Around 18 million Filipinos are expected to benefit from the Senate’s decision to increase the 2026 budget for the Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) Program to ₱62.6 billion, Senator Win Gatchalian announced.

The original National Expenditure Program earmarked ₱53.3 billion to cover an estimated 16 million patients in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals. The Senate Committee on Finance added ₱9.3 billion to DOH hospital operating funds to expand the program’s reach by an additional 2 million patients.

Under the ZBB Program, the government fully shoulders hospital expenses—including room charges, laboratory tests, professional fees, and other costs—for patients admitted in basic or ward accommodations of DOH-run facilities, regardless of economic status.

Senator Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, said the increased allocation aims to promote safer and healthier communities.

The Senate likewise approved an additional ₱1 billion each for four specialty hospitals: the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine Heart Center, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.