FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte said he had fulfilled his promise regarding healthcare and education at the end of his term.
“Kana karun libre na gyud, mao na akong saad ninyo, healthcare ug edukasyon, mao na akong nakuha sa akong pagka-Presidente, giuna gyud nako ang mga tao (Healthcare and education are now free. That is what I have promised and achieve as the President, to prioritize the people),” Duterte said during his speech in the Salamat Tatay Digong Free Concert in NCCC Victoria Plaza on June 30, 2022.
Duterte said people now enjoy free tertiary education which used to be the dream of the old generation.
“Ang akong gi’da gyud ang damgo, damgo sa mga tiguwang nga kaniadto nanglangyaw ngari, nangamatay ngarig trabaho. Karun maka-eskwela namo, unaha gyud ang education, pag-edukar ang tao, makakita nag-trabaho ang iyang anak mas arang-arang kesa iyang natagamtam sa kinabuhi (I have brought with me the dream of the old generation who have migrated here, who died and worked here. Now that you can study, prioritize your education, because if people are educated, they will be able to find a job better than what your parents have experienced in life),” Duterte said.
The Republic Act No. 10931, is an Act Promoting Universal Access To Quality Tertiary Education by providing for free tuition and other school fees in State Universities and Colleges, Local Universities and Colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions. It also established a Tertiary Education Subsidy And Student Loan Program and strengthened the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education.
Also, Duterte said universal health care would secure the patients' free hospitalization as he promised.
“Moabot mo’g hospital, patambal mo ngadto, mopirma lang mo, walay bayad, naay PhilHealth, kung naa moy medisina nga dili mapalit... kana siya karun libre na gyud (If you will be hospitalized, get treated all you have to do is sign, you don’t need to pay, we have PhilHealth, you can get medicines... it is for free),” Duterte said.
The Republic Act No. 11223, also known as the Universal Health Care Act, requires the Department of Health (DOH) and PhilHealth to establish health technology assessment (HTA) as a fair and transparent priority-setting mechanism for the development of policies and programs, regulation, and the determination of a variety of entitlements such as drugs, medicines, pharmaceutical products, other devices, procedures, and services.
Duterte also highlighted the Malasakit Center of Senator Bong Go. The Malasakit Center brings together the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office under one roof to ease access to government financial and medical assistance, particularly to poor patients.
According to Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which Go primarily authored and sponsored in the Senate, the one-stop-shop aims to reduce a hospital bill to the smallest amount possible by covering various patient services and expenses.
Duterte said, these two highlights his term and he’s proud to have accomplished as the President of the Philippines. KSD