January 16, 2026 – Manila, Philippines. Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada has filed Senate Bill No. 1057 seeking the creation of a ₱10-billion Cancer Medicine and Treatment Assistance Fund to provide financial support for indigent Filipinos battling cancer.

Estrada said the measure is aimed at addressing the prohibitive costs of cancer treatment, which often force poor families into debt or compel them to forego medical care altogether. “Kapag mahirap ka at may cancer, doble ang bigat na pinapasan mo. Karaniwan na nating naririnig ang panlilimos ng tulong pinansyal ng mahihirap nating kababayan para matustusan ang gamutan ng kaanak nilang may iniindang cancer. Sa pamamagitan ng panukalang ito, makatitiyak sila ng agarang tulong para sa pagpapagamot ng kanilang mga mahal sa buhay. Mabibigyan sila ng pag-asa na gumaling dahil may mapagkukunan ng panggastos,” Estrada said.

Under the proposed measure, the ₱10-billion fund will cover expenses for cancer diagnostics, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and maintenance medicines. The program will be managed by PhilHealth through accredited government hospitals in every congressional district to ensure that assistance reaches patients directly in their communities.

PhilHealth, in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), will identify indigent cancer patients eligible for support. The bill also mandates clear qualification standards, simplified application processes, and regular audits to safeguard transparency and accountability.

Estrada emphasized that the fund should be annually appropriated under the national budget to guarantee sustainability. He underscored that the proposal is rooted in compassion and social justice. “Ito ay tungkol sa pagbibigay sa bawat Pilipino — anumang antas ng kita — ng patas na pagkakataong mabuhay at gumaling. Hindi dapat maging hatol na kamatayan ang cancer para sa mahihirap,” he added.

If enacted, the Cancer Medicine and Treatment Assistance Fund would mark a significant step toward more inclusive and humane healthcare services in the Philippines, ensuring that financial limitations do not dictate survival chances for cancer patients.

Giving Patients a Reason to Keep Fighting

For many Filipino cancer patients, the hardest moment is not the diagnosis. It is realizing that treatment depends on how much money the family can raise, how many loans they can take, or how long they can beg for help. That reality breaks morale before the first medicine is taken.

Guaranteed access to cancer medicines and treatment changes that equation. It restores continuity of care. It allows patients to focus on healing instead of fundraising. It signals that the system, through institutions like PhilHealth and public hospitals, is finally standing beside them.

People fight harder when they know help will not run out halfway through treatment. Hope grows when care is predictable, dignified, and close to home. A system that shows up gives patients a reason to keep going.

Fighting Cancer With Systems That Show 

That sense of hope does not stop with policy. It becomes real the moment patients walk into a clinic that is ready to treat them, guide them, and stay with them through the long fight.

This is where the Chemocenters of Oak Group of Companies quietly matter. They work hand in hand with government programs, helping turn public support into actual care on the ground. These centers ease congestion in major hospitals, bring chemotherapy closer to communities, and give patients continuity instead of uncertainty. For families already stretched thin, that access means everything.

Across Luzon and beyond, Oak Group–affiliated centers have become steady lifelines:

• Imus Chemotherapy Center
  
  
• Pagasa Chemotherapy Center
  
  
• Beacon of Hope Chemotherapy Center
  
  

• Camarin Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Smartsave Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Famy Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• St. Cecilia Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Faith Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Pasig AAA Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Marikina Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Beacon of Hope San Fernando Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Beacon of Hope Guagua Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• San Pedro Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Canlubang Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Las Piñas Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Mandaluyong Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  
• Cancer Lifeline Chemotherapy Center Corp.
  
  

Together with government support, these centers show what progress looks like when policy meets presence. Not promises. Actual places where patients are treated, supported, and reminded that they are not fighting alone.