MANILA, 5 February 2004 — Lack of transparency in the transfer of the P4 billion OWWA-Medicare funds to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has caused the migrant workers themselves to resist the transfer.
The president of the Federation of Migrant Workers (FMW) Francisco Aguilar Jr. said he and his group were not really against the transfer. “They should first make clear why the funds are being moved,” Aguilar said, adding, “if we find out later that PhilHealth will provide better health care for OFWs, then we will agree.”
The Executive Order (EO) mandating the transfer was signed last Feb. 14, 2003. However, it remained unimplemented because of complaints from many sectors.
“We’re not against the transfer but we’re against the process,” Philippine Migrants Rights Watch (PMRW) President Carmelita Nuqui said, explaining that the original EO was done in haste and with a total lack of transparency.
In a dialogue with Dr. Francisco Duque, President of PhilHealth, OFW groups elicited a commitment that consultations will be made with OFWs on the proposed transfer of the OWWA-Medicare funds and programs to PhilHealth.
DOLE Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said she objected to the EO because she wanted part of the OWWA-Medicare funds to remain with the OWWA. “That (EO) has been ‘revoked’ because I will not allow the transfer of funds that will not benefit the OFWs,” Sto. Tomas said.
All these objections to the original EO led to the drafting by the DOLE and PhilHealth of a second EO on June 16, which could still undergo revision after consultations are held with the NGOs and the OFWs.
Nuqui also decried the apparent politicization of the transfer of OWWA-Medicare funds and programs to PhilHealth citing a a letter from PhilHealth’s Duque to President Arroyo which said “The proposed transfer will have a significant bearing on the 2004 elections and on the president’s desire to provide health insurance to 8 million indigents by the end of 2003.”
Nuqui said Duque’s statement implied that the transfer would benefit President Arroyo’s re-election bid in 2004.
If the move is indeed political, Nuqui asked, “How could we expect then that PhilHealth will prioritize the health needs of our overseas workers above anything else?”
