, or worse,
transferred to the mountains. These circumstances were partly attributed to political differences between the
current LCEs and health staff. As a result, major gaps in the quantity, quality, and distribution of essential
health services at the local level have become persistent concerns of both the national and local governments.
The fragmentation of the health care delivery system most severely affected the provision of health services in
geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs). These areas are generally characterized by high
8 Republic Act No. 7305 – The Magna Carta of Public Health Workers.
13
morbidity and mortality, lack of health facilities and health professionals, and poor logistical support, resulting
in poor access to quality health care (DOH 2004; Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018).
After devolution, several major policy reforms were enacted to meet the continued financing challenges of
the health sector. Various reform agendas spearheaded by the DOH were sought both to address issues that
have been encountered post-devolution, as well as to attain UHC. The establishment of the National Health
Insurance Program (NHIP) in 1995 and the creation of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)
became a mechanism to collect additional revenues for health. This also diversified payment for health
services, from one that was purely budget financed and publicly delivered, to one that is demand-driven
through both private providers and public providers. Various reform agendas spearheaded by the DOH were
sought to address issues that have been encountered post-devolution and to attain UHC. The passage of the
Sin Tax Law in 20129 increased the ear-marked fiscal space for health and ensured sustainability of PhilHealth’s
coverage expansion for vulnerable sectors, including beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash
transfer program or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, established in 2008 to provide social
development and assistance. Also at the national level, there have been broader reforms in terms of PFM and
social welfare. More recently, the Philippines hit another milestone and furthered its opportunity to achieve
UHC with the passage of the UHC Act,10 with relevant policies and operational details currently ongoing
development. The next section of this case study discusses the current health financing landscape of the
Philippines, along with the different PFM issues and challenges post-devolution and provides
recommendations considering these findings.
HEALTH FINANCING LANDSCAPE IN THE CONTEXT OF DECENTRALIZATION

The devolution of the Philippine health system and the major policy reforms that followed have resulted in a
complex health financing system in the Philippines. Figure 2 describes the overall flow of key fund sources in
the health system to both public and private facilities. Revenue for health is generated through four main
sources, namely 1) national and local governments, 2) social health insurance through PhilHealth, 3) out-of-
pocket (OOP) spending, and 4) other private spending, which may include private health insurance (PHI) and
donor funding, among others (DOH 2012; Solon, Herrin, and Florentino 2017; Romualdez, dela Rosa, and
Flavier et al. 2011; Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018). Over the past years, resources allocated and spent
for health have been growing, evidenced by larger national and local allocations for health, benefit payouts of
the NHIP, and overall total health expenditure (THE) in the country (Figure 3). However, OOP spending
continues to be the biggest source of funds in the country, representing 47.9% of current health expenditure in
2019, although it has decreased over the years (Table 3) (PSA 2020).
9Republic Act No. 10351 – An Act Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco Products […], and For Other Purposes.
10Republic Act No. 11223 – An Act Instituting Universal Health Care for All Filipinos, Prescribing Reforms in the Health Care System, and
Appropriating Funds Therefore.
14
Figure 2. The Philippine health system fund flow*
*This fund flow is simplified and generalized for illustration purposes.
Sources: Authors, adapted from Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018; Romualdez, dela Rosa, and Flavier et al. 2011
15
Figure 3. THE of the Philippines in million Philippine pesos (PHP), 2014-2019
1,000,000
906,033.7
839,717.5
Total health expenditure, in million PHP
12.5%
740,125.4
800,000 14.9%
672,108.7
607,160.8 11.4%
531,373.8 11.0%
600,000 10.5%
8.0%
400,000 87.5%
85.1%
88.6%
89.0%
89.5%
92.0%
200,000
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Current health expenditure Gross capital formation Total health expenditure
Source: PSA 2020
Table 3. Current health expenditure by health care financing scheme in million PHP, 2014-2019
Financing Scheme 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Government schemes 177,821.2 216,990.6 241,594.9 263,353.2 279,791.9 332,833.9

(36.3%) (39.9%) (40.4%) (40.2%) (39.1%) (42.0%)
DOH and other central 62,766.1 78,738.5 96,104.2 109,285.6 108,087.0 129,532.5
government schemes (12.8%) (14.4%) (16.1%) (16.7%) (15.1%) (16.3%)
From domestic revenue 55,487.8 70,906.1 82,544.5 94,89.5 106,860.4 126,194.7

(11.3%) (13.0%) (13.8%) (14.5%) (14.9%) (15.9%)
From foreign assistance 7,278.3 7,832.4 13,559.7 14,386.1 1,226.6 3,337.8

(1.5%) (1.4%) (2.3%) (2.2%) (0.2%) (0.4%)
LGUs 37,748.4 39,026.7 43,360.0 47,650.9 58,748.4 66,341.5

(7.7%) (7.2%) (7.2%) (7.3%) (8.2%) (8.4%)
PhilHealth 77,306.7 99,225.4 102,130.7 106,416.6 112,956.5 139,959.8

(15.8%) (18.3%) (17.1%) (16.2%) (15.8%) (17.3%)
Private schemes 55,088.7 48,393.6 54,691.1 63,533.1 70,737.1 79,989.1

(11.3%) (8.9%) (9.1%) (9.7%) (9.9%) (10.1%)
Household OOP payments 256,157.0 278,197.5 302,175.9 328,828.0 364,241.1 379,730.9

(52.4%) (51.2%) (50.5%) (50.2%) (51.0%) (47.9%)
CURRENT HEALTH EXPENDITURE 489,066.9 543,581.7 598,461.9 655,714.3 714,770.1 792,553.9

Source: PSA 2020
16
The sub-sections that follow detail how, across government tiers, funds are collected and shared (revenue
raising), managed on behalf of the population (pooling), and used to pay for health services (purchasing). A
final sub-section examines reporting, oversight, and accountability for health financing. Findings related to
PFM processes are woven throughout.
REVENUE RAISING
Revenue raising refers to the way revenues are raised to fund health care provision and health promotion
activities. This section explores revenue raising at the various levels of government through national and local
taxes as well as social health insurance premiums, as summarized in Table 4.
Table 4. Interactions for revenue raising for health among various actors of the health system
Note: Relationships are read by row (left to right) to indicate action and action-recipient relationship.
National Local PhilHealth Private
National The national The national The national Nonapplicable.

government collects government, through government subsidizes
general and special DBM, downloads funds the premiums of
taxes. These revenues in the form of IRA to indigents and vulnerable
are used as budget for LGUs as a form of an populations. These form
NGAs, such as the DOH. intergovernmental fiscal part of the DOH budget
Other NGAs that transfer or block grant. but are transferred to
participate in financing PhilHealth upon
health can collect their clearance from DBM.
own revenues through
their services (e.g., PCSO
and PAGCOR).
Local Nonapplicable. LGUs collect revenues A very small portion of Nonapplicable.

specific and exclusive indigents and vulnerable
within their jurisdiction individuals and
through local taxes as households may still
legitimized by local have their premiums
ordinances. subsidized by the LGUs.
PhilHealth Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. PhilHealth directly Nonapplicable.

collects premiums from
formal and informal
economy members.
Private Private institutions pay Private institutions pay Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable.

entities taxes collected by the taxes collected by the
national government. LGUs.
Private Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Collects premiums

purchasers directly from private
(PHI; HMO) individuals or
institutions.
17
Individuals Individuals pay taxes Individuals pay local Formal and informal Nonapplicable.
collected by the national taxes collected by LGUs. economy PhilHealth
government. members pay premiums
to PhilHealth.
Source: Authors
Abbreviations: NGA = national government agency; PCSO = Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office; PAGCOR = Philippine Amusement
and Gaming Corporation; DBM = Department of Budget and Management; IRA = Internal Revenue Allotment; HMO = health
maintenance organization
Revenue Collection
Revenues for health are sourced from government taxes, social insurance contributions, donor funds, and
other sources (Table 5). The majority of the country’s revenues for health are sourced from households and
corporations (i.e., OOP payments), followed by revenues from national and local government taxes, and then
social and voluntary health insurance contributions. These revenue sources are discussed in the following
sections.
Table 5. Current health expenditure by revenues of health financing scheme in million PHP, 2014-2019
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Transfers from government domestic 118,983.6 153,724.7 169,839.8 197,516.7 227,690.7 271,612.9
revenue (allocated to health) (24.3%) (28.3%) (28.4%) (30.1%) (31.8%) (34.3%)
Transfers distributed by government 7,278.3 7,832.4 13,559.7 14,386.1 1,226.6 3,337.8

from foreign origin (1.5%) (1.4%) (2.3%) (2.2%) (0.2%) (0.4%)
Social insurance contributions 47,854.5 51,060.0 53,171.3 47,971.8 46,543.1 53,428.1

(9.8%) (9.4%) (8.9%) (7.3%) (6.5%) (6.8%)
Voluntary prepayment 49,418.3 42,407.3 48,189.8 56,425.9 62,902.0 71,618.2

(10.1%) (7.8%) (8.0%) (8.6%) (8.8%) (9.0%)
Other domestic revenues (from 265,532.2 288,557.2 313,701.4 339,413.7 376,407.7 392,556.8
households and corporations) (54.3%) (53.1%) (52.4%) (51.8%) (52.7%) (49.5%)
CURRENT HEALTH EXPENDITURE 489,066.9 543,581.6 598,462.0 655,714.2 714,770.1 792,553.8
Source: PSA 2020
Taxes collected in various forms are the primary revenue source for the national government to finance
government operations, including health. Taxes collected at the national level are guided by the National
Internal Revenue Code, which was recently amended through the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion
18
Act in 2017. 11 The Department of Finance (DOF) leads in designing and innovating the tax system in the
country. These taxes are then collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which include capital gains,
income, dividends, documentary stamp, value added tax, donor’s tax, and branch profit remittance. The
Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in coordination with the Development Budget Coordination
Committee, is then tasked to allocate these revenues to the different government agencies and programs,
including the DOH and local governments via the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
The implementation of the Sin Tax Law on cigarette and alcohol contributed to a huge increase in national
tax revenues allocated to health. A huge jump of PHP 30.5 billion (US$634.3 billion) at the national level can
be observed in 2014 with the passage of the Sin Tax Law of 2012 (Figure 4). Eighty percent of total sin tax
collections are earmarked for health, while the remaining 20% are allocated for tobacco-producing farms. Of
the collections earmarked for health, 80% go to PhilHealth premium subsidies for indigents identified by the
National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR), and 20% to DOH medical assistance
and the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) (DOH 2015). Before, local governments were
encouraged to sponsor indigents into the program, offering them possible reimbursement payments or
capitation from PhilHealth. The implementation of premium subsidies allocated from sin tax collections
effectively minimized the role of LGUs in offering subsidies for the poor.
Figure 4. DOH budget and sin tax revenues for health in billion PHP, 2013-2018
180 167
149
150
Health budget, in billion PHP
123 42.5%
120 39.6%
84 87
90 51.2%
36.9% 39.1%
53
60
59.7% 57.5%
30 100.0% 63.1% 60.9% 48.8%
0
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Baseline DOH budget Sin Tax revenue for health Total health budget
Source: Authors, data from DOH 2018
Premiums collected by PhilHealth from its employed and self-employed members are another important
source of additional revenue for the health sector. PhilHealth can collect a maximum of 5% of gross monthly
income as mandatory monthly contribution of its formally employed members. These contributions are split
equally between the employer and the employed. In 2018, the premium rate was at 2.75% with an income
ceiling of PHP 40,000 (US$830). This ceiling means that all those earning beyond it are charged the same
11Republic Act No. 10963 – An Act Amending [...] Republic Act No. 8424, Otherwise Known As The National Internal Revenue Code of
1997, as Amended, and for Other Purposes.
19
amount as those earning PHP 40,000 (US$830) (PhilHealth 2017a). During the development of the UHC Act,
this has been challenged as too low and, contrary to the supposed progressive premium contributions of
PhilHealth, fails to optimize potential for what is legally allowed, ultimately resulting to lost potential for
resource generation of PhilHealth. To support the implementation of the UHC Act, annual increases in
premium rates was set to be implemented until the maximum 5% is reached in 2024. Similarly, the income
ceiling is increased every year until it reaches PHP 100,000 (US$2,000) by 2024 (PhilHealth 2019a) (Table 6).
The premium rate increase to 3% in 2020, was met with backlash from certain sectors, such as physicians and
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) citing financial constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a response
to this, PhilHealth offered a flexible paying scheme specifically for OFWs and other directly paying self-
employed members. As the country continues to face the pandemic, the national government delayed the
premium hikes for 2021.
Table 6. PhilHealth’s premium contribution schedule in PHP, in accordance with the UHC Act
Year
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 to 2025
10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00

Monthly basic
salary
10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to

49,999.99 59,999.99 69,999.99 79,999.99 89,999.99 99,999.99
50,000.00 60,000.00 70,000.00 80,000.00 90,000.00 100,000.00

Premium
rate
2.75% 3.00% 3.50% 4.00% 4.50% 5.00%
275.00 300.00 350.00 400.00 450.00 500.00

Monthly premium
500.00 to
275.00 to 300.00 to 350.00 to 400.00 to 450.00 to
1,375.00 1,800.00 2,450.00 3,200.00 4,050.00 5,000.00
1,375.00 1,800.00 2,450.00 3,200.00 4,050.00 5,000.00
Source: PhilHealth 2019a
Informally employed or self-employed individuals pay premiums on a voluntary basis. The contribution
scheme for this sub-population is two-tiered. Those earning a monthly income of PHP 25,000 (US$500) and
below pay a fixed annual premium of PHP 2,400 (US$48), while those earning more pay a fixed annual
premium of PHP 3,600 (US$72) (PhilHealth 2013a). The contribution collection process from voluntary
members has been complex and administratively costly, largely because of the high mobility and seasonality of
cash among this sub-population. Similarly, adverse selection has been observed among informal members
during enrollment, as many are chronically ill and have high rates of use (Tangcharoensathien,
20
Patcharanarumol, and Ir et al. 2011). Benefit payout data revealed that while the informal economy only
constitutes around 8% of PhilHealth membership, per capita spending by PhilHealth for this group was, on
average, PHP 2,600 (US$54)—double than that of the formal or the indigent groups at around PHP 800
(US$17) to PHP 1,000 (US$21), respectively. Moreover, there is no real incentive and/or mechanism to
ascertain the accuracy of income declared, particularly for supposed higher tier members with a higher
premium rate. All premiums collected by PhilHealth are reserved solely for its benefit payments and/or
corporate operations. In the UHC Act, informally employed or self-employed individuals are mandated to pay a
fixed percentage of their income, following what is implemented for the formally employed. However, this
amount is not shared with any employer.
As per the LGC, LGUs also have the authority to create their own sources of revenue, consistent with the
basic policy of local autonomy. These include both tax and non-tax revenues (Table 7). Tax revenues include
real property tax, business tax, and special levies by the local government. Non-tax revenues include income
from economic enterprise and service for user fees. All locally generated revenues belong exclusively to the
LGUs according to the LGC, including revenues generated by local government-owned health care facilities,
such as user fees or PhilHealth payments. LGU-owned public hospitals can charge user fees for private beds in
their facilities, while primary care facilities generally do not. However, only DOH-owned health facilities can
retain their revenues from user fees.
Table 7. Sources of LGU revenues

Classification Key sources Other sources
Shares from ‒ IRA ‒ Central funds allocated by the DOH to

national tax ‒ Pork barrel* funds LGUs for drugs and supplies
collections ‒ Share from tax revenues of ‒ In-kind support provided by the DOH
economic zone in the locality to LGUs (human resources, drugs,
‒ Share in national wealth (e.g., supplies)
mining concessions in the locality)
Local tax revenues ‒ Real property taxes ‒ City or municipal business taxes,
‒ Special taxes amusement taxes, franchise taxes
Nontax revenues ‒ Regulatory fees (e.g., mayor’s ‒ User fees and charges for various city
permits; Building Code permits; fees and municipal social services
on weights and measures; various ‒ Other receipts (e.g., sales of assets,
registration fees; toll fees) miscellaneous receipts)
‒ Receipts from LGU’s own economic
enterprises, markets, slaughterhouses,
transport terminals, waterworks,
rentals, etc.
‒ PhilHealth reimbursements to LGU
health facilities
21
Classification Key sources Other sources
Loans and grants ‒ Foreign and domestic grants

‒ Domestic loans and borrowings,
bond flotation
*Pork barrel is a metaphor for appropriating government spending on local projects solely or primarily to bring money to a
representative’s district. Examples of such funds include Countrywide Development Fund, Priority Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF), and Disbursement Allocation Program.
Source: Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018
Intergovernmental Transfers
Although LGUs have the authority to generate their own resources, most of them continue to be highly
dependent on the IRA to finance their spending, including funding for health services. In total, 40% of
national internal revenue taxes goes to the IRA, a block grant transferred from the national government to the
LGUs to support the funding of devolved functions. The LGC requires that devolved functions be provided
funding first before other non-devolved functions. There are two steps in determining the share of the IRA for
each LGU. First is determining how much of the total IRA is allocated to different levels of LGUs as follows: 23%
to provinces, 23% to cities, 34% to municipalities, and 20% to barangays. Shares are further distributed to
individual LGUs based on the following weights: 50% population, 25% land area, and 25% equal sharing
(Uchimura and Suzuki 2012). The IRA does not set specific conditions and/or allocations for programs or
expenditures. This makes budgeting for health variable for each LGU. On average, the IRA continues to
compose more than 50% of the total budget of LGUs (Annex 2). Figure 5 illustrates the variability of IRA
dependency of provinces, cities, and municipalities in 2018, averaging to 83%, 65%, and 84%, respectively.
Figure 6 illustrates how richer regions, who have more capacity to generate local resources are less dependent
on their IRA. For poorer areas, this dependency can go as high as 98%.
Figure 5. IRA dependency of provinces, cities, and municipalities, 2018
83%
84%
65%
Source: DOF Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF)
22
PhilHealth reimbursements for LGU-owned facilities are also regarded as non-tax revenues of the LGU and
are not earmarked for use of that facility. Based on the 2018 claims database, the share of PhilHealth
payments in local health expenditure is at least 28% in the case of fourth income class provinces, and 63% for
first income class provinces.12 Across all, average PhilHealth per capita payment is higher compared to per
province health expenditure (Figure 7). These reimbursements are under the same financial autonomy and
control of the LGU. Through its various policies, PhilHealth has tried to assure that reimbursements will be
used for the delivery of health services by either requiring reimbursements be put in a trust fund, tracking by a
ledger to easier follow utilization, or by putting in rules where the funds can be used (e.g., defray operating
cost or capital outlay for health) that will be subject to the auditing by Commission on Audit (COA). The
outcomes of these policies have not been completely assessed although there are reports that the funds are
still under discretionary decision-making of the LCE (Querri, Ohkado, and Kawatsu et al. 2018). To add to that,
the tedious and complicated process of filing claims is demotivating to the facilities, especially if potential
claims constitute a smaller amount (e.g., municipalities compared to provinces). Since there is uncertainty in
the amount and the timing of the transfer of funds, the money that comes from PhilHealth is difficult to
project and consider in the annual budgeting process. However, a study in 2015 showed data on decreasing
provincial health expenditure from IRA, as their PhilHealth income increases indicating possible adjustments
done by LGUs to accommodate PhilHealth money (Perez 2015).
Figure 6. IRA dependency of different regions compared to their total income in million PHP, 2018
95.8%
120,000 81.0%
100%
84.5% 84.1% 81.0%
78.7% 79.8% 78.5%
Total income, in million PHP
100,000 73.2% 72.9% 80%

69.9% 68.7%
64.4% 64.8%
IRA dependency
80,000 54.8%
60%
44.6%
60,000
40%
40,000
19.8%
20,000 20%
0 0%
Local sources IRA Other national sources External sources IRA dependency
Source: Authors, data from DOF BLGF
12Provinces in the Philippines can be classified according to their average annual income: first (PHP 450 million or more); second (PHP
360 to 450 million); third (PHP 270 to 360 million); fourth (PHP 180 to 27 million); fifth (PHP 90 to 180 million); or sixth (PHP 90 million
or less) (DOF 2008).
23
Figure 7. Total and per capita health expenditure of provinces per income class versus PhilHealth payments
to public facilities in million PHP, 2018
100% 16,000
90%
14,000
PhilHealth payments, in million PHP

80%
12,000
70%
Health expenditure
10,000
60%
50% 8,000
40%
6,000
30%
4,000
20%
2,000
10%
0% -
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Income class
PhilHealth Payments Province Health Expenditure Per Capita PhilHealth Payment Per Capita Province Health Expenditure
Source: Authors, data from DOF BLGF; PhilHealth Claims Data 2018
Other transfers to LGUs include cash or in-kind allocations from DOH, as well as funding from other
government programs and external assistance. Technical assistance from the DOH to LGUs are provided in
several ways, such as through personnel deployment programs, drugs and commodities under various central
procurement programs, and capital investments under the HFEP (Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018).
Other transfers to LGUs from the national government, each with their own rules and mechanisms, include
(Uchimura and Suzuki 2012):
1. Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which is allocated to devolved functions in the form of
programs and projects;
2. Government-funded programs and projects, which national government agencies (NGAs) and
corporations fund to support devolved functions from internally generated revenues as part of the
regular agency or corporation budgets, excluding PDAF;
3. Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans and grants-funded transfers from NGAs and
corporations to local governments for their spending on devolved functions; and
4. Off-budget funding, which refers to programs and projects for devolved functions funded by ODA in
the form of grants or donations, which are not recorded in the national government budget.
Budget Development and Negotiation

The budget development process at the national and subnational levels are similar, but separate, processes
managed and approved by different actors at each tier. Table 8 summarizes the key development and
approval roles across each government tier. The finance executive agency at the national and the subnational
levels proposes the budget, which is then presented for approval by their respective legislature bodies before
final approval by the President or LCE, respectively. Issuance of the budget call at the local level takes place at
the same time as the issuance of the Local Budget Memorandum at the national level for the following year.
24
Table 8. Key budget development and approval roles
Tier Proposal Lead Approval
National Department of Budget and Management Congress of the Philippines
Subnational Local Finance Committee (of each tier) Local Sanggunian
Source: Authors
National budgets, for all its programs and activities (including health), are enacted through legislation as
general appropriations on an annual basis. Table 9 contains the key dates for development of the 2021
national budget. Budget deliberation usually starts in January of the previous year and undergoes technical
deliberation in the Congress and Senate in April or May. National level agencies develop and submit their own
budget proposals for consolidation by the DBM into an executive budget proposal for enactment by the
legislative body (DBM 2016). For the DOH, the Health Planning Division under the Health Policy Development
and Planning Bureau facilitates this process of budget development from individual units, including programs
such as immunization and family planning, within the central office. Budget levels for personnel services are
largely fixed but levels for maintenance and other operating expenses (e.g., including drugs or commodities for
disease prevention and control programs, training outlays, doctors, nurses, midwives as human resources for
health, and more) are proposed based on estimated increases in target populations, inflation for indexed items
(as prescribed by DBM), and consultative inputs from regional DOH program coordinators and civil society
organizations (Monsod 2019). Regional offices of the DOH also submit their budgets to the DOH central office
through the Field Implementation and Coordination Team. These are expected to be based on actual needs
and areas of specific concern, guided by planning documents, such as Annual Operation Plans and Local
Investment Plan for Health (LIPH), as well as consultations with LGUs. PhilHealth premium subsidies for
indigents and vulnerable households also form part of the DOH budget and are estimated in coordination with
PhilHealth.
LGU budgets, for all its programs and activities (including health), are enacted independently and
manifested officially through a local ordinance on an annual basis, although with a slightly different timeline
from the national budgeting process (Table 9). LGUs aggregate funds from all sources—e.g., IRA, local
revenue, DOH funds, PhilHealth payments, grants, and loans from donors—and allocate these according to
prioritized programs determined by legislative councils and LCEs. The prioritization for health spending is
autonomously determined by the LGU at the start of the year, in consultation with its public health facilities.
The LHB, composed of LGU stakeholders, is also an avenue to discuss health-related concerns, including
budget planning and prioritization. However, the effectiveness and regularity of LHB meetings are dependent
on the authority of the board chairman (among LCEs, the governor at the provincial level and mayor at the
municipal level) to convene the board. In general, the heads of public facilities prepare and submit their own
budget to the heads of their LGUs. This includes costs for staff, operational costs, and commodities, as needed.
The budget is then approved by the council of the LGU.
Table 9. Usual schedule of key activities for the development of the annual national and local budgets
Date National budget Local budget
January ‒ Budget Forum Nonapplicable
25
Date National budget Local budget
February ‒ Consultation between central and regional Nonapplicable

offices of respective agencies and other
stakeholders
April ‒ Encoding and submission of budget Nonapplicable

proposals through the Online Submission
May of Budget Proposals System ‒ Preparation of the AIP by the Local Finance
‒ Technical Budget Hearings Committee
June ‒ Executive Review Board Hearings ‒ Approval of AIP by Local Sanggunian

‒ Presentation to the President and the ‒ Issuance of Local Budget Memorandum by
Cabinet DBM
‒ Issuance of Budget Call
July ‒ Finalization, printing, and submission to ‒ Budget Forum

the President ‒ Preparation and submission of budget
‒ Signing and approval of the President proposals by respective department heads
‒ Submission of the President’s Budget to
Congress
August Nonapplicable ‒ Budget Hearing
October Nonapplicable ‒ Preparation of Executive Budget

‒ Submission of Executive Budget to Local
Sanggunian for approval (by October 15)
‒ Enactment of Appropriation Ordinance
‒ Submission of Appropriation Ordinance to
DBM for review
Sources: DBM 2020; Authors, data from DOF BLGF

Abbreviation: AIP = Annual Investment Plan
The current budget development and negotiation process is a product of a series of reforms in national and
local PFM over the last decade. Across all national agencies, program budgeting or the Performance-Informed
Budgeting (PIB) approach was part of the series of reforms introduced during the Aquino Administration
between 2010 to 2015, although it was not fully implemented until 2018 (Lakin 2018). For health, there has
been improved linkage between the National Objectives for Health by the DOH and the overall Philippine
Development Plan (PDP), which lays out the medium-term health goals and the country’s socioeconomic
agenda, respectively. The introduction of these reforms has helped improve the link between priorities,
expenditures, and sector outcomes (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). In the PDP for 2011-2016,
for example, health and nutrition goals included “improved access to quality health and nutrition services” with
eight outcome indicators, including three on maternal and child health, two on nutrition, one on reproductive
health, and the last two on health insurance coverage and enrolment rate (National Economic and
Development Authority 2013).
26
In general, there are zero effectively implemented conditionalities attached to the budget for health
allocated by LGUs. Although the LGC requires for devolved functions to receive funding before other non-
devolved functions, the IRA does not stipulate the amount to be allocated to any sector or sub-sector,
including health. There were previous attempts to introduce mechanisms to influence local health spending at
the national level, such as the Health Development Fund in the mid-90s, but implementation of such
mechanisms was eventually abandoned (Expert Interviews 2020). In the mid-2000s, the LIPH was introduced
to assist and influence LGUs in terms of their health activities (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018).
The LIPH refers to the bottom-up planning process of different levels LGUs for health, as well as the medium-
term public investment plan for health of LGUs with a three-year strategic time frame (DOH 2020a). The LIPH
process is shepherded by the Bureau of Local Health Systems Development of the DOH. Based on these plans,
incentives are provided by the central office through cash and in-kind transfers to LGUs. For provinces for
example, cash transfers from the DOH consist of a fixed tranche and a variable tranche for activities in the
LIPH, based on LGU performance, using a monitoring tool called the LGU Health Scorecard (HSC) (Capuno,
Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). However, since there is no assurance to the timing and size of these
transfers, these extra resources for health are not factored in during the local budget preparation. The same
HSC encourages LGUs to allocate a significant portion of their local budget towards health, nutrition, and
environment (22% for provinces and HUCs, and 15% for municipalities and component cities) but non-
adherence to this does not merit any form of effective penalty and/or sanction, and budgetary commitment is
regarded as a measure of political priority (DOH 2020b).
POOLING
Pooling refers to arrangements, including location, mechanism, and organization, for accumulating pre-paid
funds that are raised for health (Table 10).
Table 10. Interactions for pooling of funds for health among various actors of the health system
National The national Nonapplicable. The subsidies budgeted Nonapplicable.

government pools all through the DOH and
nationally collected then transferred to and
taxes as within the pooled by PhilHealth.
national treasury. These
are budgeted annually
across various NGAs,
which form their
individual fund pools
(i.e., DOH).
27
Local Nonapplicable. LGUs pool all its The subsidies paid by Nonapplicable.
resources within the LGUs for their
local treasury. These are constituents are pooled
budgeted across various by PhilHealth.
expenditure classes,
which form their
individual fund pools
(i.e., public hospitals,
RHUs).
PhilHealth Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. PhilHealth pools all its Nonapplicable.

revenues into a main
fund pool (i.e., premium
collections, subsidies,
investment earnings).
A fixed proportion is
segregated and sub-
pooled specific to
benefits for Lifetime
Members*, and for
administrative expenses
of the institution.
Private Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. PHIs or HMOs pool their

entities own funds coming from
premiums paid by their
members.
Individuals Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable.

*Lifetime Members are senior citizens (aged 65 and above) who have paid 12 months (over 10 years) worth of premiums; this sub-
population is eligible for benefits without having to pay for premiums regularly.
Source: Authors
The DOH and PhilHealth are the biggest fund pools for health at the national level. Sixty percent of the
annual DOH budget goes to payment of PhilHealth premiums of subsidized individuals (Figure 8). In 2019, the
total budget of DOH, as appropriated by legislation, was PHP 168.5 billion (US$3.5 billion). Other NGAs also
hold funds for health, administered through their own individual mechanisms. This may vary from direct
subsidies to medical bills of patients, and to endowment funds for government health facilities. For example,
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)
are government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) that can generate their own funds through their
activities. However, their contributions to health are highly unpredictable.
28
Figure 8. Distribution of DOH budget between PhilHealth premiums of subsidized individuals and other DOH
programs in billion PHP, 2015-2019
120 112.3 110.4

110.7
100 90.8
DOH budget, in billion PHP
73.8 39.0%
55.5% 48.5%
80
53.4%
60
50.8%
40
61.0%
51.5%
44.5%
20 46.6%
49.2%
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
PhilHealth premiums Other DOH programs Total DOH budget
Source: DBM 2020
PhilHealth pools funds across its different membership groups and deposits them into a single unified fund
called the National Health Insurance Fund. These funds are commingled and managed as one fund by the
PhilHealth Board (Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018). Over the years, PhilHealth has received increasing
shares from government domestic revenues as payment for premium of indigent households and other
vulnerable populations. Previously, local governments were encouraged to pay for the premiums of their
constituents through their income. One of the main challenges encountered under this arrangement was the
politicization of PhilHealth memberships, where LGU subsidy for their indigent constituents are branded and
used to gain electoral support. Some non-indigent households have also had their premiums paid by their
LGUs because of connections. Since the early part of this decade, there was a shift in sources for the payment
of premiums covering vulnerable populations to the national government. In 2019, total premium collections
pooled by PhilHealth was PHP 146 billion (US$3 billion), of which premiums for vulnerable populations sourced
from domestic revenues already comprised 47% of the total revenue collection of PhilHealth (Figure 9).
Overall, the ratio of pooled funds from subsidies and actual premium collections has been evening out to an
equal split over the past years.
29
Figure 9. PhilHealth premium collection in million PHP, 2000-2019
160,000
PhilHealth premiums, in million PHP
140,000
120,000
47%
100,000 44%
80,000 49% 47%

52%
60,000 45%
30%
40,000 14% 27%
12% 9% 17% 15% 56% 53%
8% 16% 51% 53%
5% 4% 17% 55% 48%
20,000 5% 1%
86% 73% 70%
91% 83% 85%
83% 92% 84% 88%
95% 99% 95% 96%
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Through individual collection Through government (National/LGU) subsidy
Source: Authors, data from PhilHealth
The various revenues of LGUs are pooled into each individual LGU budget at each tier. This process is prone
to inequitable expenditures because revenue generation and budget prioritizations are variable across local
governments. LGU financing tends to be regressive across the LGUs, where lower income areas tend to
allocate and spend less for health. This is largely because of the way IRA was designed (based on population,
density, and geographic size, among others) and the lack of national equalization funds to correct inter-LGU
inequities. Additionally, there are no adjustment factors related to risk and/or demographic portfolios. These
are then allocated and budgeted for by the local council, with strong influence from the LCE and their
designated provincial, city, or municipal development officers (Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018).
PhilHealth benefits reach only areas with facilities that can be accredited. These tend to be in more urban
areas or those with richer LGUs. The interaction in financing for health across different municipalities can lead
to inefficiencies because of possible competition for inputs, such as health human resources, as municipalities
are close to each other and may be sourcing their resource needs within the same limited general population
group (Kelekar 2013; Kelekar and Llanto 2015). As a result, they support the promotion of interlocal health
zones (ILHZs), which cluster a referral hospital, RHUs, and BHSs into a well-defined geographical area, within or
across cities and municipalities. A successful example is the Metropolitan Health District in Dumaguete, which
maintains a Common Health Fund where each LGU contributes PHP 150,000 (US$3,000) per year. Examples
such as these are rare, however, and are eventually not sustained because it is highly sensitive to political
swings and atmospheres at the local level. A 2009 survey found that none of the LGUs cooperated with their
ILHZ for bulk purchase of drugs, thus failing to leverage the advantages of economies of scale for cheaper
prices (Philippine Institute for Development Studies 2009). In the UHC Act, LGUs are once again instructed to
form province-wide or city-wide health systems and pool money into a Special Health Fund (SHF). The SHF is
defined as a pool of resources, at the province or city-wide health system level, that automatically
appropriates and earmarks financing for health inputs from various national and participating LGU entities for
population or individual-based health services including capital investments, salaries of health workers, and
operating costs, among others. A joint policy has been released by the DOH with DBM, DOF, DILG, and
PhilHealth to guide the implementation of the fund, including managing its entity, sources, allowable
expenses, and LGU counterparts (DOH, DBM, DOF, DILG, and PhilHealth 2021). Of note, however, is the fact
30
that participation of LGUs in the province-wide or city-wide health system is only voluntary and not
mandatory, largely because the UHC Act does not amend the LGC from which the devolved arrangements and
autonomy originate.
PURCHASING
Purchasing captures how pooled funds are allocated to providers and used to pay for services. In the
Philippines, the three most important government purchasers are the DOH, PhilHealth, and the LGUs at each
tier of subnational government (Table 11).
Table 11. Interactions for purchasing for health among various actors of the health system
National Nationally-owned health Nationally-owned health Nonapplicable. Nationally-owned health

care facilities may enter care facilities may enter care facilities may enter
into memorandums of into memorandums of into memorandums of
agreement or agreement or agreement or
understanding with each understanding with understanding with
other and purchase locally-owned health private health care
services. care facilities and facilities and purchase
purchase their services. services.
Local Locally-owned health Locally-owned health Nonapplicable. Locally-owned health

care facilities may enter care facilities may enter care facilities may enter
into memorandums of into memorandums of into memorandums of
agreement or agreement or agreement or
understanding with understanding with each understanding with
national-owned health other and purchase their private health care
care facilities and services. facilities and purchase
purchase their services. services.
PhilHealth PhilHealth reimburses PhilHealth reimburses Nonapplicable. PhilHealth reimburses

accredited nationally- accredited locally-owned accredited private health
owned health care health care facilities for care facilities for services
facilities for services services rendered for rendered for PhilHealth
rendered for PhilHealth PhilHealth members. members.
members.
Private PHIs/HMOs pay PHIs/HMOs pay Nonapplicable. PHIs/HMOs pay

entities accredited nationally- accredited locally-owned accredited private health
owned health care health care facilities for care facilities for services
facilities for services services rendered for rendered for their
rendered for their their policyholders. policyholders.
policyholders.
31
Individuals Nationally-owned health Locally-owned health Nonapplicable. Private health care

care facilities may care facilities may facilities charge user fees
charge user fees for charge user fees for for their patients.
select patients (based on select patients (based on
accommodation type). accommodation type).
Source: Authors
Purchasing Roles and Responsibilities

As per the LGC, LGUs are accountable for financing of all local health programs, as well as their respective
health care facilities. However, due to variable financial capacity of the LGUs, the DOH allocates part of its
budget towards supporting the financing of select personnel services, capital expenditures, supplies, and
commodities. The DOH augments the lack of human resource for health in the LGU level through the Doctors-
to-the-Barrios (DTTB) program and the Health Human Resource Deployment Program wherein different cadres
of health workers are deployed to underserved areas and GIDAs, mostly for primary care purposes (e.g.,
RHUs). Although the DTTB Program has shown to have benefits (Avanceña, Tejano, and Hutton 2019), the
sustainability of the program continues to be questioned. Only a few doctors are retained and continue service
in the LGUs after their two-year deployment for various reasons, including the lack of capacity within LGUs to
locally hire and provide doctors the full range of their financial benefits (Leonardia, Prytherch, and Ronquillo et
al. 2012). To supplement the supply of medicines procured by municipalities for their health centers, the DOH
also implements the Medicines Access Program, which performs bulk procurement and nationwide
distribution of essential medicines for public facilities (Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018). These are also
mostly oriented towards primary care facilities. Lastly, the DOH HFEP invests on capital expenditures for local
governments. The program finances the establishment of needed public health facilities (e.g., BHSs, RHUs, and
hospitals), with the local government expected to provide counterpart and the needed human resources for
these facilities, which does not always happen. Aside from financing central and regional office operations, the
DOH also owns and manages around 70 public hospitals across the country. Operating expenses and personnel
salaries of these facilities are funded by the health agency.
PhilHealth is a tax-exempt GOCC that was created in 1995 through the National Health Insurance Act to
administer the NHIP. 13 The NHIP is defined as “a compulsory health insurance program of the government as
established in the Act, which shall provide universal health insurance coverage and ensure affordable,
acceptable, available, and accessible health care services for all citizens of the Philippines” (Republic of the
Philippines 1995). PhilHealth assumed the responsibility of administering the former Medicare program for
government and private sector employees from the Government Service Insurance System in October 1997,
from the Social Security System in April 1998, and from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in
March 2005. As part of its mandate to administer the NHIP, the powers and functions of PhilHealth include
collecting and managing contributions and other monies; developing and administering benefits, programs,
and other types of policies; negotiating and contracting with health care institutions, professionals, and other
persons; and conducting post-audit and other types of quality assurance activities. It is prohibited from
providing health care directly, from buying and dispensing drugs and pharmaceuticals, from employing
13Republic Act No. 7875 – An Act Instituting a National Health Insurance Program for All Filipinos and Establishing the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation for the Purpose.
32
physicians and other professionals for the purpose of directly rendering care, and from owning or investing in
health care facilities.
Additionally, hospitalized patients also seek financial assistance from other government institutions. This
includes agencies such as the PCSO, PAGCOR, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and
from their respective congress representatives through the PDAF. These financial support mechanisms are
typically administered directly at the individual level, where patients apply for financial support, and are
assessed based on the eligibility criteria of the agency. Typically, the medical bill of the patient is submitted to
form part of the assessment on how much support will be provided. PAGCOR is unique in that it has to provide
block funds to select public facilities to finance even capital outlay. Based on research conducted in 2013, the
amounts and timing of financial support vary across different agencies. PCSO provides more substantial
support but funds from PDAF and DSWD could be accessed early during confinement, even if limited (Caballes
2013).
The UHC Act attempts to resolve duplications in purchasing roles by delineating primary accountability
between PhilHealth, DOH, other NGAs, and LGUs. There has been prior work done already to resolve this
issue. For one, a streamlining of financial support was put together across agencies; namely PhilHealth, PCSO,
DSWD, and DOH to sequence the order of payments and to allow one-stop processing for efficiency. This is
seen as a transitionary phase towards granting PhilHealth the role to manage the full pooling of funds and
purchasing. The UHC Act mandates that half of the government income from PAGCOR and 40% of PCSO’s
charity fund be allocated for UHC, but to date, implementing guidelines still have to be released.
Provider Payment and Contracting
The DOH and local governments ensure financing of public health facilities under their jurisdiction through
line-item budgets on an annual basis. Infrastructure developments, hiring, and salaries for health personnel—
as well as operating costs of these health facilities—are financed through the budget of the government
agency in charge. In general, RHUs and BHSs have no capacity to procure their own supplies and commodities,
and as such, are done by the municipal government. Public hospitals have the capacity to participate in their
own procurement, but this is still done within the budget disbursed to them by their respective LGUs. No RHU
or BHS is owned by the DOH. Should the facility be a recipient of technical support from the DOH, these are
similarly managed by the LGU in coordination with the regional office of the DOH.
PhilHealth primarily pays accredited health care providers through predetermined, fixed case rates both for
outpatient and inpatient services. The annual accreditation process primarily assesses the input requirements
of the facility to ascertain service capacity. Once deemed compliant, the accreditation is executed through
formal performance commitments that indicate service capacity and compliance to PhilHealth policies. In
instances where facilities do not have sufficient service capacity, Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) may be
developed between individual providers. For example, in terms of the Primary Care Benefit (PCB) package,
laboratory services not available in the LGU-owned facilities may be contracted out to private institutions or
NGOs. However, PhilHealth only has direct engagement with the accredited facility. All MOAs undertaken by a
facility to other auxiliary units are not within the supervision of PhilHealth. Some LGUs also have MOAs with
private hospitals to augment services not available in its facilities. This accreditation is centrally developed and
authorized, but regional and local insurance offices manage this process. Separate accreditation is done for
some special packages. To be reimbursed, a reimbursement system is used where providers file a claim to
PhilHealth for payment of services rendered.
The provider payment mechanisms utilized by PhilHealth vary per health service or provider. The PCB
package is paid through capitation, while inpatient services are paid through a case rates system (PhilHealth
2013b; 2013c). Public facilities owned and controlled by the DOH receive PhilHealth payments directly and
33
have capacity to retain their income from these payments, including permitted user charges mostly based on
accommodation type. However, payments for all other public facilities are made through a trust fund attached
to their managing local government, due to full financial control of LGUs over facilities they own. Income from
user charges is similarly funneled back to the local treasury (PhilHealth 2013b, 2020a). On the other hand,
private facilities charge patients user fees and may also claim payments from PhilHealth and/or PHI companies
if they are an accredited facility (PhilHealth 2018).
Unlike the DOH and LGUs, PhilHealth’s mechanisms are more capable of strategically purchasing health
services from accredited private and even public health care providers. Prevailing law and policies do not
allow the government, whether national or local, to directly provide funding to private sector facilities unless
formal procurement channels are tapped. These bureaucratic processes naturally take time and are not
practicable in engaging private sector facilities. On the other hand, 60% of accredited PhilHealth facilities in
2019 were from the private sector. Even for the public sector, the conditionalities in receiving and utilizing
PhilHealth payments are meant to generate adequate resources for the delivery of health services. Some
PhilHealth benefits are specific to certain conditions and similarly demand very specific facility capacities to be
accredited for these packages. Local governments may choose to align with what PhilHealth purchases by
providing capital investment and augmentation to meet the minimum standards for the benefits offered by
PhilHealth. Payment can only be received once services are given, and/or other relevant requirements are
met. In terms of utilization, public facilities accredited by PhilHealth can only use payments to finance
operations and infrastructure. Utilization of this fund is supposed to be checked by the local COA. Health staff
in these institutions are also entitled to a proportion of the payment as a bonus, called “PhilHealth shares.”
Benefits Package Design
The LGC mandates each tier to provide a certain level of health service for all its constituents.
Municipalities, cities, and provinces are required to hire a health officer who is a licensed medical practitioner
with a certain level of experience to conduct clinical, administrative, and policy functions. Administrative
policies and guidelines for these services are developed and put forward by the DOH. Due to the autonomy
brought by decentralization, local governments are not mandated to follow. Although clinical standards are
typically adhered to, managerial and financial elements (e.g., hiring of personnel) are not consistently followed
by local governments.
Although the National Health Insurance Act of 2013 includes a comprehensive list of the minimum benefit
packages which beneficiaries of PhilHealth are entitled to, 14 these are still subject to the limitations of the
corporation, especially in terms of financial sustainability. The law enumerates that PhilHealth beneficiaries
are entitled to inpatient hospital care, outpatient care, emergency and transfer services, a health education
package, and other health services that PhilHealth and DOH determine to be appropriate and cost effective
(Republic of the Philippines 2013). The Act also lists down specifically excluded services. These packages are
developed by PhilHealth central office units. Regional and local offices are typically consulted in the designing
of these benefit packages. Once legitimized as an official benefit policy, they do not have the discretion to vary
any of the benefit package specifications. The determination of the benefit package is developed to be
continuous and unsystematic (Picazo, Ulep, and Pantig et al. 2015). Although there are efforts to develop a
prioritization framework, more work must be done to institutionalize of this process (Wong, Uy, and Valdes et
al. 2017).
Currently, PhilHealth offers more benefits for inpatient services than outpatient or primary care services.
Inpatient services are paid through an All Case Rates (ACR) system. All health care providers, whether public or
14 Republic Act No. 10606 – An Act Amending Republic Act No. 7875 [...], and for Other Purposes.
34
private, are paid a fixed rate for every episode of confinement (PhilHealth 2011, 2013a, and 2013b). Fifteen
catastrophic conditions, in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals, are paid through Z Benefit
Packages, which pay a higher amount per package. Service and population coverage for primary and other
outpatient services are more selective. Two capitation packages for select primary care services were
previously implemented in 2019: 1) the PCB package of PhilHealth pays a capitation rate of PHP 500 (US$10)
per family, per year for indigents and sponsored program members of PhilHealth, which includes coverage for
a select list of primary care diagnostics and medicines provided by accredited public or private primary care
providers; and 2) the enhanced PCB package for formal economy members. The amount paid via these
benefits was only PHP 4.96 billion (US$103 million) compared to the PHP 97 billion (US$1.9 billion) total claims
amount for that year (PhilHealth 2019b). In 2020, PhilHealth replaced both packages with the KONSULTA
benefit, which increased yearly individual capitation rate to PHP 500 (US$10) in public facilities—or PHP 750
(US$15) in private facilities—for all PhilHealth members for a select list of primary care diagnostics and
medicines (PhilHealth 2020b). Select outpatient specialist services are also reimbursed through bundled case-
based payments that also follow fixed rates.
Budget Execution
Budget execution of funds coming from the DOH and LGUs follows a similar process of appropriation,
allotment, obligation, and disbursement, and is also subject to the same procurement and financing policies
of the various inputs needed. Budget appropriation is previously described in the section on budget
development and negotiation. Budget implementation, including obligation and disbursement, starts with the
release of funds to the agencies. The government adopted the Simplified Fund Release System in 1995 to
accelerate the implementation process. The DBM, with the specific national or local agency, prepares the
agency budget matrix after approval of the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA), which serves as the
blueprint for determining the timing, composition, and magnitude of the release of the budget. These are
consolidated by the DBM into the Allotment Release Program which prescribes the guidelines in the
prioritization of fund releases is prepared. The Allotment Release Program serves as basis for the issuance of
either a General Allotment Release Order or a Special Allotment Release Order, which then authorize agencies
to incur obligations. Periodically, the DBM then releases the Notice of Cash Allocation, which specifies the
maximum amount of withdrawal that an agency can make from a government bank, which is then replenished
by the Bureau of Treasury (DBM 2012). Agencies have flexibility in the use of their cash allocations, following
certain rules and provided that the authorized allotment for a specific purpose is not exceeded. Generally, the
purchase of services and commodities is required to comply with the mandates of the Government
Procurement Reform Act.15 Specifically for health services, all public facilities can only purchase medicines that
are in the Philippine National Drug Formulary, unless exemption from the Formulary Executive Council is
granted (Republic of the Philippines 2002). The corresponding procurement prices indicated in the Drug Price
Reference Index (DPRI) should also be followed. On the other hand, standard salary grades of national and
local government personnel, including those in the health sector, are in accordance with the Salary
Standardization Law of 2019. 16 One provision of the law is the adjustment of personnel salaries based on the
LGU’s income class; therefore, health workers located in lower income areas tend to receive a smaller
payment rate relative to the standard national rate (Republic of the Philippines 2019a). Spending for personnel
salary is also capped at 45% of the total local government budget, in compliance to the LGC. In certain areas,
15 Republic Act No. 9184 – An Act Providing for the Modernization, Standardization and Regulation of the Procurement Activities of the
Government and for Other Purposes.
16 Republic Act No. 11466 – An Act Modifying the Salary Schedule for Civilian Government Personnel and Authorizing the Grant of
Additional Benefits, and for Other Purposes.

35
this has pushed local governments to not fill health personnel positions, or to hire them as job order or
contractual workers to limit personnel expenditures.
Challenges in the budget execution processes affect health budget execution performance at the national
level. As previously mentioned, the budget allocation for DOH has been steadily increasing since 2010.
Between 2015 to 2019, the obligation rate for the DOH ranged from 86.7% to 95.0%, while the disbursement
rate ranged from 60.1% to 84.6% (Figure 10). Some identified spending bottlenecks for the DOH include the
procurement of drugs and medicine for its vertical programs, as well as the inadequate project preparation for
the enhancement of local health facilities (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). The stringent
procedural requirements specified for procurement and the lack of personnel at the DOH with specialized
procurement skills appropriate under this law also contribute to this underspending. Although the budget for
HFEP has been increasing since 2008, it has been reported that less than 10% of the funds have been disbursed
as of 2018 (DBM 2018) (Figure 11). In the process evaluation of the HFEP, issues among management were
found to contribute to delays in disbursement, including 1) lack of a service delivery network plan for
expansion and upgrading; 2) non-use of the “commissioned contracting” approach, or the process of procuring
cost-effective health service for a population’s needs; 3) small, incremental multiyear funding; 4) poor
coordination and infrequent monitoring; and 5) issues with facility licensing (Picazo, Pantig, and dela Cruz
2015). Due to the ongoing issues with disbursement, the HFEP’s allocated budget has been decreased in recent
years from PHP 30.2 billion (US$628 million) in 2018 to PHP 15.9 billion (US$315 million) in 2019, and again to
PHP 8.4 billion (US$167 million) in 2020 (DBM 2021).
Figure 10. Financial performance of the DOH in billion PHP, 2015-2019

120 95.0% 94.4%
89.0%
100 86.7%
DOH funds, in billion PHP
87.4%
80
84.6%
60 65.8%
60.1% 61.3%
40 62.6%
20
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Allotted Obligated Disbursed
Source: Authors, data from DBM 2020
36
Figure 11. Financial performance of the DOH HFEP in billion PHP, 2012-2018
35 131.0%
30
DOH funds for HFEP, in billion PHP
25
20
58.7%
15 94.0%
10 53.6%
8.9%
28.7%
5 29.7%
21.6%
22.7%
0 0.3%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Allotted Obligated Disbursed
Source: Authors, data from DBM 2018
LGUs also reported consistently low budget utilization rates from 2012 to 2018 (Figures 12 and 13) (DOH
2020b). This contributes to underspending at the LGU level. Additionally, the uncertainty of in-kind transfers
from the DOH also leads to the inefficient use of the local health budget. While most LGUs reach the maximum
cap for their budget for personnel services, these budgets are not properly audited in terms of use for
devolved versus non-devolved functions. This means that the maximum allowable spending for personnel may
not necessarily be prioritized towards devolved functions, such as health. For instance, medicine prices—both
procurement and retail—continue to be an issue. Hospital procurement prices are, on average, more than six
times higher than DPRI prices (Wong, Apostol, and Medina et al. 2018). The varying volume requirements at
the local level make adherence to the DPRI difficult. Some local governments report bid failures because of
nonresponsive bidders, due to low prices mandated in the DPRI and inadequate supplies in the national depot
for drugs and medicines.
37
Figure 12. Percentage of local government health budget utilization, 2012-2018
100%
80%
84.7% 84.3% 85.8% 87.1% 85.2% 84.1% 81.8%
Health budget utilization
60%
40%
20%
0%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Target Performance
Source: Adapted from DOH 2020b
Figure 13. Percentage of LGU budget allocated to health and percentage of health budget spent among
different regions, 2018
35% 100%
Percentage of health budget spent

Percentage of LGU budget
90%
30%
allocated to health
80%
25% 70%
20% 60%
50%
15% 40%
10% 30%
20%
5%
10%
0% 0%
Allocated (Provinces, ICCs, HUCs) Allocated (ICCS, municipalities)

Spent (Provinces, ICCs, HUCs, municipalities)
Source: DOH 2020b
The underspending at the national and subnational levels result in a range of consequences. If the budget
utilization rate of the previous year is at least 80%, the budget for the succeeding year will be at least equal to
38
the previous year, plus a 10% adjustment for inflation. If the budget utilization rate is less than 80%, the
budget will be the same as the previous year. Additionally, a performance-based bonus was created in 2012,
where the spending unit can receive a cash bonus for its personnel, ranging from PHP 5,000 (US$100) to PHP
30,000 (US$600) each, provided that they reach a certain performance threshold. This includes level of
spending for the year (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). At the national level, unspent funds are
carried over to the succeeding year, but initiatives have been made to eliminate planned budget carryovers. In
2019, for example, the DBM issued rules that the budget for 2019 should be implemented and used up at the
same fiscal year and unexpended funds will be reverted to the national treasury (DBM 2019a; Roxas 2019).
Towards the end of 2019, however, the national government amended the 2019 GAA through RA No. 11464 17
to extend release and obligation until December 31, 2020 (Republic of the Philippines 2019b). At the local
level, unused budget from the IRA is valid until fully expended, as these are their lawful shares in the national
government revenue collections. However, appropriations for ordinary administrative purposes that are not
duly obligated shall be terminated at the end of the fiscal year and be reverted to the general fund of the LGU.
This has an implication in terms of how efficient savings can act as an incentive for public health care
providers.
There is minimal flexibility in the funds coming from the DOH and LGUs. Realignment can be done through
reallocation, modification, or change in the details within an existing program, activity, or project, as long as
the total amount appropriated remains the same. These changes include reallocation from one operating unit
to another, between allotment classes, within an allotment class but between objects of expenditures,
modification of a project, and others that may require the DBM’s or the President’s approval (DBM 2015).
Realignment can also be done in times of public calamity by way of budgetary realignment, in order to set
aside appropriations for the purchase of supplies and materials or the payment of services (DBM 2016). For
LGUs, the appropriated budget is only realigned in times of public calamities to purchase supplies and
materials or pay for services that are exceptionally urgent or indispensable to prevent imminent danger to, or
loss of, life or property, in the jurisdiction of the LGU, or in other areas declared in a state of calamity by the
President (DBM 2016). This can affect the agility and flexibility of the DOH and LGUs in terms of decision
making for health services.
There have been various efforts to ensure that funds allocated and collected by public health facilities will
be continuously retained at that level, although there is no blanket policy yet. For example, DOH-owned
hospitals have the right to retain income with some restrictions for its use. Based on the income retention
policy, DOH-managed hospitals are given the flexibility to use a fourth of their income to fund capital
investment. For LGU-managed hospitals, these funds are generally not retained at the facility level. While
some LGUs have created specialized funds or trust funds that allow income retention, most still pool revenues
into a general fund (Banzon, Alcantara, and Diez et al. 2016). As per Section 47 of the National Health
Insurance Act of 1995, public health facilities can receive reimbursement for PhilHealth and may retain these
funds. However, implementation can be variable. In some extreme instances, these are put as part of the total
budget of the LGU and are not appropriated to the supposed facility recipient. On the other hand, some local
governments allow their facilities to receive full PhilHealth payments and retain all their income streams. As a
mechanism to improve monitoring, PhilHealth mandated LGUs in 2017 to open and maintain one account for
health care institution charges and one account for professional fees (PhilHealth 2017b).
The shares of health expenditure for local governments have increased post-devolution but have stagnated
in recent years. The local share of total fiscal expenditure for health, which was about 10%, soared to about
17Republic Act No. 11464 – An Act Extending the Availability of the 2019 Appropriations to December 31, 2020, Amending for the
Purpose Section 65 of the General Provisions of the Republic Act No. 11260, The General Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2019.
39
40-50% after 1993 (Uchimura 2012) (Figure 14). Local spending increased from PHP 166 (US$3) in 1992 to PHP
444 (US$9) in 2013 (Solon, Herrin, and Tolentino 2017) (Figure 15). The sharpest increase in real per capita
local government health expenditures was between 1993 to 1997, which can be due to the functions devolved
to the LGUs, as well as possible policies from the DOH, including the promotion of the Comprehensive Health
Care Agreements and provision of a Health Development Fund through its annual budget. Post-devolution,
local spending increased but did not rise as fast as the increase in the IRA. In 2013, national spending for health
sharply increased due to the increased revenues brought about by sin taxes, but local government spending
continues to trail behind (Figure 16).
Figure 14. Fiscal health expenditures and share of central and local governments in billion PHP, 1991-2005
Source: Lifted from Uchimura 2012
40
Figure 15. Per capita IRA and local government health expenditures in PHP constant 2000 prices, 1992-2013
Source: Lifted from Solon, Herrin, and Tolentino 2017
Figure 16. National and local health expenditures in million PHP, 2005-2019
350,000
300,000
Health expenditure in million PHP
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
-
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Total National government Local government
Source: PSA 2019
However, results may be variable according to LGU. In the period of 2009 to 2019, the annual share of health
of LGUs was around 10-15% on overage (Figure 17). In 2019, spending of provinces for health is at 22.5%, cities
at 13.0%, and municipalities at 8.4% (Table 12). General public services enjoy the biggest positive interaction
with the IRA, where a one-peso increase in this transfer translates to a more than two-tenths increase in local
41
spending (PHP 0.21 - PHP 0.27). This is followed by a one-tenths increase for economic services (PHP 0.11- PHP
0.12). While health is one of the five experience components that also increase with IRA, it is not comparable
at three-hundredths of an increase per one-peso increase in IRA (PHP 0.033 - PHP 0.036). These positive
effects of IRA naturally follow the budget allocation breakdown. Since general public services and economic
services typically get the biggest budget shares, they also enjoy the biggest positive effect from the IRA. Over
the years, this allocation breakdown has not changed significantly. This means that increases in health
expenditure, as a proportion of local government spending, may continue to be minimal, if not absent. In some
cases, this can even be negative as LGUs tend to have a low priority for health and a greater interest in funding
other projects, such as the construction of roads and infrastructure as part of general public and/or economic
services.
Figure 17. Budget allocation across expenditure components, 2009 to 2020

100%
Debt Service
90%
Economic Services
80%
70% Social Services and Social Welfare
LGU expenditure
60%
Housing and Community
50% Development
Labor and Employment
40%
30% Health, Nutrition, and Population
20% Control
Education, Culture, and Sports or
10% Manpower Development
0% General Public Services
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Table 12. Preliminary summary of current operating expenditures of provinces, cities, and municipalities in
million PHP, 2019
Particulars Province City Municipality Total
47,450.5 99,601.7 115,049.5 262,101.6

General Public Services
(45.0%) (51.1%) (64.9%) (54.9%)
Education, Culture, and Sports or 3,417.8 16,632.5 4,144.0 24,194.3

Manpower Development (3.2%) (8.5%) (2.3%) (5.1%)
Health, Nutrition, and Population 23,732.5 25,380.8 14,820.1 63,933.4

Control (22.5%) (13.0%) (8.4%) (13.4%)
109.0 472.6 115.7 697.2

Labor and Employment
(0.1%) (0.2%) (0.1%) (0.1%)
42
Particulars Province City Municipality Total
Housing and Community 742.9 8,518.8 1,557.7 10,819.4

Development (0.7%) (4.4%) (0.9%) (2.3%)
6,514.7 13,739.6 13,139.8 33,394.0

Social Services and Social Welfare
(6.2%) (7.1%) (7.4%) (7.0%)
22,120.7 28,761.8 26,748.3 77,630.8

Economic Services
(21.0%) (14.8%) (15.1%) (16.2%)
Debt Service (interest expense 1,368.6 1,792.9 1,660.1 4,821.5

and other charges) (1.3%) (0.9%) (0.9%) (1.0%)
TOTAL CURRENT OPERATING

105,456.7 194,900.7 177,235.2 477,592.2
EXPENDITURES
Historical patterns show that poor provinces (fourth and fifth class) have been consistently reaching the
benchmark set by the LGU Health Score Card (HSC), while the richest provinces (first class) never reached it
(Figure 18). However, in absolute terms, the health expenditure of first class provinces over the 10-year period
is 24 times and 53 times larger when compared with fourth and fifth class provinces, on average. In 2018, the
per capita health expenditure of first class provinces is PHP 5,029 (US$100). On the other hand, fourth and fifth
class provinces’ per capita health expenditure were only PHP 2,309.49 (US$50) and PHP 767.97 (US$16),
respectively. This signifies that reaching the 22% threshold does not necessarily mean that there is more
spending for health, because the percentage is a function of available resources. Since poorer provinces
naturally have less, the value of their 22% is significantly less in absolute terms. This smaller per capita health
expenditure also means less investment, fewer services, and even lesser quality. Additionally, a fixed budget
allocation percentage may not realistically be productive if applied across the board, due to large differences
in the number and level of health facilities owned by LGUs, utilization of services, epidemiologic realities and
needs, and overall fiscal space. Some LGUs are also fortunate to have a DOH-retained hospital in their midst,
which can then be used by their constituents at no cost to the LGU (Dayrit, Lagarada, and Picazo et al. 2018).
43
Figure 18. Provincial health expenditure as percentage of THE per provincial income class, 2009 to 2018
Health expenditure share to THE
Income class
REPORTING, OVERSIGHT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Several national agencies monitor the fiscal spending of the LGUs (Table 13). The DILG Bureau of Local
Government Supervision monitors LGU performance by requiring LGUs to publicly post local budget and
finances, bids and public offerings, and the status of their programs. The DOF Bureau of Local Government
Finance (BLGF) monitors the financial position of LGUs by requiring them to submit their Statements of
Receipts and Expenditures (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). Specifically, for health spending, the
DOH monitors the budget via the LGU HSC. The LGU HSC is a self-reporting instrument with nine indicators and
seven sub-indicators classified into five objectives: 1) ensure equitable health financing, 2) integrate local
health systems into province-wide and city-wide health systems, 3) implement comprehensive development
plan for service delivery network, 4) localize high impact health policy reform, and 5) improve performance of
the LGUs. It contains the following financial indicators: 1) share of health in the LGU budget and 2) percentage
of LGU health budget utilized, including data for obligation rate, disbursement rate, and absolute value (DOH
2019). Again, no penalties are associated with this process, although the LGU HSC policy notes that it should be
the basis of performance-based financing, allocations, awards, and other grants. There is also a local COA who
undertakes annual post audit.
Table 13. Mechanisms for financial accountability of LGUs

Process Owner Tools/Indicators Posted Effectiveness
DILG ‒ Annual budget report Does not deal out sanctions if the LGUs are
‒ Annual Gender and Development unable to submit the required information
Accomplishment Report
‒ Annual Procurement Plan/Procurement
List
44
Process Owner Tools/Indicators Posted Effectiveness
‒ Bid results on civil works, goods and

services, and consulting services
‒ Items to bid
‒ Local Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Fund Utilization
‒ Quarterly Statement of Cash Flow
DOF ‒ Public sector financial position Can sanction local treasurers who fail to submit
‒ Contribution of local revenue to GDP Statement of Receipts and Expenditures
‒ LGU fiscal data reports online
‒ LGU debt data
‒ Revenue generation collection efficiency
DOH, DILG ‒ LGU HSC Soft and with no real executive effects (does
not translate to any penalty); influence is
mostly based on reputation
Source: Compiled by authors; data from Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018
At the national level, mechanisms are also in place to monitor performance of the national agencies. It is the
DBM and COA which monitors the performance of the DOH through Financial Accountability reports submitted
monthly or quarterly (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley et al. 2018). The DBM monitors spending progress
through the Budget Execution Documents and Two-Tier Budgeting Approach according to the priorities set by
the department. Financial indicators are linked to actual health service performance indicators through the
Organizational Performance and Indicator Framework. The performance of DOH for 2019 is shown in Annex 3.
PhilHealth spending is monitored by its Board of Directors, which is chaired by the Secretary of Health.
PhilHealth also reports to the Governance Commission for Government Owned and Controlled Corporations
that regulates different GOCCs. COA also audits benefit payments made by PhilHealth at the central and local
level. In the past decade, they have constantly flagged the PhilHealth All Case Rates (ACR) system for possible
overpayment to providers. In preparation for the implementation of the UHC Act, PhilHealth convened a
discussion with COA to discuss how to work together in implementing performance-driven, close-end,
prospective payments as mandated by the law (PhilHeallth 2019). PhilHealth must take into account some of
the recommendations of COA in terms of the ACR system; however, to be able to maximize the benefits of its
planned prospective scheme—including more periodic review of the rates for its benefit packages—
deficiencies in the control design should be addressed by increasing awareness among members about their
benefits, strengthening the information system, and implementing better monitoring, review, and post-audit
mechanisms (COA 2021).
There has been increased transparency at the national level through the years but less improvement at the
LGU level. The DBM’s issuance of the National Budget Circular 542 in August 2012 urged all NGAs to post
important public information—including approved budgets, list of major programs and projects (plus their
status of implementation), and annual procurement plans on their website (Capuno, Rivadaneria, and Beazley
et al. 2018) The DBM website also contains information on the budget appropriation, allocation, and obligation
of each NGA, including the DOH. The COA uploads its findings on the website, in addition to publishing some
findings in major dailies. At the subnational level, many LGUs either do not have a website or do not post to it
45
regularly. Reports still need to be produced manually, which makes it hard to assess their contribution to
health financing. Budget and expenditures are accessible to the public, but these are not necessarily
comprehensible. Currently, an integrated financial management system is being piloted at the national level
(DBM 2019b). In terms of other levels of government, there is currently no integrated system to track for
spending.
DISCUSSION
Resources generated at the national level continue to be the most important source of revenue for health
for local governments. Following the collapse of Martial Law in 1981, the devolution of health services was
partly brought about to address constraints in resources by allowing local governments to generate additional
resources. However, local governments continue to be largely dependent on intergovernmental fiscal transfer,
with 61% of local financing in 2019 coming from external revenue sources (DOF 2020). On average, the IRA
continues to compose more than 50% of the total budget of LGUs. Since PhilHealth was created in 1995,
collected premiums also became an important source of revenue for health. The planned increase in premium
rates by PhilHealth under the UHC Act will generate additional revenues, albeit current uncertainties in terms
of implementation. In addition, various financial and in-kind support from the national government has helped
free up some fiscal space for LGUs. The sharp increase in revenues in 2014 can be observed due to the
enactment of the Sin Tax Law in 2013. Revenues generated from sin taxes are used to finance PhilHealth
premiums for vulnerable populations, which were previously financed by the LGUs. The DOH also provides
support to LGUs through the provision of commodities and infrastructure, and deployment of health
personnel. As the UHC Act is implemented, additional revenues may still be generated at the central level
through premium increase but in the meantime, LGUs continue to have low local source revenue efforts
(Diokno-Sikat 2020). The country continues to explore how additional money can be generated at the LGU
level, especially for health.
Independent management and administration over local services is guaranteed as part of the
decentralization arrangements of the LGC, thus the management and financing of health services is
dependent on the political discretion of elected LCEs. This substantial local autonomy given to local
governments translates to the utmost budgetary discretion in distributing funds for various local services. The
IRA, being largely unconditional in nature, strengthens this discretionary power of LCEs, who, as chairs of the
LHBs, have the power of decision-making on local health financing. With decisions concentrated to one
decision-maker, health spending naturally must “compete” with other expenditure components. In 2019, LGU
expenditure on health was only 13%, preceded by general public services (55%) and economic services (16%)
(Table 12). A study done with local decision-makers on health in 2020 documents the same political influence
LCEs have in terms of decision for health spending. While respondents of the study identified recentralization
as a possible solution to this problem, authors instead argued for the need to strengthen regulatory oversight
by the central government (Liwanag and Wyss 2020).
Even with this continued dependence on intergovernmental fiscal transfers for health services, the ability of
national bodies to influence local government decision-making for health budget and financing continue to
be insignificant. Reforms and programs intended to align budgets of national and local governments for
health, such as the LIPH and the LGU HSC, have been implemented, but these still fail to exact accountability
(Liwanag and Wyss 2020) and ensure adequate financing for health services at the LGU level. The LIPH was
used as the main tool by the DOH to identify how best to direct its technical assistance for health-specific
activities of local governments. In the earlier years of its implementation, the LIPH submission schedule did not
coincide with national level budgeting process. The LIPH was also practically used by LGUs as a ‘wish list,’
indicating expectations for generous support of health initiatives. The DOH recently updated the LIPH process
46
and timeline to properly coincide with national budgeting. It also introduced several changes in the tool, such
as the conduct of a situational analysis and a declaration of counterpart funding commitments of the LGU. On
the other hand, some form of conditionality was put in place through the DOH’s LGU HSC by providing fiscal
support for activities in the LIPH based on LGU performance monitored through the scorecard. However,
challenges of accountability persist because of the lack of mandate of the DOH over local governments, and
the autonomy of local governments over their own jurisdiction and activities. The LGU HSC effectively do not
translate to any sanctions, largely because this is not within the powers of the DOH, and there are no
formalized and/or performance binding agreements between the national and local governments. Lessons
from other devolved settings such as Brazil, China, and Mexico already point to the importance of stewardship
from central government, which are formalized in terms of formal pacts incentivized by health financing
arrangements based on performance (Mukherjee 2016). Argentina’s Plan Nacer, an incentive program that
helped to expand health coverage and improve birth outcomes, is another successful example of a
performance-based financing scheme operationalized by a legally binding contract between national and
subnational governments (Cortez, Camporeale, and Perez 2012; Perazzo and Josephson 2014).
Overall, the structural changes brought about by devolution have failed to ensure equity in distribution and
efficiency in utilization of resources across sub-national entities, particularly for health. The IRA has shown to
create imbalances with respect to fiscal capacities of the LGU. It has also shown that at the provincial level, per
capita IRA and per capita household income are positively correlated, effectively indicating that benefits are
still most pronounced for the already rich localities. This is largely because the IRA is computed without
consideration of the needs of local governments, their capacity to implement, or risk-adjustments. There are
no mechanisms of risk-adjusted re-allocation in place across sub-national entities in the case of locally-raised
revenues. Literature shows the limited effect of equalization transfers when based only on population and
geographical size instead of risk measures, such as unmet need, age distribution, rurality, distribution of health
outcomes, and level of poverty, among others (Abimbola, Baatiema, and Bigdeli 2019; Sumah, Baatiema, and
Abimbola 2016). Over the years, PhilHealth has evolved to increase its pool and mechanisms to ensure cross-
subsidization for more vulnerable populations. However, it continues to primarily benefit areas with facilities
that can be accredited, especially for those providing inpatient services, as opposed to primary or preventive
services. Experience in Thailand, for example, shows how national health insurance can improve equity for
utilization in rural and urban areas after focusing on the continued improvement of primary care services with
adequate access to secondary and tertiary care services (Yiengprugsawan, Carmichael, and Lim et al. 2010). As
the country moves to encourage reintegration at the provincial or city-wide level with funds pooled in the SHF,
it must learn from these various experiences and ensure that this will better result in equitable and efficient
utilization of resources.
Devolution has also resulted in a lack of coherence and clarity in purchasing roles, which has hindered
efforts to strengthen the strategic purchasing function of PhilHealth. There is a lack of demarcation and
harmonization in premium-funded benefits by PhilHealth versus tax-funded services by LGUs and DOH, which
is at the heart of the confusion in financing of services at different tiers of the local health system. Such parallel
funding streams leads to confusion in accountability, fragmentation and duplication, and certain services fell
into the cracks as neither the DOH nor PhilHealth covered them (Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018). By
mandate, PhilHealth assumes the responsibility of ensuring financial risk protection for all Filipinos, particularly
by leveraging its position as a national purchaser of health services. Over the years, it has improved its
financial, technical, and operational capacity to purchase from both public and private facilities. Since
government facilities continue to receive funding and support from both DOH and/or their LGUs, other NGAs
with financial support programs for health and direct payments from patients, experience difficulty working
with PhilHealth to assert rules related to the use of resources and limits on OOP spending. In fact, although the
effect of multiple fund flows to provider behavior is not yet well studied, a recent study theorized that it could
47
alter provider behavior in terms of resource shifting, service shifting, and cost shifting (Barasa, Mathauer, and
Kabia et al. 2021). Similarly, this may also affect the behavior of patients, since whatever is available in these
public health facilities is funded by LGUs and the DOH can be availed, even if they are not covered by
PhilHealth. Since private facilities do not receive monetary and in-kind support but is paid the same rates as
PhilHealth, there is also limited ability to exact leverage. Under the UHC Act, PhilHealth is meant to purchase
individual-based services, while the DOH and LGUs will finance population-based services, but it remains to be
seen how this will be implemented.
Further, the current policies and purchasing mechanisms contribute to the weakened ability of national and
subnational government to provide financial risk protection. This includes the provider payment design of
PhilHealth benefits and policies surrounding the procurement and utilization of public funds, among others.
For example, PhilHealth only implements the No Balance Billing policy—which provides that no other fees or
expenses shall be charged or paid for by patients, above and beyond the packaged rates—for select member
groups (e.g., sponsored, indigent, lifetime, seniors, and housekeepers) but there is no cap for balance billing
for other member types. This lack of control over OOP costs is most apparent in private facilities who do not
receive any budget subsidy from the government and operate under a free market. A study of the National
Demography and Health Survey has shown that PhilHealth membership increases health care utilization and
inflates overall health care costs, both for inpatient and outpatient services. Limitations in benefit coverage of
PhilHealth also challenges its purchasing role. Pharmaceuticals, for example, are seen to account for the
biggest share in OOP spending. With public facilities facing procurement challenges that limit their inventory,
patients are forced to buy from outside facilities. Policies in terms of retention of unused funds at the facility
level also impact the effectiveness of these different funds to act as appropriate incentives. For efficiency gains
in the health sector to work, PFM systems must allow those gains to be kept within the health sector (Barroy,
Cylus, and Patcharanarumol et al. 2021). The UHC Act mandates PhilHealth to develop a comprehensive
outpatient benefit package including provision for medicines; to shift to prospective payment methods; and to
contract facility networks with technical, financial, and management capabilities, instead of individual facilities,
with SHFs that can assist in retaining funds that have been allocated to health.
Since devolution was enacted 30 years ago, policies that affect health financing and PFM for health continue
to be pushed forward. After the LGC was enacted in 1991, various reforms and policies have also been
introduced to strengthen the health financing environment of the country, such as the move to a social health
insurance system, the overall focus of the sector in terms of attaining UHC, and the broader attempts for
overall strengthening of the PFM system. Since the mandates of the LGC continues to be unrepealed, however,
financing of health services continue to overlap across the national government and LGUs. The newly enacted
UHC Act contains stipulations that attempt to correct and improve revenue generation, pooling, and
purchasing of health services. Further operational policies on this still need to be crafted and, recently,
challenges are being encountered in implementation—especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. To
add to that, the 2018 Supreme Court Mandanas ruling, named for the petition that was started by Batangas
Governor Hermilando Mandanas, stated that IRA must come from all national taxes, including tariffs and
customs collected by the Bureau of Customs and those from the excise taxes (Philippine Supreme Court 2018).
This will be implemented in 2022 and current projections show that IRA will go as high as PHP 1.1 trillion
(US$22.9 billion) from PHP 847.4 billion (US$17.6 billion) (De Vera 2020). Because the IRA remains as an
unconditional block grant that is downloaded annually to local governments, it will still be subject to budget
allocation competition, and ultimately budgetary discretion, which may not be beneficial for the health sector.
Guidelines for this are still being developed and it remains to be seen how this will be implemented.
48
LIMITATIONS
The study hinges on data sources, such as the online documents and database, that could be limited in
terms of content and reliability. The purposive sampling of respondents may also have led to selection bias
and may have affected its generalizability. Given the purpose of this document, which is to provide a cross-
country comparison of the effect of devolution to health financing, the information provided in this document
still comprises an important perspective, discusses important theories, and provides recommendations for
future research. The authors, as well as peer reviewers of this document, suggest further research and analysis
on certain topics, such as donor financing, effectiveness of DOH support and PhilHealth purchasing on local
public health programs, and the overall effect of devolution and the country’s PFM systems on disease burden
and health outcomes in the country, among others.
CONCLUSION
Although the context of the Philippines has changed since the LGC was enacted 30 years ago, devolution
continues to affect how public financing of health services takes place. Because of devolution, sub-national
governments had increased roles in terms of revenue mobilization, pooling, and purchasing of health services.
Decision-making and accountability at this level for allocating, spending, and reporting remain primarily with
the LCE, with technical inputs from health facilities in their jurisdiction. Over the years, despite the devolution
of health services to the local government, LGUs continue to rely on nationally generated resources for health
services. While revenues have increased substantially over the past few years, this increase has not translated
into equitable and quality health services and health outcomes. This is partly due to the continued weaknesses
in the financing and purchasing capacities of both central and sub-national governments, among others.
Currently, there are opportunities to introduce additional policy reforms through the UHC Act that will
improve PFM for health, albeit the continued challenges that the health sector continues to face. These
reforms—detailed below—must consider the lessons learned from the three decades of devolution as it
continues to move forward.
1. The DOH needs to focus more on its role in sector-wide stewardship and oversight and provide
authoritative guidance to LGUs through supportive implementation and monitoring mechanisms.
Discretionary spending patterns of LGUs should be kept in check to ensure that appropriate and
adequate resources for health are allocated and used. The DOH, as steward of the sector, needs to
provide clear guidance and technical support for LGUs to ensure that proper and adequate share of
resources is allocated per program, based on the specific disease burden and context of each LGU and
the program protocol for managing specific public health problems. The fiscal sources for LGUs should
be viewed comprehensively as a total from PhilHealth reimbursements, IRA, to local income revenues.
This is a necessary first step to appreciate resource availability and capacity. Following this, the DOH
should leverage its technical role and capacity to support LGUs in enacting their fiscal autonomy
towards productive health plans and interventions by providing planning tools and implementing
monitoring schemes. Additionally, national government programs that were originally intended to be
interim measures of financial support for LGUs (i.e., deployment programs for health human resource,
HFEP for infrastructure, and commodities through vertical programs) have overextended their purpose
in the sector, creating very adverse effects of dependency. These support programs, particularly those
for health and human resources and infrastructure, are by and large population-based health services
which the UHC Act mandates to be financed jointly by the DOH and LGUs. But with the LGC, these are
still fundamentally within the larger accountability of the LGUs. However, the differing health contexts
and needs of localities, coupled with varying capacities for resource generation and mobilization, are
realities that should be addressed.
49
2. PhilHealth, in its role as a strategic purchaser, can support the DOH by activating prospective payment
schemes that provide more financial resources for LGUs and local providers, balanced with the right
incentives for performance. PhilHealth evidently has a strong financial role, and moreso potential
influence, over the financing of local health systems. However, the prevailing retrospective case-based
mechanism fails to optimize this because of delays in payment and inability to project
reimbursements. Prospective payments, such as capitation for primary care and a global budget for
inpatient services, can be linked with key performance indicators that further ensure provision of
adequate and appropriate care, even within the devolved and autonomous arrangement of the health
sector. Lastly, these can also be the means to effectively finance health care provider networks
(HCPNs), as mandated by the UHC Act, leveraging direct contracting to accommodate both public and
private providers—even within the same network—and adjusting for each HCPNs unique service
delivery set-up.
3. Tools such as the LIPH, LGU HSC, and PhilHealth contracting should be seamlessly re-designed to
become binding Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between the national and sub-national entities to
guide the expenditure of the LGUs for health. The LIPH should include technical instruments that will
allow LGUs to better understand their fiscal space and needs, as well as their investment priorities,
particularly in health. In particular, the LGU HSC can be made more potent by linking it to the LIPH and
the PIB approach. Monitoring should better ensure the judicious use of resources, and that the goal of
positive health outcomes is achieved. Similarly, PhilHealth should provide clear guidelines for the
utilization of its payments, including expenditures and program outcomes, so that it can be considered
in the fiscal planning with the LIPH. Having a strong national purchaser is even more important with
the recently passed Mandanas Ruling. To ensure LGU investments, and to proactively anticipate the
potential effects of the Mandanas ruling, inter-government SLAs may be explored to strengthen the
translation of the LIPH to LGU investments and expenditures.
4. The implementation of the SHF at the provincial- and city-wide level can work to ensure standardized
monitoring of expenditures for health at the local level and guarantee the reintegration of LGUs that
will lead to more efficient and equitable health financing. The SHF will serve as a legally supported
means of ring-fencing money for health. Additionally, the implementation of the SHF may ensure a
more viable mechanism of monitoring local health accounts. This can increase the transparency and
accountability of local governments and become an effective means to validate the development and
execution of LIPHs. With the SHF, as well, there is a mechanism to increase the size of the pool of
money at the LGUs which can lead to more efficient use of resources. Ensuring equitable distribution
needs to be ensured, however, by considering factors including demographic and risk burden of a
locality, and even risk from external factors.
5. Lastly, local governments and other key stakeholders need to be empowered to properly and
efficiently execute allocated funds and ensure that financing reforms are maximized once
implemented. This should also be the focus of the DOH as a technical agency moving forward to
ensure continuous and consistent practices at the local level. One of the biggest missteps in the
implementation of devolution was that local governments were not prepared for their new roles.
Recognizing the huge sum of money that PhilHealth can potentially front load to finance individual-
based services in local health systems, plus the expected local government fund infusions and relevant
capacities, financial management and resource allocation should be proactively addressed to ensure
that resources are well-utilized and that the SHF is well-managed. These initiatives should be
50
spearheaded by the DOH as the primary steward of the health sector, in partnership with relevant
agencies that contribute to financing health (i.e., PhilHealth, DBM, and the DOF), facilitate resources
for health (i.e., DILG), and those that have a vested interest in the entire public finance ecosystem (i.e.,
COA).
51
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57
ANNEX 1: LIST OF PEER REVIEWERS
Name Affiliation Interview date
Lourdes Risa Yapchiongco Policy Advisor January 26, 2021

HRH 2030 Program and Palladium International
Mary Juliet Labitigan Independent Consultant January 27, 2021
Juan Antonio Perez III Executive Director January 31, 2021

Commission on Population and Development
Lester Tan Division Chief February 1, 2021

Bureau of Local Health Systems Development
Health Policy and Systems Development Team
Department of Health
Eduardo Banzon Principal Health Specialist February 8, 2021

Asian Development Bank
Oscar Picazo Senior Consultant on Health February 11, 2021

Philippine Institute for Development Studies
Genaline Aguirre Medical Specialist February 24, 2021

Philippine Health Insurance Corporation Region VI
58
ANNEX 2: CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (PROVINCES, CITIES, AND MUNICIPALITIES) IN
MILLION PHP, 2018-2020
Source: Lifted from DBM 2020
59
ANNEX 3: FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE DOH FOR 2019
Source: Lifted from DBM 2020
60

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CASE STUDY

Three Decades of Devolution in the Philippines: How This

ACR All Case Rates HCPN health care provider network

AIP Annual Investment Plan HFEP Health Facilities Enhancement

BHS barangay health station

BLGF Bureau of Local Government

CHO City Health Office ICC independent component city

COA Commission on Audit ILHZ interlocal health zone

DBM Department of Budget and IRA Internal Revenue Allotment

Department of the Interior and LCE local chief executive

OFW overseas Filipino workers PHP Philippine peso

OOP out-of-pocket PIB Performance-Informed Budgeting

PAGCOR Philippine Amusement and PSA Philippine Statistics Authority

RHU rural health unit

Table 1. Key policies that shaped the Philippine health system

the Purpose Republic Act No. 6734.

2006 DOH AO No. 2006-0017 Provided an incentive scheme framework for

Source: Authors, compiled from relevant policies

Sources: Cuenca 2018; Capuno, Rivadeneria, and Beazley et al. 2018

HEALTH FINANCING LANDSCAPE IN THE CONTEXT OF DECENTRALIZATION

*This fund flow is simplified and generalized for illustration purposes.

Current health expenditure Gross capital formation Total health expenditure

Source: PSA 2020

Government schemes 177,821.2 216,990.6 241,594.9 263,353.2 279,791.9 332,833.9

From domestic revenue 55,487.8 70,906.1 82,544.5 94,89.5 106,860.4 126,194.7

From foreign assistance 7,278.3 7,832.4 13,559.7 14,386.1 1,226.6 3,337.8

LGUs 37,748.4 39,026.7 43,360.0 47,650.9 58,748.4 66,341.5

PhilHealth 77,306.7 99,225.4 102,130.7 106,416.6 112,956.5 139,959.8

Private schemes 55,088.7 48,393.6 54,691.1 63,533.1 70,737.1 79,989.1

Household OOP payments 256,157.0 278,197.5 302,175.9 328,828.0 364,241.1 379,730.9

CURRENT HEALTH EXPENDITURE 489,066.9 543,581.7 598,461.9 655,714.3 714,770.1 792,553.9

National The national The national The national Nonapplicable.

Local Nonapplicable. LGUs collect revenues A very small portion of Nonapplicable.

PhilHealth Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. PhilHealth directly Nonapplicable.

Private Private institutions pay Private institutions pay Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable.

Private Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Nonapplicable. Collects premiums

Transfers distributed by government 7,278.3 7,832.4 13,559.7 14,386.1 1,226.6 3,337.8

Social insurance contributions 47,854.5 51,060.0 53,171.3 47,971.8 46,543.1 53,428.1

Voluntary prepayment 49,418.3 42,407.3 48,189.8 56,425.9 62,902.0 71,618.2

CURRENT HEALTH EXPENDITURE 489,066.9 543,581.6 598,462.0 655,714.2 714,770.1 792,553.8

Source: PSA 2020

30 100.0% 63.1% 60.9% 48.8%

Source: Authors, data from DOH 2018

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 to 2025

10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00 10,000.00

10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to 10,000.01 to

50,000.00 60,000.00 70,000.00 80,000.00 90,000.00 100,000.00

2.75% 3.00% 3.50% 4.00% 4.50% 5.00%

275.00 300.00 350.00 400.00 450.00 500.00

1,375.00 1,800.00 2,450.00 3,200.00 4,050.00 5,000.00

Source: PhilHealth 2019a

Table 7. Sources of LGU revenues

Shares from ‒ IRA ‒ Central funds allocated by the DOH to

Loans and grants ‒ Foreign and domestic grants

Source: Dayrit, Lagarda, and Picazo et al. 2018

Figure 5. IRA dependency of provinces, cities, and municipalities, 2018

Source: DOF Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF)

100,000 73.2% 72.9% 80%

Source: Authors, data from DOF BLGF