PhilHealth YAKAP reaches senior citizens in Madridejos, Cebu

BANTAYAN ISLAND, Cebu — PhilHealth Regional Office (PRO) joined in the National Commission of Senior Citizens’ (NCSC) Caravan of Services and the launch of the Senior Citizens’ Center on May 29, bringing essential health services closer to the elderly community in Madridejos town in Bantayan Island, Cebu.

PhilHealth-7 Acting Regional Vice President (ARVP) Jenet Ann Advincula bared that with 33,287 registered PhilHealth members and dependents in Madridejos as of 2025, PhilHealth continues to strengthen awareness of YAKAP to help residents access preventive healthcare services on the island and maintain their well‑being.

PhilHealth, through the Local Health Insurance Office (LHIO) in Danao City facilitated a Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) Caravan, serving around 350 senior citizens for onsite registration, membership record updating, ID card printing, and assistance on YAKAP Clinic selection, Advincula said.

LHIO Danao personnel, led by Chief Social Insurance Officer Ruhneb Cabiara, made sure that frontline services were readily accessible to elderly residents.  The activity also featured an onsite First Patient Encounter, the mandatory initial health screening and baseline data collection, conducted by the Madridejos Rural Health Unit, an accredited YAKAP Clinic, with support from the Cebu Provincial Health Office and the Department of Health.

 This collaboration allowed senior citizens to immediately begin accessing preventive and primary care services under the program.  Advincula urged senior citizens to register with YAKAP PhilHealth to maximize their PhilHealth benefits.

Madridejos Mayor Romeo Villaceran expressed his appreciation to the participating agencies, including PhilHealth, and emphasized the importance of collective efforts in providing dignity, security, and meaningful services to the town’s elderly population.

The activity also brought together partner government agencies, including the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).

Cebu Provincial Governor Pamela Baricuatro, Fourth District Representative Sun Shimura, Madridejos Mayor Romeo Villaceran, NCSC Regional Director Jocelyn Tabotabo, and members of the Cebu Provincial Board were also present, reflecting a united effort to advance the welfare of senior citizens in the Island.

 

PhilHealth, DOLE launch YAKAP for employed sector in Central Visayas

CEBU CITY -- More than 200 employees and employer representatives from Mactan Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), PhilHealth-accredited private YAKAP Clinics – Clinica Prime and The Hospital at Maayo joined PhilHealth-Regional Office VII and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-7) for the launching of the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) for the employed sector in Central Visayas on September 16 in Cebu City.

“PhilHealth YAKAP is our embrace to every Filipino worker, every family, and every community. It is a promise that in times of sickness, every Filipino will feel the embrace of PhilHealth and its partners,” said Dr. Maria Eliza Batucan, Chief of PRO VII Health Care Delivery Management Division at the event, as she highlighted YAKAP, previously known as PhilHealth Konsulta Package, as a powerful concept anchored on primary care for better health outcomes.

DOLE-7 Regional Director Atty. Roy Buenafe, on the other hand, described the initiative as “a dream come true for employers” to utilize their monthly premium contributions and feel the government’s-initiated programs for its citizens.

“With this program, our employees and their families will have greater protection, security, and care. We commend PhilHealth for this meaningful cause,” said Matluster Corporation General Manager Rosario Canillo, representing the Employed Sector.

Officials of YAKAP Clinic partners also expressed support. Clinica Prime President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bryan Albert Lim acknowledged how YAKAP directly changes lives. “Those patients with hypertension and diabetes who used to skip buying their medicines can now take them. We have truly seen how vital PhilHealth and primary care are,” he added.

Meanwhile, The Hospital at Maayo Chief Administrator Dr. Faye Abigail Fortich affirmed YAKAP as a significant step in healthcare. “When we come together, both public and private institutions, we create more than just access, we create impact.”

YAKAP launching also highlighted the signing of a manifesto of support by PhilHealth, DOLE, employers, and partner health facilities, followed by the ceremonial ribbon-cutting to signify the start of YAKAP’s services at the mall. 

 Some mallgoers also took the opportunity to register with their preferred YAKAP Clinic on-site and underwent their first patient encounter, which included health screenings and consultations. (Photos: DOLE7/PIO)

PhilHealth launches YAKAP in Central Visayas

CEBU CITY --PhilHealth Regional Office (PRO-VII) launched the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) in Central Visayas on August 11 at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) marking the rollout of its enhanced primary and outpatient care package offering free consultations and health screening, select medicines, and basic laboratory or diagnostic tests, with cancer screening and additional medicines to be made available soon.

VSMMC’s Outpatient Department (OPD) is among the 240 accredited YAKAP Clinics in Central Visayas as of August 9, 2025. As a tertiary level, DOH-hospital equipped with a variety of facilities and services, which at the same time serves as a multi-specialty academic medical center and a healthcare provider network for the province, it is expected to become one of the key providers for the upcoming cancer screening services under YAKAP.

“YAKAP is an enhanced package of the Konsulta. Rural Health Units, district hospitals, DOH hospitals, and even private clinics are accredited as YAKAP Clinics. Meaning to say, you can seek free consultation, medicines, and laboratory services,” PRO-VII Regional Vice President Marjorie Cabrieto said in her welcome remarks at the launching event.

Cabrieto highlighted the program’s enhanced coverage and preventive approach and further encouraged the public to register in an accredited YAKAP clinic to fully maximize the benefits, especially with the upcoming inclusion of cancer screening services for breast, lung, colorectal, and liver cancers.

More than 100 individuals composed of patients from VSMMC’s Outpatient Department seeking medical consultations at the facility that morning and VSMMC medical staff and utility personnel took the chance to avail of the on-site services such as members registration, updating of one’s member data record (MDR) and getting a printed copy of such, ID card with actual photo capturing, and assisted registration to their preferred YAKAP clinic.

At the same event, representatives from VSMMC, DOH-CVCHD, the Cebu Provincial Government, and the City Government of Cebu signed the Manifesto of Support for a solidified a unified commitment among government agencies and health institutions to bring quality, accessible, and preventive healthcare closer to Cebuanos and to the rest of the people of Central Visayas. (Photos: PhilHealth7)