In a candid interview with veteran journalist Jessica Soho on the Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho Podcast, renowned internist and cardiologist Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon exposed a critical flaw in the national budget, claiming that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has been allocated zero funding for 2025.

This revelation, aired just days ago, has ignited fresh outrage over the state of the country’s healthcare system, which Leachon described as teetering on the brink of collapse.

Leachon, a prominent health reform advocate from Mindoro, asserted that the absence of budget allocation stems from the government’s alleged misappropriation of P130 billion in funds intended for PhilHealth to benefit ordinary Filipinos.

“Wala raw nakalaan na budget mula sa 2025 National Budget ang PhilHealth dahil ninakaw umano ng gobyerno ang dapat sana ay P130 billion na pondo nito para sa mga Pilipino,” Leachon said in the podcast, revealing how this defunding exacerbates vulnerabilities in public health services.

The P6.352-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was signed into law on Rizal Day, December 30, 2024.

Leachon said the GAA earmarks not a single centavo for PhilHealth subsidies, in direct violation of Republic Act No. 11223, the Universal Health Care Act.

This zero-subsidy provision has been a flashpoint since February 2025, when Leachon personally filed a Supreme Court petition challenging its constitutionality and seeking a temporary restraining order.

Drawing parallels to governance failures, Leachon linked the PhilHealth shortfall to the 2024 controversy where over P89 billion in PhilHealth surplus funds were ordered returned to the National Treasury by the Department of Finance, funds he described as a potential “source of corrupt funds.”

In the Soho interview, he painted a dire picture of the Philippine healthcare landscape: “Tayo po eh nasa ICU na ngayon. In fact, malapit nang mamatay. Malapit sa morgue na.”

He pointed to stalled health infrastructure projects, noting that more than 300 out of 800 Department of Health-funded facilities built over the past four years remain non-operational due to contractor abandonments and corruption.

Leachon’s plea for accountability sounded strongly, as he demanded the imprisonment of those responsible for systemic graft.

“Habang hindi natin nakakamit ang justice, hindi tayo mapapatahimik… Ikulong ‘yung mga kurakot, ‘yan,” he urged.

Extending his call beyond health, he added, “Hindi lang sa flood control, hindi lang sa edukasyon, sa kalusugan at lahat ng sangay ng pamahalaan. ‘Yan ang kailangan natin.”