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So Far, So Good
By: Simoun Redoblado
“Siya ang tinig natin sa Kongreso.”
With this line in his campaign jingle, Arnel Cerafica made the typical politician’s promise to the voters of Taguig’s First District. I will listen to what you say, and I will act on it.
Cerafica won in the election. And in his first privilege speech as a congressman, he asked for the support of Congress in the construction of an accessible, comprehensive hospital in his district. Taguig/Pateros, he said, needs this badly.
The question is, do his constituents agree with him?
Yes. So far, so good, Mr. Cerafica.
As it turns out, the citizens of Taguig/Pateros do clamor for a first-class, public health care unit—the same structure that Cerafica spoke of on September 6, 2010 in the House of Representatives. Cerafica’s proposal is still pending with the Committee on Health, but if his constituents had their way, they would have the hospital constructed immediately.
For one, they find it too difficult to deal with the health care units nearest to them. Consuelo Erna, a turon vendor who lives in the town of Tuktukan, needs less than a minute to walk to Cruz-Rabe Maternity and General Hospital. But even if this hospital is adjacent to her house, it isn’t close to her heart.
“Cruz-Rabe may be so near, but one could die of the cost to get treatment there,” said Erna as she wrapped banana pieces.
Ronnei Lopez, a tricycle driver, echoed Erna’s sentiments. “For just one hour that you spend there, your bill would reach the thousands,” he said as he sat on his tricycle parked some meters away from the hospital.
Then there are the barangay health centers, which are supposed to provide “comprehensive health care services and emergency care” to citizens, as Cerafica indicated in his speech. The problem is, they don’t always do this.
“Sometimes, these health centers are choosy,” said Dainne Cruz, a fruit vendor who lives in Barangay Sta. Ana. “If you’ve just recently transferred to the barangay, you might not get treatment from the health center. As for those who have been long registered to get health services, not all of them are catered to.”
Alisa Polingo knows what it feels like to not be catered to. “There were times when the people in these health centers told me to bring my grandchildren directly to a hospital—even if the problem was only a minor illness,” said the senior citizen who lives on F. Cruz st., Pateros. “They were supposed to give me free medicines, but they didn’t.”
Discouraged from seeking medical help from these units, First District citizens turn to other places. One of these is the Second District, where the Taguig/Pateros District Hospital is located. Unfortunately, getting there is a problem in itself.
“You have to hire a tricycle for P250,” said Lopez. “And it’s a 30-minute ride.”
Lopez added that the expensive fare and the long trip aren’t the only things that induce headache. “You have to take the highway to reach the hospital. The trouble is, an officer might pull you over, because tricycles aren’t actually allowed on the highway. Maybe he’ll let you off if your situation is an emergency, but if not, you might not be so lucky.”
Other medical havens are outside Taguig and Pateros. Evidently, the trouble with them is the distance. “The facilities in Pasig’s Vargas Hospital are complete, but it’s very far,” said Erna.
Not only is the Ospital ng Makati quite a distance from Isandro Obnamia’s house in Pateros, but it is also selective. “In order for you to be admitted there, you have to present a yellow card,” said Obnamia, who sells gulaman in front of his house on G. Flores st. “In other words, you have to be a citizen of Makati. I don’t want to bring my family there anymore.”
Obnamia might not have to do so if his congressman makes the planned hospital a reality.
The people’s sentiments show that Cerafica listens to them. So far, so good. But listening, of course, is useless without acting. The privilege speech is the first step, but Cerafica has to continue to exert effort to ensure that his project will materialize.
Do the citizens of Taguig/Pateros have reason to believe that he’ll do this? Erna thinks so.
“When he was still a councilor in our district, he gave financial aid to the sick,” said Erna. “He was very approachable. He also conducted sports programs to keep the youth away from vices, and issued franchises to tricycle drivers.”
Hopefully, the next time someone interviews her about her congressman as she cooks her turon, Erna can add the construction of a hospital to her list.
With his first privilege speech, Arnel Cerafica proved that he can be the voice of Taguig’s First District in Congress. Now, he must follow up on his plans. If he truly cares for his constituents, he’ll do all he can to make sure that they don’t have to travel so far to access health care service that’s so good.
Sources:
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/06/22/10/how-pull-hairline-victories-local-polls
http://www.congress.gov.ph/members/search.php?congress=15&id=cerafica
Journal no. 18 of the 15th Congress of the Philippines. Downloaded from http://www.congress.
gov.ph/download/index.php?d=journals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4fkiqhz1bc