NEW QUEZON GOV TO SCRAP PREDECESSORS’ HEALTH PROGRAM

LUCENA CITY—Quezon province’s new governor, Angelina Tan, will stop an awarded health program of her predecessors over alleged misuse of the project by some village officials.

Tan said her administration would instead focus on providing health aid to all residents, particularly the indigents.

“We will make the health of our constituents our top priority. Because we can only achieve a productive nation with a healthy and strong population,” Tan, a physician and principal author of the Universal Health Care Law, declared in her inaugural address after she formally took her oath of office before Supreme Court Justice Joseph Lopez in a ceremony held at the Quezon Convention Center here on Friday night.

“No more health coupons or any color card. We will serve everyone, everyone will be treated equally,” Tan said in a speech following her inauguration on Friday, referring to the health program of former Gov. Danilo Suarez, whom she defeated in the May elections.

“Those who have less in life will have more in health,” she added.

Cashless aid

During the 12 years of the governorship of the Suarez political clan—nine years under David Suarez (2010 to 2019), now reelected congressman of the province’s second district), and three years under his father, Danilo (2019 to 2022), the provincial government had been distributing P50,000 worth of health coupons every year to each of the province’s village chiefs under the “Lingap Kalusugan sa Barangay” program.

The use of health coupons, instead of cash, was to ensure that the assistance would be used solely for medical needs. Beneficiaries used the coupons to buy medicines and defray the cost of services in government hospitals such as laboratory tests, diagnostic procedures, outpatient consultation and others.

The program earned a “Galing Pook” award in 2014 and was cited as a model of a successful local government health program.

However, there were reports that village officials had only been dispensing the coupons to relatives and supporters.

The Suarezes, when asked for a statement on Tan’s plan, declined to comment.

Improved services

Tan vowed to improve the services and facilities of all government-owned hospitals in the province particularly, the Quezon Medical Center, located in the capital Lucena City.

Tan also pledged to focus on good governance, education, livelihood, infrastructure, environmental protection, tourism and agriculture.

Tan stressed she would not tolerate corruption and any forms of abuse under her administration.

She specifically noted the need to address the perennial issues in agrarian reform, land conversion, ancestral domain and coconut levy fund.

“It is a breath of fresh air hearing a governor tackle these issues. We also welcome her policy pronouncement that her government will be transparent and participatory,” Danny Carranza, secretary general of the national farmers’ group Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan, said in a statement after he watched the ceremony online.