Malacañang on Tuesday pushed back against Benjamin Magalong, after the Baguio City mayor accused Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa of making false statements about the use of hospital guarantee letters.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Magalong was wrong to label Herbosa a liar, stressing that patients admitted to basic accommodations in Department of Health–run hospitals do not need guarantee letters under the zero-balance billing policy. Castro said the issue is being muddled even before the government fully implements the “anti-epal” provision in the national budget, a reform backed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. aimed at ending the use of politically branded medical assistance.
Castro added that while local governments such as Baguio City have long issued guarantee letters using local funds, these are not meant to come from politicians or be charged to DOH resources. She said officials of Baguio General Hospital confirmed that guarantee letters presented there were issued by the city government. Magalong, however, has maintained that guarantee letters remain a requirement in practice and called for their abolition, urging instead that medical assistance funds be directly released to hospitals with strict oversight.
