Senator Pia Cayetano expressed her strong support for maintaining the mandatory allocation of sin tax revenues to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) following the agency's zero budget in the 2025 national appropriations.

Cayetano's stance comes after a petition was filed before the Supreme Court by the Medical Action Group and Social Watch Philippines, challenging the government's failure to allocate earmarked revenues from sin taxes for PhilHealth.

The groups are also pushing for the remittance of unaccounted shares dating back to 2019, citing a violation of Republic Act 11346, which mandates a portion of revenues from tobacco and sugar-sweetened beverages to go to PhilHealth for healthcare services.

During the deliberations on PhilHealth's proposed 2025 budget last year, concerns were raised about the government's non-compliance with the Sin Tax law, with Senator Cayetano noting that at least ₱69.81 billion from sin taxes should have been allocated to PhilHealth that year.

Senator Cayetano signed the bicameral report of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) with reservations, objecting to the removal of government subsidy for PhilHealth. She emphasized that while addressing PhilHealth's accumulation of excess funds is important, it should be handled separately from the legal allocation of funds to the agency.

Senator Cayetano stressed the importance of upholding the law and protecting the rights of millions of Filipinos who depend on PhilHealth coverage.