POSSIBLY we are deaf and blind. We have not heard or read about what the national administration, allegedly, through its henchmen in Congress (the House and the Senate), is emptying the coffers of public financial institutions
Yes, we read in the papers, heard on the radio, and saw on television the report about PhilHealth getting zero subsidy courtesy of Congress. Again, subsidy, not the agency’s budget per se’. Lately, as claimed in social media vlogs, and by a columnist using the social media as his or her platform and hiding his/her identity under the name or title (?) “OPTIC Politics, including as being “robbed” of its coffers, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC), and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) of its accumulated funds allegedly to finance the politics-driven “ayuda” or aid system aimed at securing voters’ support in the May 2025 mid-term elections and in the 2028 presidential polls as well.
Of course, we understand the explanation of the lawmakers reviewing and adjusting the then-proposed national budget for 2025. Why can’t we when a humongous amount of over P600 billion pesos taken from the accumulated government subsidy over the years and under several administrations, remains invested in some huge profit generating corporation for years even as the PhilHealth manifested a “strictness to the bones policy” in paying what is due to accredited hospitals and even entitled patient members.
The national government subsidy is sourced from taxes paid by the people. Yet the members and health service providers, specifically hospitals, have to go through all the troubles of submitting requirements and filling up forms if only to avail of the benefits clearly due them.
In fact, in a Congressional hearing conducted to get the side of PhilHealth, those officials who attended could not even clearly tell the lawmakers where the 600 plus billions are invested, when will it mature, if it hasn’t yet, and whether the money is already back in the portfolio of PhilHealth. The agency officials even had a hard time disclosing to the Congressional probe body whether the investments were under PhilHealth, or under the names of some of its officials.
Of course, the manipulation of the accumulated money at the public health insurance agency could have started several administrations ago. It is only during this reign that the government got the courage to make one unpopular move that is being made to appear by administration critics as anti-people
Meanwhile, we believe that by picturing the administration as “raiders of coffers” of such government corporate agencies charged with guarantying the safety of the people’s money in the banks, and the accumulated members’ and agency’s premium counterparts for government workers, a well-crafted design by the anti-administration people appears to be already put in place.
As always the case the “un-informed and believers of disinformation” are likely the first to be convinced that indeed this “robbery scheme” done on safes of government fund “caretakers” is deliberate and orchestrated by top officials both in the Palace and Congress.
Amidst this “scenario” however, we have observed that the country’s mainstream media, the large business and industry circles, the labor groups including the militants appear to be a bit “generous” to the administration and its policies now in place. And we are watching these developments both in the print and television news at least for a span of three to four hours every day of our life.
Besides, a review of the observations and reactions of foreign governments including their business and/or diplomatic delegations sent to the country, indicates a positive appreciation of how the country is run as well as how the economic activities are managed.
Yet, there are certain netizens who dare quote the late former Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez while at his hospital bed after getting a failed ambush on the country’s then-second-highest official. Pelaez threw his question to P/Brig. Gen. Tomas Karingal:
“What is happening to our country General?” In his/her post these netizens said that if Pelaez was alive today, he would have asked the same question. Frankly, we are tempted to believe that the netizens who quoted Pelaez now are because the President during that time was the father of the incumbent.
Or, are the netizens “goaded” to believe “reports” that some things are being done like emptying the coffers of this and that agency even if the allegations are not substantiated with unimpeachable evidence?
All the more credibility is a huge question simply because the source of the supposed information does not even have the courage to reveal himself or herself to the public.
