Roxas slams critics over cheap medicine law

MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) vice presidential candidate Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II described yesterday as “crazy and desperate” the allegations from critics that he took credit for authoring the Cheaper Medicine Law and even weakened its provisions.

Roxas said critics are rehashing an old issue in the desperate effort to discredit him in the coming elections.

Roxas pointed out that he authored the maximum retail price (MRP) provision in the Cheaper Medicine Law that would ensure lower prices of medicine.

“Didn’t I even badger President Arroyo repeatedly for not implementing this provision?” he asked.

Roxas was reacting to reports quoting Iloilo Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico, Iloilo Rep. Ferjenel Biron and his opponent Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party (NP) that he was not the author of the law and even made it weaker.

Roxas said he had been pushing for the Cheaper Medicine Act, which became Republic Act 9502, or the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act of 2008, which provides a 50-percent reduction in the maximum retail price of 22 essential drugs.

Roxas, chairman of the Oversight Committee on Cheaper Medicine and primary author of the law, said that while he was pushing the President to lower medicine prices through the MRP, his critics did nothing but criticize him for supposedly “watering down” the law.

He pointed out because of his campaign to implement the MRP, Malacañang was forced to consider the provision giving pharmaceutical companies the option to voluntarily lower the prices of medicine.

Nevertheless, Roxas pointed out, the inclusion of several essential drugs in the MRP benefited many Filipinos, contrary to critics’ claims.

For instance, Filipinos who take the anti-hypertension drug Norvasc daily have already saved more than P4,000 since the MRP took effect on Aug. 15.

“Because of the savings, families have additional relief for their daily expenses. And if they keep the savings for a longer period, they can now make hard household investments,” he said.

Roxas said he did not approve of the regulatory board pushed by Biron that proposed giving the President the power to implement the law through the Department of Health (DOH).

He said the new body would only add a layer of bureaucracy and its members subject to bribery by pharmaceutical companies and influence by politicians.

LP secretary-general Chito Gascon added Legarda was making the remarks against Roxas apparently to boost her ratings.

Roxas, for his part, said there would be more defections from other political parties as the May 10 elections draw near.

Roxas, LP president, said he has already received feelers from members of other political parties wanting to join LP and support standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III.

Roxas said the defections would favor LP, which would become the second largest political party next to the administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD in terms of machinery and local representation. – With Edith Regalado