MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said Wednesday it has no objection to a bill in Congress mandating the state charity agency to contribute 5 percent of its yearly revenues to a health insurance fund.

PCSO Chairman Margarita P. Juico told the Manila Bulletin the PCSO has no objection to House Bill 5283, which wants to automatically include the poor as members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and sourced funds from the charity agency.

H.B. 5283 is authored principally by Pampanga Rep. Carmelo Lazatin. Upon its approval, it shall be called "Indigent PhilHealth Coverage Act of 2011."

The measure wants the PCSO and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to allocate 5 percent of their yearly revenues for the health insurance coverage of PhilHealth members, presently at 21.3 million.

In an interview, Juico said the PCSO has already been using its charity funds on a larger scale for the medical- and health-related needs of sick indigent Filipinos and for charities of national character.

The 5 percent proposed in the bill, she said, is a lot less than what the PCSO has been utilizing, particularly with the creation of the Catastrophic Illness Relief Fund (CIRF) wherein the PCSO is expected to give a seed fund of P1 billion.

She said on the behest of President Aquino, the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), Department Health (DoH), PCSO, PAGCOR, and PhilHealth have been holding meetings on the CIRF.

"The CIRF will be targeting patients with 'catastrophic' diseases, such as cancer, those undergoing dialysis, among others," she said, adding that the PCSO is willing and ready to provide a charity seed fund of P1 billion.

Even before the CIRF's creation, the PCSO top official said the agency has been using its charity funds for catastrophic illnesses.

Juico said when Health Secretary Enrique Ona informed her of the President's instruction to establish the CIRF, she said Ona was happy when told that the PCSO has already been doing its share on the effort to help patients with cancer and those afflicted with other major diseases.

As this developed, Juico said the PCSO has also struck a deal with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that beneficiaries of the government's conditional cash transfer (CCT) will be entitled to assistance from the PCSO.