What a lonely tine to live in an era of uncertainty.
History will remember the legacy of every president not by their rhetoric, but by the lives they changed and the impact they left behind.
I was at the signing at the Malacanang palace during the signing of the landmark Sin Tax Law of 2012 in December 2012 and the UHC law in February 2019
The late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will forever be celebrated for the Sin Tax Law, which provided the critical lifeline that funded health programs for the poor.
President Rodrigo Duterte will be remembered for the landmark Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, which promised every Filipino the right to accessible and quality healthcare.
But what will history say about President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.?
If the 2025 General Appropriations Act is signed as is — with 90 billion in diverted PhilHealth funds, zero subsidy for healthcare, and inadequate prioritization of the UHC Law — his administration will be etched in the annals of history as the one that turned its back on the sick, the suffering, and the dying.
Mr. President, imagine the faces of those you serve:
- A mother cradling her feverish child in the corridors of an overcrowded hospital, unable to afford even the most basic medication.
-A farmer in the provinces walking miles to a rural health center only to be told there are no funds for his dialysis sessions.
- An elderly man who contributed to PhilHealth all his life, now begging for help as mounting hospital bills eat away at his family’s savings.
These are not just statistics. These are real people — your people — who are crying out for help, for dignity, and for hope. Yet, this proposed budget turns a deaf ear to their suffering. While they endure sleepless nights, skipping meals to make ends meet, the government is poised to deprioritize healthcare in favor of unprogrammed appropriations and the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
When your administration diverted 90 billion from PhilHealth to unprogrammed appropriations, you signaled that healthcare is not a priority. When the government allocated zero subsidy for healthcare in 2025, you placed millions of Filipinos at risk, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. When the cries for support from those who depend on the Universal Health Care Law were met with silence, you betrayed the promise of a healthcare system that is meant to be universal, accessible, and equitable.
This is not about politics anymore Mr. President. This is about lives, Filipino lives. This is about mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents who will not survive another year of neglected healthcare. This is about patients sharing beds in government hospitals because there is no funding for better facilities. This is about the thousands who die preventable deaths every year because there is no medicine, no doctor, no system to catch them when they fall.
This zero subsidy will set a dangerous precedent which will undermine the Filipinos’ right to health, and the mandate for the State to make health care accessible and inclusive and accessible even to paupers, that are guaranteed by no less than the Philippine Constitution” he said.
The Bicameral Conference Committee excluded Philhealth from the 2025 General Appropriations Act, in view of its massive reserve funds, reportedly amounting to approximately PhP 600 Billion, which is comprised of its surplus and reserve funds.
Senate President Francis Escudero said that the zero subsidy of PhilHealth is due to its own failure. Thus, this defunding should “serve as a wake-up call for them to do their job”.
The deprivation of adequate funding for health and education manifests regression taking the country further away from its progress in building an educated and healthy population capable of driving national development.
A government that fails to uphold the interests of its people ultimately fails the very people it is meant to serve.”
What a shame !
Du30- War on Drugs
BBM- War on Freedom of Speech
He’s waging a war on freedom of speech. Silencing critics, weaponizing laws, and tightening control over expression. One fought criminals, the other fears conversation.
In the end, both promised peace, but one seeks it through fear, the other through silence. And when a nation can no longer speak, that’s when the real danger begins