By Maricel Cruz
BAYAN Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, protesting the big cut in the Health Department’s budget, on Friday accused the Aquino administration of “criminal neglect” for cutting the appropriations for public hospitals, saying they were close to becoming health hazards because of their lack of facilities and financing.
Casiño made the statement as he disclosed Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s admission that the P42 billion for his department was only half of the P80-billion budget it had requested.
He said the government’s subsidy to public hospitals suffered one of the biggest budget cuts.
“Has PNoy [President Benigno Aquino III] or Budget secretary Butch Abad visited our hospitals recently?” Casiño said.
“They have become dirty, decrepit and deadly due to years of underfunding and government neglect.
“At the [Philippine General Hospital], a relative of mine was sent home recently by her doctors for fear that she would suffer an infection in the hospital itself.”
Casiño said the cut in the Health Department’s budget was defeating the administration’s policy of giving priority to health and social services. As in the past years, he said, Health again did not make it to the top 10 sectors receiving the biggest share of government financing.
“Is this how we invest in our people?” Casiño said.
Meanwhile, the House leadership has promised to approve without delay the P1.816-trillion national budget for 2012 on second reading next week.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. said he was certain that every House member “is cognizant of the benefits of the early passage of the national budget.”
“We have seen that this year, our action on the budget buoyed the markets and generated economic confidence,” Belmonte said.
“To squander these gains in the middle of our term will be a grievous mistake.”
House Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said he was optimistic mustering a quorum to pass the budget would not be a problem this week.
“We are determined to meet our deadline on Friday,” Gonzales said.
“The House will approve it on second reading as scheduled.”