Barangay Health Wellness (BHW) Party-list Rep. Angela Co has bared her "wish list" for the maiden State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
First, Co wants Marcos to mention the Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers.
“I wish President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will certify as urgent or at least give special mention of our bill, the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Health Workers, which was unable to gain traction in the Senate for lack of material time and because of the higher priority given to pandemic response measures and economic reforms,” Co said on Friday, July 22.
House Bill (HB) 10699 was the proposed Magna Carta of Health Workers during the 18th Congress. While it was approved by the House on its third reading, it didn't prosper when it got to the Senate.
On the topic of health, she said that Marcos should detail the administration’s plan to deploy vaccines and boosters to Mindanao and remote areas of Luzon and Visayas which have low vaccination rates, as well as its plan to improve the accessibility of vaccines.
“It is also long overdue for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to give full approval for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID vaccines and boosters. The past two years and four months of EUA (emergency use authorization) and actual jabbing should be more than enough for hard evidence on the effectiveness of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines,” she said.
“It is time to let all hospitals, including the private hospitals, and all doctors, including those with their own clinics, to jab the vaccines for free,” Co added.
The BHW lawmaker also wants Marcos to address the rapidly increasing cost of food, fuel, basic goods, and the inflation rate.
“We hope to see a status report on inflation and a detailed-enough road map on how our elevated monthly inflation of above 6% will be brought down not just statistically but in ways felt by all Filipino households... an aggressive campaign to bring down prices by stabilizing food supplies should be the first priority item followed by targeted subsidies on fuel, transport, and utilities,” Co explained.
Lastly, she thinks that Marcos should touch on the continuation of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Line to Bicol, which she says should be constructed with foreign partners.
“Now that China has lost interest in or backed out of the project, other country partners should be invited to get involved. The project should be opened to Japan, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the European Union, and the Asian Development Bank,” she concluded.
Marcos's first SONA will take place on Monday, July 25 before a joint session of Congress.