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Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Glo health cards being doled out despite suit
CEBU CITY -- President Arroyo's critics question her distribution of free health cards this close to the election, but that didn't stop local allies from giving these cards away in Cebu City.
An estimated 11,000 residents from the north district paraded to the Cebu City Sports Center Tuesday to get their Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) family cards.
South district residents will get their cards, which bear President Arroyo's picture, on Wednesday.
Jun Pe, the consultant whom Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeņa tasked to dole out the cards, said barangay officials identified the beneficiaries.
Similar cards were also distributed last month in Mandaue City, shortly after the start of the campaign period for national candidates.
The heads of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philhealth have been accused before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila of vote buying and distributing "illegal" campaign propaganda.
But Philhealth's Francisco Duque has retorted that those who wish to stop the distribution of the health cards are "anti-poor, anti-elderly and anti-sick."
According to Philhealth, it costs P1,188 in premiums for an indigent household to get health insurance coverage for a year.
Like a sortie
Under the program, beneficiaries are sponsored or paid for by state agencies or local governments.
A Philhealth report as of July 2003 said there were already 12,692 families in Cebu covered, or some 63,400 individual beneficiaries.
Once the beneficiaries are identified, personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are asked to evaluate them, before a certification is given to Philhealth.
The recipients should be indigent residents. Last Tuesday, 11,583 cards were given to residents of 22 Cebu City barangays.
Aside from Pe, present during the distribution were north district Rep. Raul del Mar, Cebu City Councilor Jack Jakosalem and former councilor Edgardo Labella.
Osmeņa also gave a short message, telling the residents they have President Arroyo to thank for the cards.
The cards are good for 45 hospital days and valid for one year for the main beneficiary.
Dependents are also entitled but will have to share the 45 days covered by Philhealth.
Cardholders will enjoy free medical care in government hospitals and pay less in private hospitals because of the cards.
The cardholders will have the option to renew the cards on their own capacity if the City Government will not shoulder the payments after a year.
Distribution
The cards distributed Tuesday were part of the 52,000 that President Arroyo allotted for Cebu City.
The recipients came from Barangays Capitol Site, Cogon Ramos, Sambag I, Sambag II, Lorega, T. Padilla, Pahina Central, Pari-an, Sat. Cruz, Banilad, San Roque, Zapatera, Mabolo, Carreta, Apas, Mabini, Cambinocot, Pit-os, Talamban, Pulang Bato, Luz and Day-as.
Pe said that two weeks ago, at least 3,000 cards were also given to Barangay Lahug residents.
The number of recipients varies from barangay to barangay, since it will depend on how many passed the evaluation, he added.
Last month, Osmeņa asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate his cousin, Sen. Sonny Osmeņa, for allegedly diverting taxpayers' money through a foundation led by aspiring congressman Aristotle Batuhan.
Batuhan explained that the money went directly to a government hospital and that the foundation did not violate any law when it gave away health cards to beneficiaries. RHM
(March 17, 2004 issue)
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