Senatorial aspirant Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday said he is looking forward to continue pursuing meaningful legislation that would help resolve the Philippine’s woes in the healthcare system should he win in the May 2022 elections.

Ejercito, who is running for the Senate under the Nacionalist Peoples’ Coalition (NPC), said the country’s situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic pushed him to seek another term in the Senate.

“Isa sa mga naging dahilan ng desisyon ko kung bakit ako bumabalik o tumatakbo uli bilang Senador, dahil sa pandemya po ito (One of the reasons why I decided to run for the Senate again is because of this pandemic),” Ejercito said.

The former lawmaker is author and principal sponsor of the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act. He said he hopes to ensure the full implementation of the law especially in the middle of the ongoing public health crisis in the country.

“It’s a work in progress. It’s a 10-year program. Kailangan po ang budget mabantayan at ma-oversee natin ang implementation (We need to guard the budget allocated for it and oversee its implementation),” Ejercito said.

“Kaya nga po na ako’y naglalayon na bumalik sa Senado para po mabantayan ito, lalo na po ngayong panahon ng pandemya. Malaki po ang tulong ng Universal Healthcare Law (That is why we are aspiring to return to the Seante so we can ensure its implementation, especially during this time of a pandemic. The Universal Healthcare Law is very essential),” he further said.

He said it is imperative to implement the Universal Healthcare Law at this time to make sure that the poor will have access to crucial healthcare services and facilities.

“Ang target po natin, pag fully implemented na ang Universal Healthcare Law, zero balance billing na po, lalong lalo na ang mga kababayan nating mahirap (our target is to fully implement the Universal Healthcare Law; to ensure zero-balance billing, especially for our indigent citizens),” he reiterated.

The law automatically enrolls all Filipinos under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. or PhilHealth and guarantees equitable access to quality and affordable healthcare services and protection against financial perils.

But two years after its enactment into law, the pandemic took a toll on the country’s healthcare system and particularly on PhilHealth.