Press Release
September 29, 2014

Transcript of ambush interview with Senator TG Guingona III
after the DOH Budget Hearing

Q: Sir pu-push po ba yung supplemental budget for Philhealth?

Sen. TG (STG): Well, we're studying that right now with senator pia cayetano. Yun lang, masyadong general yung na-submit kay Senator Pia Cayetano. Hihimayin pa namin. Wala pa kaming mahimay sapagkat walang detalye. Antayin pa namin. Kaya nga hindi pa na-approve dito sa hearing yung budget.

Q: Magkano ba yung additional budget na kakailanganin to cover all the senior citizens?

STG: 5 billion lang ang kailangan. At kung dun sa supplemental budget, pasok na pasok yun. The other thing is yung health facilities ngayon, yung mga barangay health stations at rural health units, masyadong maliit yung accomplishment. Kailangan nating pag-aralan kung bakit maliit yung accomplishment. Lalo na yung rural health stations, barangay health stations, sapagkat yan ang frontline natin sa kalusugan sa mga barangay. At nag-umpisa ito sa poorest of the poor, yet ang nakita natin 2percent pa lang ang nakumpleto. 2 percent for 2014, and it's already the 3rd quarter. Yet 2 percent pa lang. That's for 2014 out of 13billion budget. This year we're going to give out 13 billion for 2015, obviously we cannot operate this way. We have to find out what's causing the delay.

Q: So hindi pa nagamit yung pondo?

STG: Andyan lang. hindi pa na-utilize.

Q: Pero may mga natapos sir, pero di pa nagagamit kanyo?

STG: Meron natapos na hindi magamit. Tulad nung nakita ko walang flooring, walang tiles. Walang electrical, naka-usli mga wires.

Q: Ano po sabi ni Sec Ona, bakit daw ganun?

STG: Yung pinadaan nila sa DPWH, malaki yung cost ng DPWH. According to them, 32,000/sq meter. Whereas yung sa DOH, 17,000/sq meter. Malaking diperensya. Because it was DPWH that did it, nakulangan ng pera. Natapos pero di magamit. Malaking pag-aaral ito. We have come across something where we're allocating a lot of money and yet the utilization and the completion are very disappointing. And mind you, this ties up with other programs. This is not a stand-alone program. For example, the CCT for the 4P's, hindi ba kailangan one of the condition is that the mother's report to the rural health units? Where will they report if it's not yet complete? It's related to the other programs of the government.

Q: Sir dun sa jurisdictional challenge ni Sen Nancy, sabi ni Sen Nancy dapat daw ikaw nag-rule, hindi si Sen Koko. Kasi ikaw daw yung head of blue ribbon. Sa kanila sub committee lang.

STG: I'll look into that. We haven't come across that yet officially. Eto ba yung dadalhin sa Supreme Court? We're an independent branch of government, and therefore we have the right to have investigations in aid of legislation. And I'm sure na-cover na yan ng existing jurisprudence. There have been so many cases decided already by the Supreme Court upholding the right of the legislature to conduct its own hearings in aid of legislation. The only exception is kung yung constitutional right ng tao ay nabalewala, na-violate. In this case, I do not know the details. It's up to the parties to allege that their constitutional rights have been disregarded.

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