CITY hall would spend P180 million to provide 75 thousand residents health insurance coverages this year. It would increase the number of health insurance beneficiaries in the city by 25 thousand. This was learned after Mayor Oscar Moreno and Masiding Alonto, regional vice president  of   the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), signed a memorandum of agreement on Wednesday.  The document shows that city hall would increase the number of its Philhealth beneficiaries in the city from 50 thousand  in 2016 to 75 thousand  this year. City hall would pay Philhealth P2,400 for every Philhealth enrollee or P180 million. Among those who signed the city hall-Philhealth agreement were Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Councilor  Ma. Lourdes Gaane, chair of the city council’s committee on  health. Gaane said the fund would be sourced from city hall’s budget for Philhealth insurance coverages that was approved by the city council for this year. Alonto lauded city hall’s Philhealth sponsorship program. As a result, he said, the local governmentun JR Borja Memorial General Hospital received P177 million  from Philhealth last year, and P150 million in 2015. In 2013, the city hospital only received P40 million. “Dramatic ang increase sa revenue generation sa JR Borja (hospital). That’s why you can see for yourself  the infrastructure  development at JR Borja (hospital),” said Alonto. (nitz arancon)