FACT CHECK: Employees still pay PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG contributions

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Existing laws still require employees to shoulder their PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG Fund contributions

Claim: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that there will be no more deductions from employees’ salaries starting May 2025 because the government and employers will cover them.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook page named “PRC Board Online Updates,” which claims to be related to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), posted the claim on May 5.

The post incorporated the official logos of DOLE, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG Fund, with the claim both on the alleged publication material and in its caption.

The post says, “Sagot na ng buo ng gobyerno at kompanya ang PhilHealth at Pag-ibig ng mga trabahado, hindi na ibabawas sa kanilang sahod.” (The government and the company will now fully shoulder the employees’ PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions, these will no longer be deducted from their salaries.)

It also included a link where readers could supposedly find more details about the announcement.

As of writing, the post has garnered 909 shares and 82 reactions.

The facts: The supposed announcement is fake. There are no official reports from DOLE stating that existing laws about mandatory payments for PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG have been amended or repealed.

Existing laws: Based on the current law, R.A. No. 10606 or the National Health Insurance Act of 2013, employers are required to remit their employees’ contributions to PhilHealth, and contributions are shared equally by the employer and employee. Hence, employers are not liable for the total payment, nor is the government itself.

Failure or refusal of the employers to register or remit contributions would be punishable by law.

Meanwhile, R.A. No. 9679, or the Home Development Fund Law of 2009, also mandates employers to register their employees with the Pag-IBIG Fund and remit the required monthly contributions. These contributions are also shared by employers and employees.

Coverage: According to PhilHealth’s website, registration provides social health coverage to employees from both government and private sectors. This, despite issues surrounding the insufficient coverage of PhilHealth (READ: When PhilHealth did not even cover 1% of a hospital bill). 

Pag-IBIG Fund benefits, meanwhile, include provident savings, loans, home financing, and other programs. 

Suspicious link: The post provided no evidence to support its claim. Instead, it included a link that redirects to an online shopping website unrelated to the topic.

Fake Facebook page: The page was created only on April 26, 2025. It also has only 212 likes and 602 followers, compared to the official Facebook account of PRC, which has 1.3 million followers.

Debunked: Rappler has previously debunked a false claim on a Facebook page also claiming to be related to PRC, which stated that the Department of Education announced the abolition of the K-12 program. The same claim had a link that redirects users to an online shopping site. – Lyndee Buenagua/Rappler.com

Lyndee Buenagua is a third year student journalist based in Baguio and an alumna of Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.