(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Wednesday, 09 July 2025) The Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) continues to affect Mindanao. FORECAST: The Zamboanga Peninsula will experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms due to the Southwest Monsoon. These conditions may lead to possible flash floods or landslides, especially during moderate to occasionally heavy rainfall. The rest of Mindanao will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms also influenced by the Southwest Monsoon. Winds will be light to moderate from the southwest, with slight to moderate seas (wave height between 0.6 to 2.1 meters).


Thursday, 25 May 2023

DBM approves P25.16B for one-year health insurance, benefits around 8.4M indigents

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman has approved the release of P25,157,547,000 (P25.16 billion) to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to cover the one-year health insurance premiums of 8,385,849 qualified Filipino indigents enrolled at PhilHealth.

The Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) was approved by the Budget Secretary on 23 May 2023.

“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. mandated his cabinet to ensure that Filipinos are provided with affordable health care. Pinamulat sa atin ng pandemya ang kahalagahan ng mas matatag na health care system, kaya’t pinagsisikapan po natin na ilapit ito sa ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na po sa mga higit na nangangailangan,” Secretary Pangandaman said.

Indigent persons are those that have no visible means of income, or whose income is insufficient for family subsistence, as identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), based on specific criteria. 

The fund will be sourced from authorized allotments in the FY 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA) pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 11936.

To recall, the DBM approved the release of a total of P42,931,355,000 to cover one-year health insurance premiums of over 8.5 million senior citizens nationwide on 4 April 2023. (DBM/PIA Caraga)