Health group supports Makabayan block split from House majority

PRESS STATEMENT | September 14, 2017

Health workers and professionals under Health Alliance for Democracy today laud the Makabayan lawmakers for fighting for the people’s interest as they separate from the Majority Coalition in the House of Representatives, Thursday.

“The seven party-list representatives have been relentless in their opposition to policies of the Duterte administration espoused in congress by the House Majority, which corporatize and commodify health care,” HEAD secretary-general Dr. Joseph Carabeo said. To the best of their ability, they fought against the 2017 and 2018 budget cuts to public hospitals and preventive health programs, revealed the inflated PhilHealth budget, and stood ground against the anti-poor Universal Health Coverage Bill.

The Makabayan coalition, composed of 7 lawmakers from different partylists, sever ties with
the Duterte-faithful House majority. Photo by Obet de Castro.

“Despite the persistent railroading, Makabayan stood against the majority bloc’s anti-poor and repressive actions such as the death penalty bill, national ID system, tax reform program, defunding of the Commission of Human Rights, and the declaration and extension of Martial Law in Mindanao,” added Carabeo.

Now that Duterte with his cronies in Congress has revealed himself as a true fascist and is laying the groundwork for a dictatorship, the health sector sees right that the Makabayan bloc sever relations with them. “The health sector and the Filipino people will be together with them in opposing the fascist, imperialist and anti-people US-Duterte regime,” Carabeo ended. ##