Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson called for strict safeguards in government medical assistance programs, insisting that the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program must not require intended beneficiaries to solicit guarantee letters from politicians.
In an interview with DZBB on Wednesday, December 17, Lacson expressed hope that the bicameral conference meeting could resolve ongoing issues, mentioning that the Senate has established certain “non-negotiables.”
“Kasi ‘yung guarantee letter, patronage politics ‘yun… Hindi ka siguradong nangangailangan,” he said.
(The use of guarantee letters is a form of patronage politics… You can’t be sure that someone actually needs help.)
Lacson pointed out that MAIFIP has faced various issues in the past, leading lawmakers to propose provisions aimed at preventing abuse and ensuring that assistance is distributed without political interference.
He added that one proposal is to automatically qualify beneficiaries listed under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
“Ang suggestion namin, simulan na ‘yung automatic na qualified ‘yung mga nakalista sa 4Ps. Kasi ‘yun sigurado mga indigent talaga ‘yun eh at may mga ID na ‘yun,” he added.
(We propose that those listed under the 4Ps be automatically qualified. These individuals are typically indigent and already possess identification.)
To recall, the House of Representatives initially proposed a budget of P49 billion for the program, but the Senate reduced it to P29 billion.
However, during the deliberations, the lower chamber requested that their original budget be restored.
For its part, Malacañang has stated that the P51 billion allocation will not be funneled through politicians and will instead be released directly to local government units.
