“Tulungan ang taumbayan, hindi pahirapan!”
This was the statement of Manoy Wilbert “Wise” Lee as he filed House Resolution No. 2051 in calling government agencies to streamline, simplify, and liberalize requirements and processes in government services which continue to burden Filipinos.
This comes amid the onslaught of natural calamities in the country which requires speedy delivery of services to afflicted Filipinos.
“Hindi makatarungan na kung nasalanta ka na nga at nasira ang lahat ng iyong kabuhayan at ari-arian, kilo-kilometro pa ang requirements o kaya naman ay parang kailangan pang magmakaawa o lumuhod sa mga nasa katungkulan para lang makahingi ng tulong,” he said.
The Bicolano lawmaker’s measure underscores the existence of Republic Act (RA) No. 9485 or the “Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007” and RA 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018” which should be effectively implemented.
“Even with the enactment of these laws and their related regulations, persistent issues and challenges such as excessive paperwork, long hours of application process, burdensome submission of unnecessary requirements, and insufficient technological integration continue to obstruct efficient delivery of services of various government programs and services,” Lee remarked.
The solon from Bicol further highlighted that tedious processes could cultivate corruption in agencies, saying “there’s an urgent need for decisive and radical action to effectively simplify and liberalize government processes, and weed out red tape and corruption in agencies.”
As a staunch health advocate, Lee stressed that the same tedious processes continue to hound sick Filipinos who lack access to healthcare services.
“Kapag nagkakasakit ang marami nating kababayan, dahil sa mahal ng gastusin at pahirapan bago makatanggap ng medical assistance, pinipili na lang nilang maratay sa bahay kaya mas lumalala ang karamdaman o pinipili na lang na hintayin ang oras nila. Hindi ito deserve ng Pilipino. Dapat ang gamot at pagpapagamot ng Pilipino, sagot ng gobyerno! Gamot Mo, Sagot Ko!” Lee said.
“Ang gobyerno, hindi dapat pabigat sa taumbayan. Ang serbisyo, dapat ora-mismo, hindi nakakaperwisyo pa sa Pilipino. Ang pera ng gobyerno ay pera ng taumbayan kaya walang rason na di maibigay sa Pilipino ang nararapat na serbisyo,” he added.
It can be recalled that during the last House Plenary Debates on the DOH 2025 Budget on September 25, Lee secured commitments from the Department of Health (DOH) and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to lower the out-of-pocket medical expenses of Filipinos and expand health benefits.
Among the commitments Lee secured include free Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan, Computed Tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and other diagnostic tests as part of outpatient services and at least 80% coverage for cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and procedures for heart diseases not later than December 31, 2024, free optometric services and free eye care, and another 50% increase in PhilHealth benefits this November.
Lee also successfully fought for the 30% increase in PhilHealth benefits which was implemented last February 14. These include increasing the PhilHealth benefit package for hemodialysis from P2,600 to P6,350 per session and from 90 sessions per year to 156 sessions annually, as well as the increase in breast cancer treatment coverage from P100,000 to P1.4M.
