TACLOBAN CITY – Seventeen-year-old Rica Ligo, the eldest daughter of a maintenance worker from Alangalang, Leyte, showed how their 400,000-peso medical bill at Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) turned to zero.
Her father Rico was stabbed three weeks ago and has undergone surgeries and a series of procedures leaving Rica and her two younger siblings worried. She had to come home from Malabon to care for her father. “Sobrang saya namin kasi magkano lang naman ‘yung sahod ni Papa sa trabaho tapos sobrang laki ng babayaran niya,” she shared during President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s visit to Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) on Monday (August 18, 2025).
It is the first hospital that the President checked on DOH’s full implementation of the “Bayad na Bill Mo” or zero balance billing program after his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the President’s order allows patients and their families to access help with hospital bills without going elsewhere for assistance as the funding is still provided by the government. Previously, only indigent patients were covered by the zero balance billing in DOH hospitals. He added that the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of 83 DOH hospitals have increased by 15 percent in 2026, confirming the sufficiency of funds.
EVMC Chief Joseph Michael Jaro also assured that there is no politics in the program implementation for all patients are admitted to basic accommodations.
Meanwhile, the President ordered Secretary Herbosa to ensure that all implementing hospitals know the process for the benefit of the patients. “Pagagandahin pa natin. This is one good thing pero marami pang dapat gawin for the healthcare system,” the President said.
EVMC is a Level 3 tertiary hospital with an implementing bed capacity of 1,100. It is the largest DOH-run hospital in the region. It provides critical health services not only to patients from Tacloban City and Leyte, but also from Samar, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Biliran, and even to other provinces of neighboring regions. With 17 specialty centers, EVMC serves as a key referral facility for complex and high-risk cases across the region. By Marie Tonette Marticio (EV Mail AUGUST 18-24, 2025 issue)
