Deputy Speaker and Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar has sought to institutionalize a P10-billion fund to support needy Filipino families in the battle against cancer.
In filing House Bill 5686, the House leader recognized that cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines, and noted that fighting the dreaded disease can be draining for the Filipino families’ finances, especially for indigents and underprivileged.
“Considering that one of the goals of the national economy is a more equitable distribution of opportunities and raising the quality of life for all, especially the underprivileged, it is high time that those who are less in life be given the lifeline to fight the cancer disease despite their lack of resources,” Villar explained.
The chemotherapy for cancer patients may cost about P100,000 per session. The cost of treatment by radiation, or even examination by MRI or magnetic resonance imaging, “is burdensome even to middle-income patients, and often beyond the reach of the poor,” she added.
The incidence and mortality rate of cancer in the Philippines has been increasing in the past decades, with 189 of every 100,000 are affected by cancer, according to latest record from the Health department. Also, four Filipinos die of cancer every hours, or 96 patients every day.
“This trend is expected to continue if organized and sustained specialized care and preventive measures against cancer are not initiated,” Villar said.
“This is why cancer has gained a reputation as the disease for the rich. The painful truth is that it can afflict anybody, regardless of economic status,” she added.
A cancer treatment program shall be established and administered by Philhealth through its accredited government hospitals in each congressional district. The assistance shall be limited to indigent and underprivileged patients identified by state health insurer, in coordination with the Social Welfare, Health, and Interior departments.
Under the 2022 spending plan, a total of P529.2 million has been allocated for the cancer assistance fund.