LGUs told: Push YAKAP

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu’s local government units (LGUs) are being urged to aggressively push the registration of residents for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP), with hundreds of millions of pesos in potential health benefits remaining untapped due to low registration.

Public Health Consultant Dr. Nikki Catalan said the province has a significant gap in YAKAP registration, pointing out that the amount already utilized by registered beneficiaries remains small compared with the potential value that could be generated if more residents are registered.

As of August 30, 2026, PhilHealth data showed that the 50 LGUs covered by the provincial overview recorded a total of 188,602 YAKAP registrations, with 73,417 completing their first patient encounter (FPE), equivalent to an FPE-to-registration rate of 38.9 percent.

The same data showed that only P78.23 million had been paid under the Special Assistance Program (SAP) 1 for calendar year 2026 as of the same date.

Catalan said the amount could have been significantly higher if more Cebu residents were registered.

She cited a computation showing that if the province’s roughly three million population were registered and each generated P680 in value, the potential would reach about P2 billion.

“So grabi kadako ang untapped and unused,” Catalan said.

She said mayors therefore need to take a more active role in convincing their constituents to register with PhilHealth, describing the unclaimed potential as money that could otherwise be used for health services in their communities.

“That's why mayors have to be aggressive sa pag-push nga magpa-register ang tanan sa PhilHealth,” she said. “Sayang kaayo because it's a lost money for them.”

PhilHealth data showed wide differences among LGUs in registration performance.

San Remigio led in total YAKAP registrations with 13,665, followed by Talisay City with 12,996, Malabuyoc with 10,229, Badian with 9,479, and Minglanilla with 8,960.

San Remigio also posted the highest FPE count at 12,414, followed by Badian with 4,200, Consolacion with 3,835, Cordova with 3,726, and Medellin with 3,304.

In terms of SAP 1 payments, San Remigio likewise ranked first with P7.92 million, followed by Talisay City with P7.26 million, Malabuyoc with P6.54 million, Badian with P5.40 million, and Dumanjug with P4.89 million.

Catalan also warned LGUs about the growing number of residents registering with private providers, saying this could prevent public rural health units (RHUs) from receiving the corresponding payment when those residents later seek care from the government facilities.

She said this was why LGUs should move quickly in registering residents, warning that public facilities could lose potential benefits to private providers if residents are enrolled elsewhere.

“We were telling them na aggressive jud mo kay mailogan jud mo og private,” she said.

Board Member Dr. Stanley Caminero, meanwhile, pointed to the potential return on investment for LGUs that put resources into registration efforts early.

Catalan said Caminero noted that an LGU could potentially obtain P50 million from registrations, which could be enough to hire two to three doctors and expand its local health services.

The data also showed that six LGUs appearing among the top 10 in both registration and FPE counts still had substantial untapped values.

San Remigio had P93.87 million in untapped value; Badian, P60.49 million; Oslob, P36.94 million; Talisay City, P427.06 million; Danao City, P266.61 million; and Sibonga, P82.07 million.

Collectively, these six LGUs had only 57,679 registered residents, or 9.21 percent of their combined projected population, leaving an estimated P967.05 million in untapped value. — /MRM (FREEMAN)