Solons grill PCSO officials on medical aid for the poor
Lawmakers cannot agree on whether the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) should confine the grant of medical benefits only to the poorest Filipinos, to the exclusion of the rich.
During a hearing of the games and amusement committee yesterday, committee chair and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the PCSO should stay true to its charter which prioritizes the needs of those who have nobody to help pay for their medical bills.
“Those who have less in life should have more help from the government, especially in the field of health care,” he said.
PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand M. Rojas II was grilled on reports that the PCSO board and managers have been using their privilege to fast-track the release of medical benefits to people who could very well afford to pay for them.
“You have to explain reports that you gave millions to rich patients in expensive hospitals while giving only partial subsidy, after a long waiting period, to poor patients,” said Barzaga.
Rojas stood his ground and defended the PCSO’s policy not to discriminate between rich and poor in the grant of medical benefits.
“The PCSO is mandated to assist all those who are in need of medical assistance. The PCSO has rules classifying medical assistance and emphasis is always given to the indigent,” he said.
Rojas explained that the PCSO had extended help to some politicians and government officials who used to be rich but whose lifetime medication or treatment have drained their financial resources.
But Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo pointed out that the PCSO was created to bridge the gap between the rich and poor as its charter mandated it to raise funds specifically for the poor.
Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez disagreed, saying the PCSO should not differentiate between the rich and poor seeking medical assistance because each individual is faced with different circumstances.
The allegations of abuse in the grant of medical benefits by Rojas and other PCSO officials were raised in Congress by PCSO Chair Erineo Maliksi, who did not agree with the policy of allowing even rich individuals to enjoy financial assistance from the PCSO.
At the hearing, Negros Occidental Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer questioned Maliksi on reports that the latter had allegedly released more than P2 million in medical benefits to his driver.
Maliksi confirmed that he facilitated the release of medical benefits for Tino Aman, who was confined at the Philippine Heart Center for a heart disease. But he said Aman was not his driver but was a member of his administrative staff.
“Aman is an employee of the PCSO and not my driver and an indigent and deserves the help of the agency,” Maliksi said. With Nancy C. Carvajal
