Senator Roxas to Department of Budget and Management: Allow LGUs to use funds to import Cheap Meds

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas said the Department of Budget and Management should allow local government units (LGUs) to use its funds to purchase quality and affordable medicines directly from the Philippine International Trading Corp.

Roxas—in partnership with City Government of Baguio, DSWD-Baguio and DOH-CAR— last Friday held a medical mission and forum on the Universally Accessible, Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 at the Sunshine Park, which was attended by about 600 senior citizens.

"Mas mabilis ang pagdating ng murang gamot sa kamay ng taumbayan kung kalahok ang mga LGU sa programang ito (The LGUs' participation in the cheaper medicines program will hasten the access of the people to quality and affordable medicines), the primary author of the landmark law said.

"Kaya dapat nang payagan ng DBM ang mga LGU na bumili ng murang gamot sa PITC gamit ang nakalaang pondo nila. (DBM should allow LGUs to use its allocated funds for cheaper medicines through the PITC)," he said.

During the forum, Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, Chairperson of the Baguio City Council Social Welfare and Development Committee, conveyed to Roxas that it would be faster for LGUs like Baguio City to purchase medicines for their senior citizens and other sectors in need if DBM exempts from the normal yet lengthy bidding process any direct purchase of medicines from the PITC.

To which, Roxas replied that direct purchases from PITC—which is mandated to import quality and affordable medicines from other countries—should be considered a government-to-government transaction which involves the protection and saving of human lives, thus, negotiated procurement may be allowed.

"Ang mahalaga ay madala natin sa taumbayan ang abot-kaya at de-kaledad na gamot. Magtulungan tayo para mapabilis ang aksyon ng gobyerno (It's important that we bring quality and affordable medicines to the people through the fastest possible process. Let's help each other so government action would be swifter)," he stressed.

Sunday, January 25, 2009 | posted in baguio city, betty lourdes tabanda, cheaper medicines bill, dbm, doh, dswd, mar roxas, pitc | 1 comments [ More ]

Roxas asks gov't agencies to speed up processing of benefits

Senator Mar Roxas has written the Home Development Mutual Fund (PAG-IBIG) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), asking both agencies to provide immediate assistance to their members who suffered enormous losses due to typhoon "Frank"

"Our government must now speed up the processing of the necessary documents so that the thousands of typhoon victims who have lost their homes, property and loved ones can receive some relief to help them rebuild their lives," said Roxas, a former representative of Capiz, which was among the provinces in the Western Visayas region that were ravaged by the storm.

He commended PAG-IBIG, which, in a reply to Roxas' office, has already committed to providing P1.5 billion worth of calamity loans for victims in Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo.

"I thank PAG-IBIG President Miro Quimbo for his responsiveness to my call for expeditious assistance to the typhoon victims. This will go a long way in helping them, and I hope other government offices follow suit," he said, adding that he will also seek the assistance of the Social Security System (SSS).

In the letter to the Senator, Quimbo said he has instructed the PAG-IBIG branches to accept and expedite processing of calamity loans in the Western Visayas provinces.

Roxas, Liberal Party President, called on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DoH) to provide on-site assistance and coordinate directly with those affected by the typhoon.

The Senator has paid multiple visits to the stricken areas, coordinating relief and rehabilitation efforts, and providing people with basic needs such as food, water and medicines. Several donors from the private sector have also responded to the senator's call for relief goods such as candles, sardines, juice drinks, noodles and bottled water to help the victims.

"The destruction and mounting number of casualties because of typhoon 'Frank' is heartbreaking. We all need to pitch in and help to give rays of hope to those affected by the storm and floods," he said.

Latest reports have pegged the death toll nationwide from "Frank" at 498, of which 416 were from Western Visayas. With regards to the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars, there have been 124 found dead, 62 survivors, and over 600 more still missing.

The total number of displaced people has been pegged at 2.4 million people, or about 2.7% of the country's population, with 1.4 million of these from Western Visayas. 487,412 families nationwide were displaced, and damages have been estimated at P5.5 billion. P2 billion of this accrues from damage to farm lands and infrastructure in Western Visayas.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 | posted in deped, doh, dswd, gsis, mar roxas, nbi, pag-ibig, philhealth, philippines, typhoon frank, visayas | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Gov't, private sector help urgently needed as storm "Frank" batters Visayan provinces

Senator Mar Roxas called on the government and private groups to help in relief efforts in Panay Island and neighboring provinces, which have been battered and continue to be battered by tropical storm “Frank” over the past couple of days.

“I ask the National Disaster Coordinating Council and the Departments of Social Welfare and Development and of Interior and Local Government, as well as private individuals or organizations, to provide assistance to these areas in Visayas most affected by typhoon “Frank”,” the Senator and former Capiz representative said.

“The DILG should help the local governments under a state of calamity, while the NDCC and DSWD should look at temporary shelter, food and health needs of those whose homes were destroyed or are in flooded areas,” he said.

“If there are relief items to give, these should be sent to offices of the Provincial Governor or City Mayor,” he advised the public.

Roxas arrived in Capiz yesterday, Friday, for the opening ceremonies of a 15-megawatt diesel power plant in Panit-an, but this was canceled due to the bad weather.

The storm is still ongoing, and the affected areas are suffering from a power outage. Communication is limited, with little or no cellphone signal reception as well.

Aside from these problems, other areas such as in Iloilo province have been flooded, up to the second floors of many houses. Even with many volunteers, there is little transport available to them for them to participate in rescue operations.

Sunday, June 22, 2008 | posted in dilg, dswd, mar roxas, ndcc, pgma, philippines, president, visayas | 2 comments [ More ]

Rice crisis a direct threat to Food-For-School recipients, Roxas says

Senator Mar Roxas expressed dismay that over 20,000 grade school students in Eastern Visayas will now stop receiving rice allocations under the food-for-school program of the Department of Education due to the worsening rice crisis.

"The food-for-school program has been successful in improving nutrition and reducing drop-out rates among school children. It is extremely worrisome that the rice crisis now poses a direct threat to the viability of this education program," Roxas said.

"While the government is harping on its rice access card program, what we don't know is that it's also cutting funding for other programs. It is giving rice cards to poor families in Metro Manila while taking away rice allocations that would keep poor children in school in the poorest provinces of the country. We're taking away food from one mouth to put in another. Rice access cards program are under DSWD and DA while the food-for-school program is under DepEd. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?" he said.

The Liberal Party President said things are bound to get worse before they get better, considering the failed auction of the National Food Authority (NFA) where only one bidder showed up.

Roxas said the failed bid forced the NFA to admit that there was a "tightness of supply" in the world market. He added that this should serve as a fair warning to government to consider long-term solutions to the rice problem.

"First, admit that there is a problem. Secondly, come up with a concrete plan that includes both short-term and long-term solutions to solve the problem. Ang problema, sa unang hakbang pa lang ay hindi na tayo nagpakatotoo," Roxas lamented.

Roxas urged the executive branch to cut public expenditures in other areas in order to sustain the government's food-for-school program.

"Officials serving in the boards of government-controlled and -operated corporations should make the supreme sacrifice of giving up some of their perks as a sacrifice for the country. We can also look into restoring a four-day work week in government so we could save on energy costs," he said.

"More importantly, the revenue collection agencies should increase their collections. Let's do what needs to be done to keep these poor children in school," he said.

The Senate Trade Committee Chairman is also for the expansion of the food-for-work program, where poor families are harnessed to help in their communities. He has misgivings about a rice rationing system, such as the rice access cards, because it could be susceptible to politicking.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | posted in da, deped, dswd, education, food crisis, mar roxas, nfa, pgma, philippines, president, rice crisis, visayas | 0 comments [ More ]