Senator Sonny Angara has vowed to ensure the passage of the bill that seeks to provide universal health care for all Filipinos, as envisioned by his father, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara.
The older Angara is known as the “father” of the National Health Insurance Program, which gave birth to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), the government agency responsible for providing health insurance coverage to Filipinos.
“This endeavor is especially close to my heart since my father was the author of the law that created PhilHealth. Tinagurian siyang Ama ng Philhealth.
“Decades ago, he already saw the difficulty of ordinary Filipinos in meeting the costs of healthcare. Strengthening this institution to cater to every Filipino family was perhaps one of his life-long commitments and dreams. I can only be proud to continue his mission,” Senator Angara said in his sponsorship speech.
Under Senate Bill 1896, all Filipinos shall be automatically included in the National Health Insurance Program and shall be entitled to appropriate, affordable, and quality health services including free check-ups, laboratory tests, and medicines. Macon Ramos-Araneta