PHILIPPINE Health Insurance (PhilHealth) Corporation President and CEO Dr. Rey Aquino has launched a wide-ranging program of support services and medical benefits to the state firm's members.

Among the grateful beneficiaries are the existing and future subscribers and recipients of Philhealth coverage including thousands of residents in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, among other places.

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I understand the uneasy anxiety of the loyal supporters and core leaders of the high-achieving City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, as their boss faces being confronted by the formidable instruments of public service now wielded by his former opponent.

In the past elections, and during his term as congressman and city mayor, Dr. Aquino pioneered in distributing free Philhealth cards to his constituents. The recipients gave him outstanding political support. This is an avenue of service which Rep. Dong Gonzales and Mayor Oca have been known to exploit with enormous success.

When I got out of the hospital after an illness in 2005, which cost me a fortune, then City Mayor Aquino gifted me with a Philhealth card. I nearly transferred my official residence to San Fernando out of gratitude!

That is how potent and politically effective a Philhealth card is. Assuming that Dr. Rey would be able to dispense 8,000 cards to San Fernando residents, and considering each recipient has an average of four family members of voting age, well, that would sum up to three barangays voting solidly for the Philhealth chief should he make a comeback bid for the mayoralty.

Honestly I am worried, as Mayor's supporters should be, on Dr. Rey's possible return bout against his conqueror. Leaders of Aquino said the doctor-politician never runs away from a good fight.

"In the spirit of boxer Manny Pacquiao, he will fight a bigger and more powerful opponent for a cause." I was told. Still another loyalist said Dr. Rey has the hero's blood running in his veins. One inarguable link between the two, I told the source, was Rey's and Ninoy's abundance of "sarsa" in or off-season.

Aquino is aware of the numerous projects and legitimate honors already achieved by Rodriguez. At this point Mayor Oca is the man to beat, being entrenched in solid, tangible, and commendable performance. He has been mentioned as the probable successor of Among Ed in the Capitol's hot seat.

The former city mayor has announced that his organization will be launching benefits one after the other. Naturally Dr. Rey will not forget the city residents, first and foremost, for the free services provided. He will be the reinvented hero of the married women, even single mothers, if they have the courage to come out in the open, as these will receive free payment for the 4th normal spontaneous deliveries.

There will be benefits for outpatient treatment of malaria, a virtual shot in the arm for local river dwellers. There are a number of victims of malaria and dengue from unregistered mosquitoes that park in many city canals and along the stagnant San Fernando river. HIV-AIDS sufferers, if any, will be attended to.

Imagine if Dr. Rey will be handling out the malaria assistance package of P600 to every resident-claimant. Well, the amount event exceeds the reported P500.00 per recall-signature allegedly offered by its solicitors.

This P600 dole by Philhealth will encourage "malaria" sufferers, which may include even Dr. Rey's previous campaigners in reporting for duty. An ingenuous poser can come with a garlic in the ass to induce fever, plus twitching here and some shaking there, possibly with proof of residence and a Voter's ID in the City of San Fernando.

The Philhealth post is a "killer" organization for Dr. Rey, that is, if he would know how to circumvent COA rules which I know he would not, and justify the wide scale but discreet dispensation of the vote-getting medical privileges and health benefits mandated by law. There seems nothing is inappropriate nor illegal here.

I am certain Dr. Rey will not resort to this, knowing him to be a politician who fights fair and square. However, in a grudge fight, as in a heated return bout, boxing devolves into an MMA. Call it mixed martial arts.

On a political level, the Philhealth services that will also benefit a great number of households is the inclusion of outpatient drugs for diabetes and hypertension of which two in every five registered or flying voters are afflicted with.

With these truly effective approaches to winning the masses, even the popular Rep. Gonzales will need to have a second look at Dr. Aquino's newfound political power: Philhealth is wealth. Both are diehard Kampi stalwarts and Mayor Oca is Lakas CMD.

Dr. Rey may not wish to unduly alarm his possible opponent, our good city mayor, but added in advertence, "Sunod-sunod po nating dadagdagan ang mga benefisyong nakakamit ng ating mga miyembro." That's hardly a threat, trabaho lang 'yan.

Kasama na rito ang mga taga San Fernando, of course. Mayor Oca's malaria-dengue surveillance team may now be put to Alert 2 level as an unsolicited advice. His city disaster coordinating council may validate the findings for a second opinion.

* * * * *

In this column's random survey as to who are the "Most Well-Loved" members of the Pampanga Provincial Board and the City Council of the City of the San Fernando and for a special attribute, the polled provincial employees and CSF city personnel, respectively voted for the following:

a) Board Member Lina Bagasina - Congeniality
b) City Councilor Alex F. Patio - Dependability

Congratulations, Sir, Madam for this salutary discovery. I hope my findings are beyond dispute.

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(October 8, 2008 issue)
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