This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 20, June 26-July 2, 2005
Officials block military camp in Luisita The militant peasant group
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) expressed its support for the barangay
officials of Balete, inside Hacienda Luisita, who refused to allow an army camp
to be built inside the community. KMP secretary general
Danilo "Ka Daning" Ramos commended June 23 the Balete officials for “doing what
is right and standing up for the interests of their constituents.” He also said
the military has no business inside the barangay as well as the whole hacienda.
Instead, he said that the military are the ones sowing terror among the people
and farmworkers at Hacienda Luisita. Ramos added that the
military units inside the hacienda “are nothing but paid hacks of the Cojuangcos
and are assigned there to break the fighting spirit of the strikers by
psychological operations and dirty tactics.” In fact, Ramos said that
many cases of harassments and killing of farm animals have been documented since
the military were assigned inside the hacienda. Bulatlat * * * Is PhilHealth replacing the
health department? Instead of outlining his
plans outside the current stop-gap measures being implemented in the drug
industry, Nisperos said Health Secretary Francisco Duque referred to PhilHealth
and expounded on its features that assist patients in drug purchasing. Nisperos also said that
Duque never fails to mention how public hospitals should emulate
government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) as models of successful
health care. He, however, said that these GOCCs “not only charge more for their
services but also have a huge backlog of charity cases because pay patients are
prioritized.” Nisperos also criticized
how Duque “flaunts” the tons of money PhilHealth has while the DoH is “literally
begging for funds to keep itself alive.” According to HEAD, the national health
budget of P10.3 billion for 2005, even smaller than last year's, translates to a
measly P125 per Filipino. “She (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo)
might as well put up a sign that says 'Health for Sale!'” said Nisperos.
Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
■
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Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos, secretary general of the militant health group Health
Alliance for Democracy (HEAD), said June 21 that the Arroyo administration is
pushing through with the further privatization of health care by “underscoring
the role of PhilHealth and by making national health insurance the focal point
of government health policy.”