Opposition To House Bill 6069 And Senate Bill NO. 3130

OPPOSITION TO HOUSE BILL 6069 AND SENATE BILL NO. 3130

We, the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center Employees , strongly oppose the passage of House Bill No. 6069 and Senate Bill 3130  introduced by Congressman Anthony Rolando T. Golez, Jr. and Senator Franklin Drilon, respectively.

House Bill No. 6069 pertains to, “AN ACT CONVERTING GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS INTO NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL CORPORATIONS PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, and AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”; while Senate Bill 3130 pertains to, “AN ACT INSTITUTING A CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING PROGRAM FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS, PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES”

That the said Bills include among others the corporatization of the 26 retained DOH Hospitals and Medical Centers including the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center;

That the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center is the only tertiary hospital serving the constituents of two administrative regions of  Region XII and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the City of Cotabato;

That, Region XII and ARMM are regions where majority of the people are marginalized, and displaced by the continuing armed conflict. The maternal and infant morbidity and mortality are its highest due to poverty and inadequate health care delivery. Cotabato Regional and Medical Center is the only tertiary hospital that serves the poor;

That, corporatization or privatization of Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, would mean that the government discharge its responsibility of providing health to all and deprive the people of its constitutional right to health care;
That, depriving the people of Region XII and ARMM of tertiary health services because of high cost is a neglect of the government and would worsen the poor condition of the people;
That, corporatization of the hospital is a step towards privatization or even a form of privatization. Privatization would mean that the ownership in control public functions is transferred in a whole or in part to a private operator. The primary objective is profit for the owner, among other things and this necessitates an avoidance of customers who cannot pay to maximize between revenues and costs;

That, engaging in so called Public Private Partnership as the main engine for growth and development denies the poor of their rights to health and financial freedom. It further deprives the employees of the government of their security of tenure and a threat to their employment;
That, House Bill 6069 and Senate Bill 3130 slowly put patients to coma and killing through overt euthanasia the dedicated and committed hospital employees;

Therefore, we strongly oppose the passage of these bills and ask the government to fulfill its promise and obligation to provide health for all.