17/12/2024
A circulating viber message containing an open letter by Dr. Tony Leachon addressed to President FRMJr. It's a powerful passionate appeal worth posting here.
"An Open Letter to His Excellency President Ferdinand ( Bongbong) Romualdez Marcos,Jr to Veto the 2025 GAA : The Right Path Forward
History will remember the legacy of every president not by their rhetoric, but by the lives they changed and the impact they left behind.
The late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will forever be celebrated for the Sin Tax Law of 2012 , which provided the critical lifeline that funded health programs for the poor.
President Rodrigo Duterte will be remembered for the landmark Universal Health Care (UHC) Law in 2019 , which promised every Filipino the right to accessible and quality healthcare.
But what will history say about President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.?
If the 2025 General Appropriations Act is signed as is — with 90 billion in diverted PhilHealth funds, zero subsidy for healthcare, and inadequate prioritization of the UHC Law — his administration will be etched in the annals of history as the one that turned its back on the sick, the suffering, and the dying.
Mr. President, imagine the faces of those you serve:
- A mother cradling her feverish child in the corridors of an overcrowded hospital, unable to afford even the most basic medication.
-A farmer in the provinces walking miles to a rural health center only to be told there are no funds for his dialysis sessions.
- An elderly man who contributed to PhilHealth all his life, now begging for help as mounting hospital bills eat away at his family’s savings.
These are not just statistics. These are real people — your people — who are crying out for help, for dignity, and for hope. Yet, this proposed budget turns a deaf ear to their suffering. While they endure sleepless nights, skipping meals to make ends meet, the government is poised to deprioritize healthcare in favor of unprogrammed appropriations and the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
When your administration diverted 90 billion from PhilHealth to unprogrammed appropriations, you signaled that healthcare is not a priority. When the government allocated zero subsidy for healthcare in 2025, you placed millions of Filipinos at risk, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. When the cries for support from those who depend on the Universal Health Care Law were met with silence, you betrayed the promise of a healthcare system that is meant to be universal, accessible, and equitable.
This is not about politics anymore Mr. President. This is about lives, Filipino lives. This is about mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents who will not survive another year of neglected healthcare. This is about patients sharing beds in government hospitals because there is no funding for better facilities. This is about the thousands who die preventable deaths every year because there is no medicine, no doctor, no system to catch them when they fall.
Mr. President, this is your moment!
You stand at a crossroads, and your decision on this budget will define your presidency. Veto the 2025 GAA and prioritize the health and dignity of the Filipino people.
Show them that you are a leader who values life over luxury. Show them that you are a president who listens to the cries of the suffering. Show them that you will honor the trust of every Filipino who pays into the system, believing it will be there when they need it most.
Do not let your legacy be one of indifference. Do not let history remember you as the president who allowed the healthcare system to crumble when it needed leadership the most. This is your chance to rise above politics and prove that you care for the Filipino people, not just in words, but in actions.
Mr. President, choose the path of compassion, integrity, and justice. Rewrite your legacy by leading with courage and putting healthcare where it belongs — at the forefront of this nation’s priorities. Do it for the sick. Do it for the poor. Do it for the millions of Filipinos who trusted that their government would not abandon them.
Let history remember you as the president who stood for the people, not the one who turned away from them in their time of greatest need.
Dr. Tony Leachon
Independent Health Reform Advocate"
Public funds determined and/or provided by law must be faithfully respected and spent accordingly for their intended purposes.
Budgeting is a serious and sacred exercise where public funds must directly benefit the people; funds from the taxes and duties we pay, and the debt incurred that we and future generations would have to eventually pay for as well through higher taxes.
We need budget reform now. And it must be for the benefit of the people.
