Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has pledged support for improving the infrastructure and equipment of hospitals managed by the Cebu Provincial Government to enhance the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.
In an interview at the Provincial Capitol on Friday, June 26, 2026, Ejercito, the principal author of the UHC law and current chairman of the Senate finance committee, said his priorities align with the health program of Governor Pamela Baricuatro.
Inspection of Health Facilities
Ejercito accompanied Baricuatro in inspecting health facilities, including the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Danao City (CPH Danao) and the rural health unit in Cordova. They are also scheduled to visit Minglanilla and Carcar to assess health needs in southern Cebu.
Ejercito emphasized the need to allocate funds from the national government to primary, secondary, and provincial hospitals to decongest major apex medical centers.
Funding Commitment for UHC
As chairman of the Senate finance committee, Ejercito said he would work to secure funding for the continued implementation of the UHC law in the next two budget cycles. “Hopefully, in the next two budget seasons, we can fund all these health facilities,” he said.
He noted that the PhilHealth Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (Yakap) remains a vital component of the UHC law. Yakap, which replaced the PhilHealth Konsulta program, is an enhanced primary care package that provides free outpatient consultation, laboratory tests, cancer screening, and maintenance medicines.
