‘Lacson continues to feel sorry for the country as long as the IATF is headed by military generals and the Health Department by the President’s fair-haired boy.’
THE demolition job on Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is drawing a backlash probably stronger than what the DDS thought. This only shows that President Duterte does not know how to select his political battles, which should otherwise distinguish him from numerous trapos.
Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla is right. Any criticism against any elected public official should be based on his service record and not on his past experiences. Even the President’s political allies may have cringed at the ugly tirades against Isko coming from the leader of the land. How could have Isko done anything wrong when he did not violate any law in wanting to save his family from poverty?
Remulla pointed out that the real issue was that Isko did not lie, did not steal and did not bring shame to the people of Manila. Remulla’s outburst triggered countless voices of support for Isko in social media, along with a hailstorm against Malacanang. Remulla seems to be among the very few local officials who have the courage to speak out against the President, without counting the political costs.
Duterte should step back from his characteristic ranting against disgruntled health professionals and, in the midst of the almost overwhelming COVID infections, should show more compassion and understanding to them. The number of deaths from their ranks continues to mount.
A group belonging to a large hospital in Metro Manila is reportedly threatening to walk out or resign from their jobs due to the delay in the release of their salaries and other benefits.
Many of them are fearful of meeting the tragic fate that befell a nurse at the Cainta Municipal Hospital. The mother of three, unmindful of her own health morbidities, had continued with her regular schedule even and reminded her worried children that “kailangan kong gawin dahil sa sinumpaan kong trabaho” and that she just could not leave her overworked fellow health workers to their devices.
She eventually contracted COVID and passed away after a negligent delay in her tests late last July. Her oldest daughter was shocked to learn that the hospital had whittled down her work benefits of P30,00 to a measly P7,500. The hospital administrator invoked Duterte’s administrative order on salary adjustments for health workers that allow hospitals to bring down their rate if funds are not sufficient for the prescribed increase.
Sen. Ping Lacson was virtually frothing in the mouth as he lashed out against the national health authorities again, this time for failing to be pro-active in the face of the deadly threat of the Delta variant. Medical experts and seasoned doctors should have seriously anticipated that the Delta variant would spread in Asia because India and Indonesia had been hugely hit by the onslaught. Lacson continues to feel sorry for the country as long as the IATF is headed by military generals and the Health Department by the President’s fair-haired boy.
