Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza. (INQUIRER.net file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza praised on Wednesday the move to make P529.2 million available for the Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) until 2023 through the cooperation of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“[The return of the CAF] is good momentum for the development of more policies that can widen the scope of the Cancer Control Act and our Universal Healthcare Act. I hope this spirit of cooperation continues and we keep the ball rolling towards affordable and even free treatment of this disease and others. We must never let our fellow Filipinos feel alone in the fight against cancer,” Daza said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Last Sept. 12, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the DOH officer in charge, pleaded during a hearing on the 2023 budget of her office to restore CAF, as the line item for it was omitted by DBM in its 2023 National Expenditures Program.
The CAF was created by the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (Republic Act No. 11215), which was signed into law in February 2019 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
Vergeire said the law had not been fully implemented because of “contradicting provisions” in the General Appropriations Act.
This deprived cancer patients of the chance to get more affordable treatment with the help of the CAF.
Vergeire said, however, that DOH and the DBM would issue a joint memorandum circular that would allow the use of the CAF.
Daza said both agencies deserve commendation as they acted upon the request of the House lawmakers quickly.
“They deserve praise for acting quickly upon our call to have the cancer assistance fund ready for implementation,” Daza said.
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