FILIPINOS who require specialized medical care, particularly the ones who reside in far-flung areas will soon see more facilities that will cater to them with the enactment of Republic Act 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. As one of the authors of this measure, we thank President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing this into law as it would provide many Filipinos with access to critical care at or near where they reside. Bringing free or affordable health care to our people is of utmost importance if we consider the alternative, which is to skip treatment altogether.
When we filed our version of the law way back in July of 2022, we took note of the 2015 report of the University of the Philippines National Health Institute, which stated that six out of 10 Filipinos die without seeing a medical professional due to the high cost of health care in the country. One of the biggest problems faced by Filipinos with health issues is that they have to travel long distances just to get the care they require. Most of the specialty hospitals and centers are mostly situated in Metro Manila and some highly-urbanized cities so Filipinos who are suffering from heart, lung, kidney and pediatric diseases have to go all the way to these areas to seek treatment.
The sad reality is that many of these ailing individuals just cannot afford the costs of transportation, accommodations and food and more often than not, they have no means to pay for the services they need from private health facilities. It is the government’s responsibility to protect and promote the right to health of the people to make health services available, accessible and affordable to all.
The law mandates the Department of Health to establish specialty centers within the hospitals it operates in every region of the country and in government owned and controlled corporations specialty hospitals such as the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
Prioritization for the establishment of specialty centers will be based on the health needs and demands, including disease burden, in the catchment populations of the DOH facilities; the service capability of hospitals and geographic or physical access; and availability of competent health human resources for specialized healthcare. At least one specialty center will be established in every region within five years upon the effectivity of the law, based on the top burden of disease and special needs in the area.
We have consistently pushed for the establishment of more specialty hospitals in the regions and year after year, we have increased the operating budgets of the existing specialty hospitals. Rest assured that as Chairman of the Committee on Finance, we will ensure that the funding required for its implementation is provided under the General Appropriations Act.
Another bill that we filed in July of 2022 that was signed into law by the President is related to the rationalization of disability pension of veterans. More than three decades have passed since the Republic Act 6948 or the law standardizing and upgrading the benefits for military veterans and their dependents was passed. Taking into account inflation, the amounts contained in the 1990 law are no longer adequate now.
Under RA 6948, the disability pension for veterans, depending on the degree of disability, ranges from P1,000 to P1,700 only. With the new law, the amounts would now be increased as follows:
If and while the disability is rated anywhere from 10 to 30 percent, the monthly pension will be P4,500; 31 to 40 percent = P5,300; 41 to 50 percent = P6,100; 51 to 60 percent = P6,900; 61 to 70 percent = P7,700; 71 to 80 percent = P8,500; 81 to 90 percent = P9,300; 91 to 100 percent = P10,000 plus P1,000 for the spouse and each unmarried minor children. For veterans who have reached the age of 70 but are not receiving any disability pension, they will be deemed disabled and will be entitled to a monthly pension of P1,700.
We owe our veterans a debt of gratitude for their service to the nation. They put their lives on the line to keep our country safe from internal and external threats. For surviving veterans of World War 2, we thank them for their role in providing us with the freedom that we enjoy today. Increasing the amounts of disability pension is the least we can do to repay them for their sacrifices.
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Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 19 years—9 years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and 10 as Senator. He has authored, co-authored, and sponsored more than 330 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.
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Email: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara/PN
