On this day, April 7, 2026, we observe World Health Day not as a global event but as a stark reminder of the prevailing health crisis in the Philippines.
The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) reiterate the Filipino people’s call for quality and affordable healthcare which can only be solved through empowering the local health sector and tending to the demands for public health. This includes the repeal of the value added tax (VAT) and excise taxes on medicines; government intervention in steering health as a right of every citizen rather than for billionaire profits.
CPDG also call for the release of detained health workers, Dr. Ana Marie Rilloraza and Marc Mendiola and for the cessation of state attacks made against health workers and rights defenders.
Last March, Dr. Ana Marie Rilloraza and Marc Mendiola along with their companions were arbitrarily arrested for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, along with fabricated charges for murder and attempted murder.
Their arrests on the basis of trumped-up charges is a grave violation of human rights revealing a broad pattern of state attacks made against health workers, development workers, and human rights defenders – dedicated Filipino citizens who devoted their lives to fill in government gaps in delivering services to communities.
As of early 2026, healthcare workers are already lacking in the country. The Philippines has only 21.2 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people which is less than half of the 44.5 recommended ratio of the World Health Organization (WHO). The country is already facing a shortage in healthcare professionals and yet attacks still persist targeting people like Dr. Rilloraza and Mendiola.
The country faces a shortage in healthcare professionals, needing approximately 290,000 workers to meet the health needs of the country’s growing population. It also remains underfunded, with the budget for health allocated at only 1.45% of the country’s GDP, far below the WHO recommended 5% benchmark.
The country’s public health is already riddled with problems like health worker insufficiency, government neglect, and growing poverty. Advocating for better healthcare is not a criminal act. The vilification of health advocates and their incarceration is tantamount to denying the communities they serve of their right to health.#