Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin (MANILA BULLETIN)

Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin tore into health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon's criticisms on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) involving Tingog Party-list, going as far as to call him a "fake expert".

In a privilege speech Monday, Dec. 16, Garin sought to debunk Leachon's claim that Tingog’s MOA with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) had been used for political purposes and has legality issues.

Garin, a former Department of Health (DOH) secretary, insinuated that it was the likes of Leachon who was injecting politics into public health.

"We should stop politicizing public health...While doctors are busy working in their clinics, those in the academe are busy mentoring their students, and scientists who are busy in the field and their laboratories. There are just some who love chaos and cannot live if they don't create chaos pretending to be experts in every aspect of the medical field, where in reality, they just want to grab airtime," she said.

The Tingog-PhilHealth-DBP MOA is for the construction of hospitals and other medical facilities nationwide.

Garin says that lawmakers can be involved in issues related to health as they not only serve as the voices of the people, but also look into the gaps that need urgent help.

She likewise challenged those who were criticizing the MOA to instead help in the health sector and "walk their talk".

"Hindi naman sinasabi na bawal tumulong ang iba. 'Yung mga maiingay dyan at nagpapanggap na eksperto (This is not to say that ofhers cannot help. To those who create noise and pretend to be experts): I dare them to come out in the open and do the tasks and address the gaps we face at the present," Garin said.

Moreover, lady solon underscored that the MOA outlines Tingog's role in supporting local government units (LGUs) by helping them access the DBP's financial mechanisms through fiscal training, capacity-building, and other initiatives.

She says funds will not be transferred to Tingog and that financial arrangements are strictly between the DBP and LGUs, all subject to DBP's mechanisms for accessing the loan.

Garin's speech was preceeded by Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre's own defense of the MOA before the House plenary.