Thinking Pinoy Reacts to Senator Risa Hontiveros

Post from Thinking Pinoy

ANTI HOSPITAL DEPOSIT LAW? EPAL NA NAMAN SI HONTIVEROS

While I am happy that the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law was enacted into law, I find it utterly ironic that Senator Risa Hontiveros, of all people, is its author.

Hontiveros was a director and a board member of the state company Philhealth, the same company that's supposed to provide universal health coverage.

During her Philhealth stint, Hontiveros turned a blind eye on the P1.7 billion in illegal bonuses Philhealth issued in 2013 when she was still a board member.

"It has never been reported that she has exerted any effort for the return of the illegal bonuses. Nobody knows if she had even opposed the unauthorized bonuses, or had just simply gone along with those who allowed it," said Atty. Jesus Santos, founding chair of the National Association of Lawyers for Justice and Peace [Hontiveros dared to return P1.76b in PhilHealth bonuses].

Hontiveros also used Philhealth funds to pay for ads that show her face, a typical "technique" used by traditional politicians desperate to boost name recall in time for the election season.

Hontiveros participated in Philhealth's corruption, despite Philhealth's chronically delayed reimbursements to hospitals, so delayed that some hospitals even had to delay salary payments to their doctors just to make ends meet.

If you were really serious about promoting universal healthcare, you would not have spent millions of Philhealth's funds on self-promotion. You would have looked into the P1.7 billion Philhealth Bonus Scam.

But you didn't.

Sabi mo noon, "You didn't ask (to be featured in the ads)," pero pumayag ka rin naman [In recent weeks, Hontiveros has been mainly featured by PhilHealth infomercials, both in billboard advertisements, and more recently in television commercials. This has led some critics to accuse Hontiveros of using her position as PhilHealth Health Care Providers' Sector board member in advancing her political ambition, as she is perceived to be running in the 2016 polls.].

Pakapalan na lang talaga ng mukha ang laban.

Ang dating kasi sakin ng pagkaka-author ni Risa dito, parang, "OK ayoko hayaan ang Philhealth na magbigay ng pera, so mga ospital na lang ang iipitin ko para sikat pa rin ako sa masa."

Tanginangyan.

Mabuti na lang, naglabas na sa wakas ng pera ang Administrasyong Duterte kaya may pandagdag na sa pambayad sa mga ospital. Pero kung itinuloy lang ang iniwanan mo sa Philhealth, paano na kaya?

E di waley!

'Teh, malakas ang loob mong magpanukala ng bill na yan dahil alam mong may pera na... perang nalikom not because of you, but in spite of you.

Epal ka na naman.