The government has released P10.377 billion to fund the Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) program, letting eligible patients get care in public hospitals with little or no remaining hospital charges, and the money now stretches beyond Metro Manila.
How the P10.377 billion is divided
The Department of Budget and Management approved the release on Tuesday, with the bulk going to Department of Health hospitals. Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said the goal is simple: “No Filipino should have to choose between getting the medical care they need and protecting their family from a hospital bill they cannot afford.”
Here is where the money goes, per the DBM announcement:
| Allocation | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Manila DOH hospitals | P3.342 billion | Major government medical centers in the NCR |
| DOH regional and other public facilities | P6.035 billion | Hospitals and health facilities outside Metro Manila |
| Pilot LGU hospitals | P1 billion | Six local government-run hospitals |
| Total | P10.377 billion | Zero Balance Billing implementation |
Six LGU hospitals now covered
For the first time, the program reaches beyond DOH-run hospitals. The P1-billion allocation funds ZBB in six pilot local government unit hospitals in Benguet, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Aklan, and Sarangani, bringing government support closer to patients in their own provinces.
The release is chargeable against the DOH budget under the Fiscal Year 2026 General Appropriations Act, so the funding is already locked in for this year.
What Zero Balance Billing means for patients
Zero Balance Billing is part of the government’s Universal Health Care push. Under the program, eligible patients admitted to participating government hospitals can receive covered services with minimal or no remaining hospital bill, subject to guidelines and eligibility rules. It is meant to ease the out-of-pocket cost of hospitalization that often pushes Filipino families into debt.
The program sits alongside other PhilHealth reforms, including the case-rate and payment reforms that aim to make claims faster and benefits more predictable.
The bigger picture
The new release builds on earlier funding. In August, the DBM separately released P1.855 billion to the Philippine General Hospital, of which P800 million went specifically to ZBB. De Leon framed both releases around a recurring theme: “When our people get sick, government is there to help carry the burden.”
For patients who rely on public hospitals, the practical effect is a wider safety net. Whether the money fully erases bills depends on eligibility and the specific hospital, but the program is steadily expanding coverage toward the goal of reducing out-of-pocket spending on health.
