03/06/2026
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ-๐ญ๐ณ
๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ญ, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ
๐๐๐
๐๐, ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐
Pasig, 01 June 2026 โ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ (UNFPA) in the Philippines, the UNโs sexual and reproductive health agency, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) ink a partnership to improve maternal health, family planning, and access for millions of Filipino women and families.
This major agreement comes right after PhilHealth expanded its maternity benefit packages in April, which now covers the recommended number of prenatal and postnatal check-ups and almost tripled the coverage for normal and cesarean births, showing a strong commitment to better health for women, adolescents and indigent Filipinos.
The agreement sets a long-term plan for both UNFPA and PhilHealth combining their expertise to support the realization of ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ต๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐น๐ฎ๐ (๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐), ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ (๐จ๐๐), and the ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ฝ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฌ, focusing on reducing maternal mortality, improving access to sexual reproductive health, including family planning through smart investments and innovative solutions.
"The PhilHealth is an indispensable partner for making universal healthcare a reality in the country," says ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐, ๐จ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ.
โThis partnership is about expanding access to quality care, supporting healthier communities, and securing the lifelong wellbeing of every Filipino family. It is more than just reducing out-of-pocket costs, itโs for a life-saving cause," she adds.
๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐๐
๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ฟ. ๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ . ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ, emphasizes the corporation's dedication to making healthcare easier to access for every Filipino, particularly those who need it most.
"Our ultimate goal is to remove costs and financial barriers, within reach, for every Filipino," Dr. Mercado states.
โThrough this partnership with UNFPA, and alongside our expanded maternity benefits, we are making healthcare more inclusive so that financial hardship never stops a mother from getting proper medical care."
๐จ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ, ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ธ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ "๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฎ" ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฎ, witnessed the signing ceremony and congratulated the Philippines for its landmark achievement, acknowledging that it is a powerful example in the region of how working together can turn good policies into a life-saving reality on the ground.
Under this renewed partnership, UNFPA and PhilHealth work together to ensure health policies actually reach patients and benefit communities. The agencies will strengthen ties with healthcare providers and local government units (LGUs) to encourage effective and smart investment of local funds into sustainable health programs.
At the same time, the agencies are designing more affordable health packages to make maternal care easier to access, while integrating family planning and counseling into training programs for health workers. This partnership is a major step forward in protecting the health, dignity, and rights of Filipino women, moving the country toward a fairer future.
