Lagman brands Go ‘poster boy’ of Malasakit Centers
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2019 04:36:09 +0000
ALBAY 1st District Edcel Lagman on Wednesday called Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go the “poster boy” Malasakit Centers and sought an investigation, claiming that they were more of a “partisan tool” rather than a source of medical aid.
“Go is the poster boy of the Malasakit Centers, and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had to order the Department of Health (DoH) to remove his campaign posters which littered the centers,” Lagman said in a statement.
Lagman’s reaction stemmed from Go’s “unprovoked ballistic reaction” when he questioned the legality of what was supposed to be the government’s one-stop shop for speedy medical services, which the neophyte senator had been advocating.
“Go’s ballistic reaction was unprovoked because I did not even mention his name when I asked the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during its budget briefing to provide the legal basis for its funding [of] the Malasakit Centers and for PCSO to investigate their effectiveness,” Lagman said.
The PCSO faced the House of Representatives’ appropriations panel last Friday for deliberation of its proposed 2020 budget.
During the hearing, Lagman asked PCSO officials to investigate and validate the effectivity of Malasakit Centers.
Go, in a privilege speech on Tuesday, denied that politics was behind the funding of the centers, and even called Lagman “anti-poor” and “selfish” for raising doubts about the program.
Lagman, however, called these allegations “completely unfounded and contrived.”
“I have always been a pro-poor legislator long before the advent of the Malasakit Centers and my legislative performance and accomplishments speak of my advocacies for the disadvantaged and marginalized,” he said.
The Albay lawmaker also maintained that the establishment of these centers was questionable, citing complaints from his own constituents about the absence of PCSO, DoH, and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) officials in the local outlets.
“They are mere outlets for referral to the main local offices of the participating agencies where the beneficiaries have to bare the long lines because the representatives in the centers do not have the authority nor discretion to make assessments either for partial or full payment of hospital bill balance,” he said. GLEE JALEA