At the outset, allow me to confess – I never imagined that being in a room full of doctors would be this pleasant and comforting. Because normally, in most scenarios where one is surrounded by all sorts of medical professionals, kakabahan ka na!
Kidding aside, I feel fortunate today, not only because I am surrounded by hardworking doctors, but even more so because around me are the best ones from the San Pedro Calungsod Medical Center – the very hospital I had the honor of being one of the original founders, and which I have supported since its founding a decade ago.
Truly, a lot has transpired since the day the idea of establishing an additional medical facility in the urban municipality of Kawit, Cavite was first conceived.
For one, who would have imagined that just a few years after this 7-story hospital opened its doors and began full operations, the world would face an unprecedented health crisis—one that brought not just our country, but the whole world, literally to its knees?
I am, of course, referring to the global pandemic caused by the deadly coronavirus, infamously known as the COVID-19 – a crisis that forced all of us to rethink our priorities not only from the national down to the community level but even our own personal lives.
As I look back, it is truly remarkable how vivid those memories remain – na parang kahapon lamang nangyari ang lahat. That overwhelming feeling of anxiety and fear brought on by an invisible enemy has remained fresh even though a couple of years have already passed since the community quarantines were lifted.
The days of those dark times felt long, and terrifying. Every move, every step outside our homes, and even a simple face-to-face conversation with anyone carried a weight of uncertainty. One that could mean danger not just for ourselves, but more importantly, for our loved ones as well.
If such were the feelings of an ordinary man like me, I could not begin to imagine what doctors, medical professionals, and health workers like all of you felt in putting yourselves literally on the frontlines. Suffice to say that it was your unwavering dedication that brought hope to countless families.
I do not know if you have heard this enough, but on behalf of our kababayans and fellow Filipinos whom you have selflessly served during these difficult times, maraming, maraming salamat po. We would not be together here if not for your selfless sacrifices during one of the most challenging chapters of our recent history.
For my part, as a legislator during that time, I can say with humility that the Senate fulfilled its mandate by advancing key legislation to at least shield Filipinos from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these were the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act (RA 11469) and the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (RA 11494), which played pivotal roles in our nation’s response and recovery efforts.
I was likewise at the forefront of exposing anomalous activities within no less than the state-run institution tasked with providing public health insurance and healthcare services to all Filipinos—the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth.
In 2019, my scathing privilege speech entitled “Department of Wealth and PhilWealth” delivered in the Senate sparked a series of investigations not only into the agency’s questionable policies but also its anomalous disbursements of public funds that had been overlooked, willingly or not, by those at the highest levels of our health agencies.
This effort shone a light on practices that betrayed public trust and underscored the need for accountability in safeguarding the health and welfare of our citizens.
As a budget watchdog in the Senate, my relentless advocacy of looking for irregularities and pork-like insertions in the national budget have also paved the way into augmenting the budget of critical health programs of the government.
Isang halimbawa na dito ang pondo para sa Universal Health Care Act, na bagamat naipasa bilang batas noong pang 2019, ay hindi naman napaglalaanan ng sapat na pondo sa mga sumunod na taon. Kaya naman mula sa mga kwestiyonableng items na aking nakita sa pagbusisi sa ating taunang badyet, pinagsumikapan nating ilagak ang mga sobrang pondong aming nakita para sa taong 2020 hanggang 2022 sa mga programa sa ilalim ng UHC Law tulad ng Health Facilities Enhancement Program at Human Resource for Health.
My deep concern over the budgetary gaps hindering the fulfillment of the Universal Health Care Law’s promise of providing every Filipino with access to quality and affordable healthcare is further heightened by the troubling news of nearly ₱90 billion in unutilized PhilHealth funds being diverted to the National Treasury.
For the past two years, seeing stories and controversies like this, especially those tied to the national budget – the very lifeblood of our economy – has driven home an inevitable truth:
I have come to realize that helping to solve the many challenges that our country continues to face is much harder when you are outside simply looking in.
Nitong nakaraang dalawang taon, talagang naramdaman ko ang saya ng pagkakaroon ng tahimik at simpleng buhay.
My slow-paced days offered a welcome reprieve for somebody who has spent more than 50 years – or most of his life – attending to the call of duty and service to the nation.
Masarap din palang gumising na hindi nakadepende sa alarm clock dahil kailangang pumasok sa opisina. Masarap din pala na pakiramdam ang kumportableng manood ng Netflix dahil wala akong trabaho na kailangang unahin o mga datos at numerong kailangang aralin.
For the first time in my life, nagkaroon ako ng oras hindi lamang para sa aking sarili kundi para sa aking pamilya, lalo na sa aking mga apo.
But I need to admit that on my quiet days, I have also come to ask myself: Do I feel better attending to myself and my family instead of helping others? Am I truly ready to leave behind the life I was once used and dedicated to? Does my service to the nation and legacy end here?
I found my answers when, on October 2, 2024, I filed my Certificate of Candidacy for Senator, hoping to continue the works that I have done in uplifting the lives of our fellow Filipinos.
Sakaling mabigyan po ako ng pagkakataong muling makapaglingkod bilang Senador ng taumbayan sa 2025, maaasahan po ninyo na lalo pa po nating ipagpapatuloy ang ating kampanya upang iangat ang antas ng sistema ng kalusugan sa ating bansa.
Patuloy po ninyo akong makakasama sa pagsigurong ang bawat sentimo ng buwis na ating binabayad ay mapupunta sa mga makabuluhang programa – lalo na sa mga programang pangkalusugan – para sa ating mga kababayan.
As I have consistently upheld in all of my personal and professional life, my credo remains: “What is right must be kept right; what is wrong must be set right.” Ang tama ay ipaglaban, ang mali ay labanan.
Sa puntong ito, nais kong ibigay ang aking snappiest salute sa mga doktor na gagawaran ng pagkilala ngayong gabi, gayundin sa buong pamilya ng SPCMC.
Kayo ay nagsisilbing inspirasyon sa bawat Pilipino! Congratulations, mabuhay po kayong lahat!
Mabuhay ang San Pedro Calungsod Medical Center! Maraming, maraming salamat po!
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