Manila, Dec. 15 -- Senators have raised alarm over the sharp increase in the proposed 2026 budget for the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP), warning that it could weaken the country's push for universal, system-based healthcare and entrench political patronage.

In a manifestation submitted to the bicameral conference committee on the 2026 national budget, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito on Monday questioned the jump in MAIFIP funding from PHP24.23 billion under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to PHP51.6 billion in the bicameral version, saying it risks turning access to healthcare into a politically mediated process.

The senator, who was unable to attend the bicameral meeting as he is s...