Residents of the 10 barangays the jurisdiction of which was transferred from Makati City to Taguig City are no longer allowed to use their yellow cards which provided them government-subsidized health care, the Makati City government said.
Some of the affected residents expressed however, their dismay over the loss of their benefits under the yellow cards.
Jessie Aguelo of Barangay West Rembo said in an interview with GMA’s Unang Blita that they were already used to receiving discounts whenever they seek healthcare. He wondered if Taguig City would replace their yellow cards.
“For instance, if my child got sick, we get good discounts by presenting the yellow card. When we are sick, we just go to the Ospital ng Makati,”Aguelo said in Filipino.
“Nadismaya kasi siyempre sanay na sa gano’n eh, medyo maka-discount sa yellow card (I was disappointed because of course, we were already used to that. We get a discounts using the yellow card), he added.
Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said however, that there was no need for a health card to be accommodated at their hospital.
The Makati City government announced on Monday that pursuant to the decision of the Supreme Court, yellow cards given to the residents of the 10 EMBO barangays will no longer be valid starting January 1, 2024, unless they are employees of the Makati City government.
Makati said the licenses to operate of the health centers and lying-in clinics in the EMBO (Enlisted Men’s Barrio) barangays have also expired, thus the need to close them as well.
Previously, yellow card patients at the Ospital ng Makati with hospital bills amounting to P5,000 or less are not required to pay.
On the other hand, those with hospital bills exceeding P5,000 were charged a uniform rate of P500, even if the amount reached six or seven digits.
Cardholders were also given access to free medicines, including maintenance medicines for hypertension, diabetes, and other diseases.
Reynaldo Agaser said that the invalidation of the yellow cards starting 2024 would be a great loss for residents of the EMBO barangays.
“Malaking kawalan talaga ng ano para sa amin dahil importante sana ‘yun… Libre tayo sa lahat ng mga hospital, puwede pa ring gamitin ‘yun (It’s really a big loss for us because that is important. We were free from charge in hospital,) he said.
Eugenio Dumondoon, another affected resident, also hoped that Taguig City will also offer them the same benefits they received from the Makati City government under the Yellow Card program.
Nino Aclan, a 43-year-old father of three, hopes that the Taguig City government could provide them the much-needed quality health services afforded them by the Makati City government.
“We just hope the administration of Mayor Lani Cayetano can compensate the lost health benefits from our yellow card,” said Aclan.
Aclan, a resident of Brgy. Cembo for the past 36 years, said many, if not all, of those affected by the Supreme Court order which transferred the jurisdiction of 10 Makati “EMBO” barangays to Taguig were sad.
“Nanghihinayang siempre,” said Aclan who has been in close contacts with EMBO residents since he ran for Barangay Kagawad in the last elections, but failed to make it.
While there’s so much regrets, Aclan said they can’t do anthing about it. He said any protests or would be futile since “it was the SC who’s talking.”
A winning Barangay Kagawad from East Rembo in a separate interview also said almost all EMBO residents were sad with the SC decision.
With the yellow card, he related that all hospital treatments, including medicines are provided free of charge.
“Lahat libre. Walang babayaran (Everything is for free. Nothing to pay),” he said.
Even those undergoing dialysis and cancer patients are well taken care of by the Makati Ciry government, now under Mayor Abby Binay.
Told about the Taguig-Pateros Hospital, which Aclan said would welcome EMBO residents needing medical services, the East Rembo Barangay Kagawad blurted out- “just look at the difference between that hospital and our OSMAK (Ospitsl ng Makati).
Taguig has no health card unlike the yellow card given to all Makati residents.
Aclan also said Cayetano has been looking for a place to be temporarily used as barangay health center since those existing in EMBO barangays were shutdown since Jan. 1.
At the moment, Aclan said they are allowed to use a barangay health center in Fort Bonifacio.
Meanwhile, aside from their health services, Aclan said EMBO residents were worried about what will happen to the funds of EMBO barangays as the 10 barangay captains who won in the recent elections were all allies of Binay.
However , he happily narrated that EMBO residents were already included by the Taguig mayor in her “Pamaskong Handog.”
On its Face Book account, the Makati city government on Monday announced that over 200,000 residents in Taguig’s 10 “Embo” barangays will no longer enjoy the health benefits available under Makati’s yellow card health-care program effective on Jan. 1, 2024.
It also announced that it would be shutting down its health centers and lying-in clinics in the 10 Embo barangays since their license to operate had already expired.
As this developed, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, together his wife- Mayor Lani on New Year’s Day celebrated two ceremonial boodle fights in Barangay West Rembo and Comembo as a show of support and unity with EMBO districts.