President Marcos has nothing but praise for his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, for being a partner in his administration’s health advocacy through her LAB for All caravan which has already visited 35 locations nationwide since it started in May 2023.

In his speech during the LAB for All program in Pasig City on Thursday, Oct. 3, the President said he was lucky to have the First Lady as his wife, as he thanked her dedication to helping the public even without fanfare.

“Halatang-halata niyo po na hindi po politiko dahil hindi masyadong pinag-uusapan itong napakagandang programa na ito. Kung politiko ang nagpatakbo nito siguro katakot-takot na publicity na yung lumalabas, lalo na ngayon panahon ng eleksyon (It’s obvious that she is not a politician because we don’t really talk about this great program. If a politician was running it, we would have seen a lot of publicity stunts, especially with the coming elections),” he said.

“Ngunit ang First Lady po ay hindi iyon ang iniisip. Iniisip lang niya kung paano makatulong at napakalaking tulong itong ginawa niyang project na LAB for All (But the First Lady doesn’t think like that. She just wants to help and her LAB for All project is a big help for the people),” he added.

The LAB For All is a priority project of the First Lady who was also present during the caravan in Pasig. The project delivers laboratory and medical services, making healthcare accessible to the people, regardless of their background or geographical location. 

According to the President, the LAB for All project was important as he noted that health is a person’s most priceless treasure.

“Walang silbi ang lahat ng yaman kung hindi maayos ang ating kalusuguan (All the riches in the world are useless if we are not healthy),” he said.

“Ngunit para sa mga kapuspalad nating kababayan, higit na mas malaking pagsubok ang pagkakasakit, lalo na ang mga nasa malalayong lugar (But for our less unfortunate countrymen, being sick is a big challenge, especially for those living in geographically isolated areas),” he added.

Meanwhile, President Marcos assured the public that his administration would continue making health and government services more accessible to the people.

“Imbis na hintayin natin ang mga may karamdaman na makapunta sa mga ospital, dadalhin po natin sa kanila ang serbisyo para meron silang healthcare kahit sa malalayo (Instead of waiting for the sick to go to the hospital, we will bring health services to them, no matter how far they are),” he said.

“Patuloy po tayo sa pagpapatupad ng mga proyekto upang magkaroon ng rural health unit, doctor, nurse, ambulansya, mobile health clinic, at iba pang mga kagamitan ang lahat ng lalawigan sa bansa (We will continue implementing programs so every region will have rural health units, doctors, nurses, ambulances, mobile health clinics, and other equipment),” he added.

With this, President Marcos assured the public that they would bring the LAB for All caravan to more parts of the country.

“Hindi lang ito isang araw lamang. Sinisiguro namin na marami pang mga komunidad sa bawat siyudad at probinsya ang mabibisita ng LAB for All (This is not for just one day. We will make sure that more communities will be visited by this caravan),” he said.

Other services provided

Aside from medical services, the LAB for ALL caravan in Pasig City also offered other government services, including scholarship grants by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the provision of assorted vegetable seeds and fruit tree seedlings by the Department of Agriculture (DA). 

The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG),  Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also extended services to the public during the caravan. 

Other agencies that participated included the Land Transportation Office (LTO), National Housing Authority (NHA), Pag-IBIG, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). 

The Senate Public Assistance Office and the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) also extended their respective services during the LAB For All caravan.

During the program, the President and the First Lady visited the ongoing LAB for All services at the Rizal High School and led the turnover of three LAB for All Mobile Laboratories to the Municipality of Sta. Catalina in Ilocos Sur, Tacloban City Government, and Pasig City Government.

The national government procured Bagong Pilipinas Mobile Clinics for deployment in every province and city in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila.  As of Oct 2, all 83 provinces have been provided with the said mobile clinics, complementing the capacity of existing health facilities and reaching more patients in remote and underserved areas.