Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon was all praises to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. on the celebration of its 29th year of existence last 14 February at the Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
In his keynote address, Gadon said PhilHealth managed to hurdle the controversies hurled at the institution and continue with its mandate to serve Filipinos who needs medical care.
Like the Marcos administration, Gadon said, PhilHealth is also doing its best in “attaining our aspiration to become successful country.”
“Under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., effective 14 February 2024, the PhilHeatlh subsidy in hospital bills was raised to 30 percent despite the suspension of the increase in premium payments that PBBM directed. There were illness and services covered,” Gadon said.
Negativism spreading
He added the appointment of Emmanuel Ledesma as PhilHealth’s CEO by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was among the reasons for the health institution to regain its position in administering the National Health Insurance Program amid controversies.
Gadon said the government has also been hounded by controversies generated by critics of President Marcos Jr., that highlighted allegations on him but did not mention any of the President’s achievements.
“We are facing again negativism and a lot of criticism against our President and the administration, but they do not mention that our inflation rate now is 2.8 percent, very low from 2020, from year 2019 actually. It hit almost 8 percent in the last administration. Hindi ko naman sila bini-blame because of the pandemic. But from a high of 8 percent to 2.8 percent, that is already something that we should be happy about,” the Presidential Adviser pointed out.
And like PhilHealth that employs and appoint personnel necessary for its operations, the Marcos administration, according to Gadon, was able to provide jobs to its people.
“Our employment rate now is 96.9 percent, this is the highest employment rate in 18 years. Isn’t this an achievement that we can be proud of?”
“These things will of course help us in nation building and in attaining our aspiration to become successful country and for doing that and by doing that, health sector is very much needed and PhilHealth is going to give it, PhilHealth is going to contribute to this nation building,” Gadon said.