Better healthcare quest continues

Health is a constitutionally guaranteed right of our people. It is essential that the government ensures their well-being to have a healthy and productive citizenry.

Investing in healthcare boosts the economy, creating jobs, increasing livelihoods, raising incomes, and enabling more children to attend school.

Our job as workers in the government is to continue finding solutions --- and finding them fast!

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, I offer our regular committee hearings as an avenue for the voices of ordinary people to be heard when it comes to their health concerns.

During the last several hearings, we relentlessly pushed for specific, practical, yet impactful reforms that will benefit millions of Filipinos.

As a result, the Department of Health and its attached agencies, like the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., made various commitments to improve and promote better healthcare services.

These include the abolition of the Single Period of Confinement Policy, crafting of an emergency outpatient care package, and wholistic enhancement of its case rates system, to name a few.

Amidst public outrage over what I believe is an immoral transfer of its P89.9-billion excess funds back to the national treasury to be used for other purposes, PhilHealth is once again asking Congress for additional subsidy worth billions of pesos for its 2025 budget.

As your senator, I asked PhilHealth to submit a letter of commitment to fulfill all its promises first before we approve such allocations. Moreover, I will not stop pushing for these reforms to ensure that public funds intended for health are used for health.

Ang pera ng PhilHealth ay dapat gamitin para sa health upang maproteksyunan ang buhay at kalusugan ng bawat Pilipino!

Aligned with DOH’s recent announcement that the Malasakit Centers Program, which we initiated to become a law that I principally authored and sponsored, has already helped more than 15 million Filipinos to date, I also asked the department to ensure the use of appropriate funds for the continuous, uninterrupted, and unhampered provision of medical assistance for indigent patients.

As your Mr. Malasakit, I will continue advocating for accessible medical services. As my mentor, former President Rodrigo Duterte always reminds me: just do what is right, prioritize the poor, and you can never go wrong.

On 7 October, I attended the flag ceremony in the Senate together with other officials and employees.

We recognized our Senate Sentinels basketball team who won back-to-back championships in the UNTV Cup. I am also grateful to be part of the Mythical Five of that league — an honor that I share with my teammates and the rest of the Senate.

That day, I was also a Guest Speaker during the Newborn Screening 22nd National Convention held in Manila where I advocated for the expansion of benefits and medical services covered by PhilHealth for newborn illnesses.

Furthermore, as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Sports and vice chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, we led the budget hearing of the Philippine Sports Commission, and Games and Amusements Board where we emphasized the importance of investing in sports programs to keep the youth away from illegal drugs and keep us healthy and fit.

On 9 October, in commemoration of Teachers’ Month, we joined the Philippine Alliance of Retired Educators (PARE) 3rd National Convention where we stressed the importance of education in molding the youth as future leaders of our communities.

Later that day, we provided assistance in Hagonoy, Bulacan, to 1,500 recovering typhoon victims in partnership with Mayor Baby Manlapaz.

On 11 October, our Malasakit Team was in Tarlac City to inspect its Super Health Center, the city’s General Hospital, and new gymnatorium which we supported to be established and enhanced. They also provided aid and support to 2,000 residents in partnership with Mayor Cristy Angeles.

We were in San Isidro, Davao Oriental, on 12 October for the turn-over of ambulance units to Governor Generoso Mayor Juanito Inojales and Banaybanay Mayor Ian Larcia that we pushed to improve emergency response. We also aided 1,000 beneficiaries with Mayor Angel Go.

Meanwhile, our Malasakit Team’s efforts in extending help to Filipinos all over the country continue as we immediately aided 34 fire victims in Cagayan de Oro City; and 42 flood and landslide victims in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.

We also gave additional aid to 127 fire victims in Santa Rosa City, 27 in Calamba City, Laguna; 308 in Picong and 197 in Malabang, Lanao del Sur. They also received emergency housing assistance from the National Housing Authority that we pushed for to help them purchase materials to rebuild their homes.

Aside from pushing for temporary employment from the government for displaced sectors, we also provided additional support to 64 struggling workers in Calbayog City, Samar with BM Ancecio Guades; 469 in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental with Mayor Jennie Uy-Mendes; 111 in Madrid with Mayor Paolo Lopez and 77 in Lingig with Mayor Elmer Evangelino, both in Surigao del Sur; 130 in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya with Vice Governor Eufemia Dacayo; 162 in the towns of Nueva Valencia, Jordan, San Lorenzo, and Buenavista, all in Guimaras with Barangay Captains Veronica Ortiz, Marcelo Malones Jr., Evelina Salcedo, and Rommel Infante; 42 in Ormoc City, Leyte with Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez; 60 in Tigbauan and Tubungan, Iloilo with Vice Gov. Tingting Garin; and 145 in Mabini, Davao de Oro with Vice Gov. Tyron Uy.

In addition to the provision of livelihood kits from the government, we also provided support to 200 micro-entrepreneurs in Montevista, Maco, and Compostela in Davao de Oro as well as 43 beneficiaries in Manila with VM Yul Servo.

My Malasakit Team also aided 1,110 indigents in San Vicente, Camarines Norte with Mayor Jhoana Ong and 750 in other different towns in Southern Leyte with Governor Damian Mercado and Board Member Ina Marie Loy.

To help the youth, I also supported scholars from various universities in Pangasinan and in General Trias City, Cavite. We also attended the Sulu State College and the Cavite State University Sportsfests, which we supported in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission.

We also joined the groundbreaking of a Super Health Center in Buenavista, Quezon last week to help bring primary health services closer to communities.

Amid the political noise, my focus remains on fulfilling my mandate and serving the Filipino people. Bisyo ko ang mag serbisyo at naniniwala ako na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Diyos.