By Rosario Gonzalez
The current issues in the selection for the directorship of the University of the Philippines Philippine General Hospital (UP PGH) reflect the prevailing mode of thinking that ails the country’s largely hierarchical and patronage-based political system.
“Dapat po ay tapos na ang pagkakataon bilang PGH Director ni Dr. Gerardo “Gap” Legaspi ayon sa University Code. Puwede po ang dalawang terms at puwede may ikatlong term sa exceptional na kaso. Pero dapat tapos na pagkatapos nun. Pero naglakas loob pa rin si Dr. Gap dahil may back-up ng mga UP officials,” Benjamin DL Santos Jr., Vice President of the All UP Workers Union-Manila/PGH explained. (The opportunity as PGH Director of Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, according to the University Code has ended. It can be two terms and there can be a third term based on an exceptional case, but it should end after that. Dr. Gap still has the courage to continue because he has back-up from UP officials.)
“Wala naman akong ibang dahilan kundi ituloy lang ang trabahong pinaumpisahan sa akin,” Legazpi said in a forum at UP Manila last October 28, contradicting a previous pronouncement that he was definitely on his last term. (I don’t have any reason except to continue the work that I was asked to start.)
Government officials and civil servants view patronage support from higher-ups as a positive factor in their effectiveness, more than principles and consistency in their political practice.
Recurring practices that are not pro-workers
Santos admits that Legaspi has always reacted positively towards the union’s demands during dialogues. But these agreements are not translated into actual results – another recurring practice of many public servants.
During his first year in office, Legaspi said that he will work for giving PGH employees free medicines and hospitalization, which is also mandated by the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers or Republic Act 7305. Nine years have passed and Legazpi’s promises have remained that, promises.
What has been more pronounced is another seemingly anti-employee practice: understaffing. Santos shared that there are 400 items in plantilla positions that remain vacant. This has resulted in difficulties for PGH workers, and ultimately on the quality of services for patients.
Contract of service and job order (JO) especially for support service and utility workers have also proliferated. These are universally acknowledged as unfair labor practices depriving workers of benefits and security of tenure.
A dizzying array of infrastructure expansion
Santos observed that the PGH Director has largely been packaged as the face of the institution focusing mostly on external representation and infrastructure projects. His pet projects include the Cancer Center, a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) project. Legaspi’s other infrastructure development expands to Diliman, Carmona, Clark City and Los Banos.
Dr. Angela Sison-Aguilar who is nominated as a candidate for the UP PGH directorship said that the PGH “requires an enormous amount of resources to fulfill its mandate of providing services to the Filipino public, as well as to educate and train health professionals. All sources of funds should be vetted to ensure consistency with the primary mandate of the institution.”
Aguilar, a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UP-PGH, further explained, “it is the role of the director, together with the PGH community, to remain faithful to the mandate. Hence, due diligence should be exercised in the review of any proposals and contracts ensuring that the public’s interests are upheld.”
“Reading Dr. Gap Legaspi’s, the current director, bid to extend his term of office, his vision and mission is to construct the 25-storey Cancer Center, pursue a PGH infrastructure development and expansion program, and weave the Universal Health Care System into the national public hospital. While offhand these may look noble efforts, it is more like a Trojan Horse for the Public Health Care System”, Karen Faurillo, President of the All UP Workers Union – Manila/PGH said.
In the meantime, Elenita Lazaro Jamison, who has been a member of the All UP Workers Union – Manila/PGH for 41 years and is now retired continues to wake up at 4 am to get from her residence in San Miguel, Bulacan to UP PGH in time for her 6 AM time to line up for check up and chemotherapy at the Cancer Institute. She will then be attended by the doctor between 12 noon and 1 pm. Taking pride in PGH as a people’s hospital, she remains hopeful that things will turn out differently with a new leadership and management philosophy anchored on people’s interests.
Alyn Andamo, the Makabayan senatorial candidate and former secretary general of the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) said: “We, the taxpayers, will also pay for the Cancer Center-PPP. Are the medicines for cancer patients going to be free? Can the people really afford the health services there or will it be another white elephant?”
Legaspi’s term extension according to Andamo should be prevented and must give way to a leadership that is serving the poor, providing free medicines and health services and should not pave the way for privatization. PhilHealth, for example, is being accessed only by 1 % of the poor, according to a UP study, Andamo further elaborates.
Andamo calls for the enactment of a Free, Comprehensive, Progressive Public Health Care System, a realization that all that government money used for corruption and invested in PPP schemes can actually be spent for free health care for our people. #
