Letter to the Editor - Blood on Osmeña's Hands

A recent study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reveals that for every four Filipinos, one is said to be poor. This translates to 23 million Filipinos. In a time where prices of goods and commodities have reached all time high levels, government must step in to ease the misery of the people.

Delivery of basic social services must be of paramount priority as a combative measure against the aggravating poverty situation in the country. Apparently, Mayor Tomas Osmeña has other things in mind.

The mayor again revived his plan to turn over Cebu City's ownership of the Cebu City Medical Center to the private sector thereby abandoning its basic role of providing needed health services to the poor.

Similar to the national government, the city government seems to consider privatization as panacea to all the mess public-owned facilities are facing.

But the similarity doesn't end there.

Per capita spending under the Arroyo administration from 2001 to 2004 based on 2000 prices amounted only to P184. Government spending for 2008 for the health sector has been pegged at P22 billion only while debt payments totaled to a staggering P624.09 billion.

Saddled by huge debt obligations, particularly from the South Road Properties (SRP), the Cebu City's plan indicates intent to spend less on health care to address its increasing debt payments.

 If CCMC passes on to private hands, the poor in Cebu City would have nowhere to run to. Private sector's interest is profit, service is a consequence. Government on the other hand is duty-bound to provide for the needs of the people, health care included. There lies the rub.

The solution should be in investing more on CCMC that it may live up to the mayor's standards. Not only will more people be left jobless, there will be more people bleeding to death as they find themselves left without medical help from the city.

With the sale of CCMC, no less than the mayor locks out indigent patients from the hospital. It is blood on the mayor's hands. Irony of all ironies, Osmeña seems unperturbed.

Jose Aaron Pedrosa Jr.

Vice-President External

SANLAKAS-Sugbo