Rep. Garcia asked to defray cost of insurance premiums

CEBU, Philippines - Officials of Santander are asking Cebu second district Representative Pablo Garcia to spend part of his Priority Development Assistance Fund to defray the cost of the town’s counterpart of the health insurance premium of indigent families.

Councilor Jesusa Estano, who sponsored a resolution on the matter, also wanted Mayor Wilson Wenceslao to enter into an agreement with the PhilHealth and Rep. Garcia for the town’s adoption of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).

The NHIP is a compulsory health insurance program of the government instituted under Republic Act 7875.

Currently, Santander has 1,900 qualified indigent families that will benefit from the medical insurance services offered by the NHIP through the PhilHealth’s Indigent Sponsored Program for 2009.

The program provides mechanism to identify the qualified families for membership of NHIP.

According to Estano, they presently experienced budgetary constraints that would make it hard for the town to implement the program.

This is the reason why the local officials are asking Garcia, the House Deputy Speaker for the Visayas, to set aside funds as counterpart premium for the indigent families’ PhilHealth membership.

“Under the PDAF of the House of Representatives, upon the prerogative of any of its members, said fund may be utilized to assist the LGU’s for their counterpart premium contribution to the sponsored program,” Estano said.

The town will be enacting an ordinance that would allocate funds for health services of its indigent families.

Estano said the purpose of the ordinance is to ensure the continuity of the local health programs. — Garry B. Lao/LPM   (THE FREEMAN)