Thousands of indigents receive insurance cards

MAYOR Celso Lobregat has led the distribution of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) cards to 11,495 indigent residents from 20 priority villages in Zamboanga City.

The distribution of the PhilHealth cards to the identified beneficiaries was held Monday at the Mayor Vitaliano Agan Coliseum.

The beneficiaries were sponsored by the National Government through the PhilHealth and were identified through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The 20 priority village and their corresponding number of beneficiaries were Arena Blanco, 1,406; Camino Nuevo, 174; Canelar, 136; Guiwan, 212; Mampang, 1,624; Mariki, 1,024; Putik, 356; Rio Hondo, 1,240; San Jose Gusu, 348; Sta. Catalina, 1,174; Sta. Maria, 167; Sto. Niño, 119; Talon-Talon, 1,182; Tetuan, 392; Tugbungan, 1055; Tumaga, 405; Zone I, 75; Zone II, 168; Zone III, 22; and, Zone IV, 216.

The distribution on Monday also coincided with the launching of PhilHealth’s strategy dubbed Mobile, Orientation, Validation and Enrolment Scheme (Moves) designed to properly inform, guide and empower the member-beneficiaries.

Zamboanga City was chosen as PhilHealth Moves launching site for the entire Mindanao area.

Meanwhile, PhilHealth handed over to Lobregat a symbolic check for P12,716,510, representing the total monthly allocation for 250 families at P500/monthly each for the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2012.

The money, however, will not go directly to the member-beneficiaries as it will be used by the City Government for the programs and services for the barangay health centers to reduce poverty incidence. (Bong Garcia)