Partido Reporma standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said it would be wise if the Filipino electorate could give a seat to a real doctor in the next Congress to address matters related to health care.
Lacson expressed these thoughts when he addressed a question on the renationalization of the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) during his party’s visit to La Trinidad over the weekend that segued into his endorsement of the maiden senatorial bid of seasoned medical expert Dr. Minguita Padilla.
In a brief public forum after their “Online Kumustahan” gathering in Benguet, Lacson was asked how come the bill proposing to renationalize BeGH did not make it in the Senate when its counterpart measure in the House of Representatives passed.
Lacson, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography said it was because their committee chairperson, neophyte Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, failed to defend the measure when fellow veteran lawmaker Senator Franklin Drilon interpellated it.
While he is not questioning the competence of Go, who won a Senate seat in 2019, Lacson said the newbie legislator had a hard time answering the questions of Drilon during their extended period of interpellation on the bill.
“E, siyempre, hindi naman talaga doktor si Senator Bong Go, tapos neophyte, medyo nahirapan siyang mag-defend ng budget. ‘Yung iba naipasa—‘yung number of hospital beds, ‘yung mga ganoon—pero may mga bills na kasama ‘yung sa Benguet na hindi nailusot,” Lacson said.
(Of course, Senator Bong Go is not a doctor by profession, and since he was a neophyte, he had difficulty defending its budget. Some of the provisions passed, like the number of hospital beds, but there were bills including that one on the Benguet hospital that did not make the cut.)
“Siguro kung si Dra. Minguita ‘yung chairman of Committee on Health, baka kaya niyang i-defend, baka maipasa at malamang maipasa ‘yung bill tungkol sa Benguet na hospital. So, importante may doktor sa Senado, ‘yun ang sinasabi ko,” the presidential aspirant added.
(I think if Dra. Minguita is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, she would be able to defend it and the proposed measure to renationalize the Benguet hospital could pass. So, it is important that we have a doctor in the Senate, that’s what I’m saying.)
Padilla is a veteran ophthalmologist and longtime public health advocate, who served as consultant to many lawmakers in both Houses of Congress concerning bills that affect the Philippine healthcare industry, including the Universal Health Care Act of 2018.
Residents in Benguet have appealed to renationalize BeGH so the government could provide adequate public funds for its expansion, facility upgrades, and competitive salary for its health workers, among others.
BeGH was extremely challenged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when its system reached maximum capacity that forced several sick patients in Benguet to seek medical treatment from private hospitals.
Padilla, for her part, said she understood the frustrations of the public and the healthcare workers themselves when it comes to these issues and it is precisely the reason behind her decision to seek a public office under Partido Reporma, which Lacson chairs.
On my part, if I will be fortunate enough to be elected [in the Senate], we definitely want to see our provincial hospitals and barangay health stations improved. That is what we want. I am one of those who personally lobbied for the passage of the Universal Health Care Act),” she said Padilla stated that among her priorities when she is elected senator is to help the next administration properly fund the Universal Health Care coverage of Filipinos, so it can be fully implemented, as well as enact measures that would prepare the country against future pandemics.
At present, the BeGH is under the direct supervision of the provincial government, which subsidizes its operations. According to the Baguio Midland Courier, the provincial government is allocating an average of P40-million from its annual budget for the maintenance of the hospital.