At A Glance
- Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate Makati City Mayor Abby Binay said the government has available funds to improve healthcare, but these have not been properly utilized.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Improper utilization of funds.
This, according to Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate Makati City Mayor Abby Binay is the root of healthcare-related problems in the Philippines.
“Kung tutuusin, may pera naman. Ang problema lang hindi po nagagamit nang tama. The problem is utilization (If we think about it, there is money available. The problem lies in its improper utilization),” she said in a recent interview on radio station Net 25.
Binay cited as examples the PhilHealth funds and “sin tax” revenues that have remained underutilized, along with continuing appropriations that are funded annually but are still unspent.
“These are the things we need to scrutinize in the Senate. Our resources may be limited, but the funds are there. We only need to determine how best to use them to provide better services to the people, including better health care," said the lady mayor.
She also reiterated her proposal to redirect part of the funds for financial assistance under programs such as Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) for the provision of free maintenance medicines to beneficiaries, instead of cash.
“At least alam natin kung saan napupunta ‘yung tulong. Gamot ang kailangan ng mga tao, hindi basta pera (At least we know where the aid is going. People need medicine, not just cash),” she noted.
Binay also called for legislative reforms to streamline the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approval process as she cited the success of Makati’s PPP projects, particularly in healthcare.
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay (Facebook)
She said that the PPP Center should serve as a repository rather than a gatekeeper to encourage more local government units, especially those with limited resources, to pursue PPP initiatives without having to contend with unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
“Kung kaya ng Makati, kaya din ng ibang LGUs, basta may tamang mekanismo at suporta (If Makati can do it, other LGUs can as well, as long as there are proper mechanisms and support in place),” Binay concluded.