Marcos Jr. orders PhilHealth to waive interest on unpaid contributions

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

January 9, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  The Marcos administration will implement a general amnesty of penalties for unpaid contributions of employers, business owners and self-employed members to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

In a video message, President Marcos announced yesterday that he ordered PhilHealth to issue a one-time waiver of the three percent compounded or accumulated monthly interest charged on unpaid premium contributions.

The move will give employers and self-employed members one year to settle missed payments from July 2013 to December 2024, the President said, citing the financial burden the penalty places on members struggling to settle their dues.

Marcos said the general amnesty is expected to benefit around 300,000 PhilHealth members.

“We know that the three percent paid to PhilHealth every month is strongly felt by our countrymen,” the Chief Executive said.

Marcos also urged employers to update their employees’ records and ensure their enrollment in the PhilHealth YAKAP or Yaman ng Kalusugan Program.

PhilHealth YAKAP is an enhanced primary care program that provides free consultations, essential medicines, lab tests and cancer screenings to promote early detection and reduce health-related expenses for Filipinos.

“We are doing all of this to ease the burden of our countrymen when it comes to health care costs and the many challenges they face,” Marcos said.

PhilHealth spokesperson Israel Francis Pargas reminds members to regularly pay their premium contributions.

“We hope that those who need to pay will continue to pay their premium. In that manner, we can ensure the sustainability of the benefits,” he said.