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President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs into law the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace in Manila on August 14, 2025. 
The law strengthens the constitutional guarantee under Article VIII, Section 3, ensuring that the Judiciary’s budget cannot be reduced below the previous year’s allocation and must be automatically released. It also authorizes the Supreme Court to submit its budget proposal directly to Congress, mandates the automatic monthly release of funds, and requires quarterly reporting to the President and Congress. Witnesses include Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Senate President Chiz Escudero, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and other officials. 
Mark Balmores, PPA Pool

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signs into law the Judiciary Fiscal Autonomy Act at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace in Manila on August 14, 2025. 

The law strengthens the constitutional guarantee under Article VIII, Section 3, ensuring that the Judiciary’s budget cannot be reduced below the previous year’s allocation and must be automatically released. It also authorizes the Supreme Court to submit its budget proposal directly to Congress, mandates the automatic monthly release of funds, and requires quarterly reporting to the President and Congress. Witnesses include Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, Senate President Chiz Escudero, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and other officials. 

Mark Balmores, PPA Pool

Article (news)

MARCOS

Pia Gutierrez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday flew to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City to check the government’s implementation of the Bayad na Bill Mo or zero balance billing program, which he touted during his last State of the Nation Address.</p><p>The Philippine leader, in his SONA last July, assured that under the zero balance billing program, Filipinos admitted to basic accommodation in a Department of Health hospital will no longer bear the financial burden of essential medical care.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/8/5/alamin-mga-doh-hospitals-na-may-zero-balance-billing-0922">ALAMIN: Mga DOH hospitals na may zero balance billing</a></div><p>&quot;Napunta lang ako dito because I wanted to see kung gaano, maganda naman ang patakbo sa yung ating zero billing na ginagawa ngayon. At meron kaming, may balita na merong kung minsan mahaba ang pila o hindi pa alam lahat ng kailangang gawin. Pero sa nakikita ko naman, everybody knows what they are supposed to do,&quot; the President said.</p><p>&quot;Ang pasyente lang or kanyang pamilya, well what they have to do kagaya ng ginawa nitong ating kaibigan, she just came down to, parang hotel para magcheck out. Kasi kung titingnan ninyo wala na ang ano, zero talaga, zero billing wala na siyang kailangang bayaran. Ito yung kontribusyon nung Philhealth, ito yung sa DOH. So makikita ninyo, talagang ganyan na,&quot; he added.</p><p>Marcos earlier said that the medical assistance will be funded by the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and by the allocation to DOH hospitals. </p><p>This is in addition to the financial support from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), the President added.</p><p>&quot;Ngayon we just have to make sure na lahat ng ospital sa buong Pilipinas, alam nila ang procedure. Kasi bago ito eh. But I think kaya naman nila because maliwanag na maliwanag naman kung ano yung Philhealth, ano yung sa DOH at sino&#x27;ng qualified. Lahat naman halos qualified,&quot; he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, Filipinos needing outpatient services may seek assistance from the Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service (BUCAS) Centers of the Department of Health.</p><p>&quot;Pero kung hindi kaya ng BUCAS Center, papupuntahin naman sila sa ospital at aalagaan din sila. And again, zero billing ang paglabas.  Walang na sila, walang dagdag na bayad, wala nang dokumento, wala nang kailangang gawin, pirma na lang puwede na nilang iuwi ang kanilang pasyente,&quot; said Marcos.</p><p>The President, on the same day, also inspected the P100 million R.M. Tan Solar Pump Irrigation Project (SPIP) in Barangay R.M. Tan, Ormoc City, which Malacanang says is part of “the government’s ongoing efforts to modernize agriculture and strengthen food security through renewable energy solutions.”</p><p>The facility is designed to irrigate 100 hectares of farmland for two cropping seasons each year, and is expected to benefit 92 farmers and their families by increasing harvests and improving the incomes of farming households in the area.</p><p>The Palace says the solar pump irrigation project is part of a nationwide initiative to build solar-powered irrigation systems that will replace costly diesel pumps and provide farmers with a cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient source of irrigation.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hwynDtOrxew?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday flew to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City to check the government’s implementation of the Bayad na Bill Mo or zero balance billing program, which he touted during his last State of the Nation Address.</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday flew to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City to check the government’s implementation of the Bayad na Bill Mo or zero balance billing program, which he touted during his last State of the Nation Address.

Marcos checks implementation of zero balance billing program in Tacloban City

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Marcos checks implementation of zero balance billing program in Tacloban City

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 18, 2025 03:18 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 18, 2025 05:49 PM PHT

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