5.3 million poor to get full health insurance premium, says Drilon

MANILA, September 7, 2012-For some 5.3 million poor families who cannot afford to seek even basic medical care, the proposed P2.006-trillion 2013 national budget has allocated P12.61 billion to give them access to a totally free medical treatment, according to Senate Finance Committee chairman Franklin M. Drilon.

Drilon explained the government will fully subsidize the health insurance premium of 5.3 million indigents identified in the National Household Targeting System being used to identify and reach indigent and informal sector households.

“The 2013 budget provides for P12.61 billion to secure the enrollment of about 5.3 million families in Philhealth at P2,400 per annum per family. The beneficiaries can reach up to 20 million or even more for the Philhealth card can be used by the principals’ spouse and their minor children,” said Drilon.

“The government will fully pay the health premiums of indigent patients to widen their access to proper medication. It is disturbing to know that, in this modern day, there are still a great number of Filipinos who do not have access to immediate health care,” said Drilon.

He added that indigent patients can be freed from the financial worries with the new Philhealth case rates payment scheme already in place which provides for a no-balance billing policy for 23 medical cases which include, among others, dengue, pneumonia, asthma, typhoid fever, and appendectomy.     

Drilon also explained that the Department of Justice opinion in March 2012 authorizing the use of P8.3 billion by the government to fully subsidize the Philhealth premiums of indigent patients for the current year will still be in effect in the 2013 budget.

Under the 2012 General Appropriations Act, the full release of national government full premium subsidy was subjected to the issuance of a DoJ opinion stating that the move to fully subsidize the health premiums of indigent patients will not violate the National Health Insurance Act, noted Drilon.

It can be recalled also that Senator Drilon moved last year to strike out a budgetary provision that sought the passage of an amendment in the said Act before this full NG premium subsidy could be implemented, saying “that Act does not hinder the government to provide full subsidy for premium contributions of indigents and the provision being proposed then was contrary to the primary intent of the law.”

“The provision of a health insurance to the poorest Filipinos is consistent with the government’s goal to implement the Universal Health Care. That is the very reason why I proposed the deletion of a budgetary provision in the 2012 budget saying an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act is necessary before the government can fully subsidize the health premiums of indigent families,” ended Drilon.

SENATE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE ON SMUGGLING RELEASES RAMIREZ

MANILA, September 6, 2012-The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food today orders the release of Cesar Ramirez, a resource person in the investigation on smuggling cited for contempt and detained in the Senate.

The committee's Chairman, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, says that the members of the investigating committee agreed that Ramirez's profuse apologies as well as his explanation of being rattled at the queries thrown at him during the investigation have caused him to be inconsistent with his statements, are enough for the Senate to grant Ramirez his freedom from detention.

"We considered his supplemental statements very carefully, and after conferring with the Senate President we agreed to grant the motion of Ramirez’s counsel to lift the Senate's citation of contempt. However, we issue a stern warning to Mr. Ramirez: We will not hesitate to cite him again for contempt and detain him should he fail to testify with straightforwardness and truth in the hearings. The penalties could be more severe the next time around."

‘THE PHILIPPINES SHOULD PREPARE FOR ASEAN 2015'

MANILA, September 6, 2012-Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that the recent jump of the Philippines in global competitiveness rankings should spur the country on to prepare for the regional economic integration of Southeast Asian nations by 2015.  

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, added that while the country may not be entirely prepared for the integration, the improvement in rankings showed that it is headed in the right direction.

“The year 2015 is going to be a milestone because the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is going to become one community—not just an economic community where we trade, bargain and do commerce, but also as an employment and education community,"  Angara said. “I cannot truthfully say that we are completely prepared but I think we are taking steps to be more competitive."

  

The World Economic Forum’s 2012-2013 Global Competitiveness Report showed that the Philippines leaped 10 notches from 75^th to the 65^th spot out of 144 countries in the global competitiveness ranking for the year.

Angara stressed that global competitiveness is crucial for the Philippines since the integration of the ten-members countries of the ASEAN will increase competition for jobs, goods and services. 

He noted that in two years’ time, a Filipino can work without permit in any of the ASEAN countries as well as people of other ASEAN nations can also work and go to school here without restriction.

“There will be a free exchange of people and goods across boundaries of the ASEAN. That’s why we have to be competitive. Competition is no longer just national. Competition for jobs and education is now international, global.

“At present, if a Singaporean and a Filipino apply for the same position, believe me, the Singaporean will get the job because of their very high standards of education. We must be competitive with our peers anywhere in the ASEAN because Filipinos now are the most mobile and migratory people in the world,” said Angara, who is also chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

Despite the big jump in terms of ranking, the Philippines still fell behind its neighbors in the region, besting only Vietnam and Cambodia who ranked 75th and 85th respectively.  

Angara then urged the government, media and other stakeholders to wage an intensive information campaign to prepare the Filipinos for 2015 and to keep up in competitiveness not just with ASEAN nations but with the rest of world. 

‘THE PHILIPPINES SHOULD PREPARE FOR ASEAN 2015'

MANILA, September 6, 2012-Senator Edgardo J. Angara said that the recent jump of the Philippines in global competitiveness rankings should spur the country on to prepare for the regional economic integration of Southeast Asian nations by 2015.  

Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, added that while the country may not be entirely prepared for the integration, the improvement in rankings showed that it is headed in the right direction.

“The year 2015 is going to be a milestone because the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is going to become one community—not just an economic community where we trade, bargain and do commerce, but also as an employment and education community,"  Angara said. “I cannot truthfully say that we are completely prepared but I think we are taking steps to be more competitive."

  

The World Economic Forum’s 2012-2013 Global Competitiveness Report showed that the Philippines leaped 10 notches from 75^th to the 65^th spot out of 144 countries in the global competitiveness ranking for the year.

Angara stressed that global competitiveness is crucial for the Philippines since the integration of the ten-members countries of the ASEAN will increase competition for jobs, goods and services. 

He noted that in two years’ time, a Filipino can work without permit in any of the ASEAN countries as well as people of other ASEAN nations can also work and go to school here without restriction.

“There will be a free exchange of people and goods across boundaries of the ASEAN. That’s why we have to be competitive. Competition is no longer just national. Competition for jobs and education is now international, global.

“At present, if a Singaporean and a Filipino apply for the same position, believe me, the Singaporean will get the job because of their very high standards of education. We must be competitive with our peers anywhere in the ASEAN because Filipinos now are the most mobile and migratory people in the world,” said Angara, who is also chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

Despite the big jump in terms of ranking, the Philippines still fell behind its neighbors in the region, besting only Vietnam and Cambodia who ranked 75th and 85th respectively.  

Angara then urged the government, media and other stakeholders to wage an intensive information campaign to prepare the Filipinos for 2015 and to keep up in competitiveness not just with ASEAN nations but with the rest of world.