Due to lack of medical assistance to teachers despite the mandate of Republic Act 4670, Quezon City Councilor Victor Ferrer Jr. has vowed to continue helping 1,300 teachers and non-teachers from all public schools in District 1 through the provision of free annual medical checkups.
In an interview, Ferrer said teachers would borrow money for medicine and health expenses because the government does not have medical assistance for them.
“I have a consultant in charge of the committee on education, Elizabeth San Diego, who has advised me to extend such services not only for teachers, but also to non-teachers,” he told the Manila Standard.
“I have been doing this for the last eight years,” the councilor said.
Despite the clear provisions of RA 4670 or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, Ferrer said teachers themselves pay for their annual medical checkup.
Under the law’s Section 22, the government is responsible to maintain teachers’ health through a compulsory, annual and free medical examination. Should the results of the examination show that a teacher needs to go through hospitalization or take medication, the government should foot the expenses.
Ferrer lamented teachers running to loan institutions to borrow money for emergency medical needs for themselves or their family members.
“I have been using my personal money from my wages to be able to offer free annual X-ray and urinalysis service to 1,300 teaching and non-teaching personnel. Not a single centavo came from the government,” Ferrer said.
“St. Cecilia Polyclinic is generous enough to accept my payments in staggered basis,” he added.