Recycled incoming DOH Sec should answer for past scams

Recently appointed Department of Health Secretary Francis Duque III should be made accountable for his past shenanigans, health workers under Health Alliance for Democracy said Monday.

HEAD's spoof version of the PhilHealth ID Card that was distributed by the Arroyo administration during the 2004 presidential elections. Recently appointed DOH secretary Duque was also secretary then.
 

As PhilHealth president before becoming DOH secretary under Gloria Arroyo, Duque used PhilHealth as a tool for political patronage. First, there were accusations that up to PHP 530 million-worth of OFW-contributed health insurance funds were diverted to PhilHealth. Duque had reassured then President Arroyo that it "will have a significant bearing on the 2004 elections."

PhilHealth cards were then distributed to indigents when Arroyo campaigned for the 2004 presidential elections. The cards bore Arroyo’s picture, which only had a one-year validity.

"Duque’s return to DOH concurs with the reappointment of other Arroyo-era officials and generals. This signals Arroyo's complete restoration into Filipino politics, despite a corruption-laden and repressive presidency," said HEAD secretary-general Dr. Joseph Carabeo.

Meanwhile, Duque's tenure in DOH was marked by a "medical tourism" campaign, which sought to make the country a leisure and wellness hub for government revenue and as a "solution" to the country's brain drain of health professionals. 

"He offered cheap medical services to foreigners, but none to his poor and ailing countrymen," remarked Carabeo. "He had no insight that health professionals were leaving because of low wage and appalling work conditions."

The medical tourism campaign was further used to justify the corporatization of public hospitals such as the National Kidney Transplant Institute and the Lung Center of the Philippines. These hospitals now see higher prices for admission and services.

The return of Duque in DOH signals plague, not change. The epidemic of corruption infects the healthcare system under Duterte's watch. We therefore call on the health sector to intervene and stop this contagion. Through our collective action, we demand for DOH and Malacañan to hold Duque accountable for his past crimes and listen to the heed of the health sector for a free, comprehensive, and progressive healthcare.##

Land monopoly is government's war on rural poor – health group

Press release: October 25, 2017

Farmers in the countryside bear the brunt of hunger and poverty caused by the government's fraudulent land reform program, which sees its 45th year today, according to Health Alliance for Democracy.

"Nine of ten farmers do not own the land they till. Most endure uneven share agreements with landlords, while their crops are bought cheap. Farmworkers suffer from unfair and hostile work conditions on top of low wage. This framework hurls farmers, who compose 75% of our population, towards hunger, poverty, malnutrition, and sickness" said Dr. Joseph Carabeo, HEAD Secretary General.

"The government insists on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program as its cure-it-all, but with its high amortization rates, it only takes away land from farmers instead of distributing it," Carabeo said. "Add this to land-use conversion and it becomes apparent that the government does not intend to distribute land at all. The Duterte administration's policies, a mere copy of the previous administrations, have been failing and will continue to do so."

"And instead of addressing the just and humanitarian needs of farmers, the government resorts to fascism," added Carabeo. Farmers who fight for their right to till experience harassment from state forces or murdered. From July 2016 to September 2017, 91 farmer leaders and activists have been killed.

"The most obvious solution remains elusive: genuine agrarian reform and the free distribution of lands," added Carabeo. "The Philippines' naturally rich soil and ideal climate for agriculture are keys to solving widespread hunger and poverty, and in turn malnutrition. Agriculture as the foundation of enterprises will ensure food sustainability and social services and will bring forth employment, new industries, and infrastructure."

HEAD therefore encourages the Filipino people to support the farmers' struggle for their right to till and free distribution of land. The realization of genuine agrarian reform will help uplift the lives of Filipinos in both short and long terms. We must eject and expose the anti-poor, anti-farmer, and especially the fascist policies of the US-Duterte regime! ##

Why do health professionals and health workers support the transport strike?

Health professionals and health workers are no strangers to "modernization" of public services. For years, the government has attempted to privatize government hospitals such as the Philippine Orthopedic Center for profit via so-called modernization. But health professionals and health workers, through understanding the implications and effects of such privatization schemes, have stood firm to oppose it. Health Alliance for Democracy opposes the "modernization" scheme of the Duterte administration for these very same reasons.

Photo from MayDay Multimedia at the Transport Strike in Cubao, October 16, 2017.

The "modernization" of public transport is simply privatization. The proposed vehicles from foreign car manufacturers cost more than a million, which the drivers cannot afford. Monopoly control means deregulated fare hikes: higher fares! This echoes the laboratory fees increase in hospitals when privatized. The modernized MRT/LRT payment system was also a similar case.

Private-monopoly interests are at the core of the jeepney phaseout. The privatization of the transport system is no different from what we, health professionals and health workers deal with on a daily basis. The same big companies who are willing to gamble on the privatization of transport are the same entities who scurry for the privatization of hospitals (Ayala, Pangilinan). What makes it enticing for our government officials that they would go so far as to demonize the transport srike? Private-monopoly interests.

Thus we express our support to the No to Jeepney Phaseout campaign. We support Piston in their push for modernization that is not based on private interests but instead rests on the interest of the masses. Most of all, we congratulate the No to Jeepney Phaseout Coalition, Piston, the drivers and operators, fellow commuters and the masses for the success of the nationwide transport strike! ##