So many topics, so little space

I have made a habit of “collecting” topics, writing down people’s concerns and a list of ideas, all of which I believe are relevant and have value for everyday Filipinos. My problem is I have a self-imposed word limit of 950 words per column.

So today I’ll do a little experiment where I’ll write about those assorted topics and hope that one or two or a few resonate with you or confirm a sentiment not often mentioned or talked about.

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Are you aware that there is an alarming number of “suicides” in the military as well as the PNP? The authorities concerned don’t or refuse to talk about it because it reflects badly on the services – or so I thought.

That may be so, but there is another reason why the establishment chooses to be silent on the matter. A high-ranking official told me that instead of calling out the suicides, they are labeled as “accidental fire” or accidental discharge of a firearm.

I learned that if a uniformed officer or personnel’s death was declared a suicide, that person’s family would not be entitled to any benefits or pension, etc. The compassion is well-placed, but the solution is not.

There are an increasing number of “accidental fire” incidents which reveals the uniformed services’ failure or inability to recognize a serious mental health issue within, lack of support and policies that add insult to injury for families left behind.

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Speaking of “untimely deaths,” I received a photo message of the late Bubby Dacer, who was kidnapped and ruthlessly murdered for still unknown reasons during the Estrada administration.

The photo was sent by his daughter Sabina in remembrance of her father, who was a good friend of my dad, Louie Beltran. The timing of the photo message was certainly eerie, considering all that has been going on in the country as well as the fact that Bubby and his driver’s murder case has not been convincingly solved.

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PhilHealth has been crowing about their many improvements and increases in case rates, but doctors say there is a dirty little secret in their universe designed to “disqualify” patients from availing of benefits or coverage.

According to a group of doctors I recently had dinner with, PhilHealth has a rule where certain conditions require hospital stays or confinements of several days in order to “qualify” for coverage.

One doctor declared a patient had “acute pneumonia” based on symptoms and laboratory results. The physician treated the patient with best possible care and medication, who in turn responded better than expected, so the doctor discharged the patient after two days.

Weeks later, he was called in by the hospital administrator and asked why he did not follow the required number of days of confinement in the ICU.

The doctor explained that the patient responded extremely well to treatment and insisted on going home. Besides, ICU beds were in short supply during the recent “flu outbreak.”

While he was sharing that story, two ob-gyn doctors joined in and complained that they have the same problem in public hospitals. Instead of being able to discharge women in the shortest time, PhilHealth requires a MINIMUM of 24 hours confinement and nothing less – or no coverage.

The point is, who is in a better position to determine what the patient is sick of, if the patient is cured and when the patient should be discharged?

Doctors and hospitals are already being falsely accused of unnecessarily extending hospital stays into several days, not knowing part of the problem is PhilHealth!

After everybody said their piece, a public hospital official casually mentioned that in previous administrations, government hospitals were given financial assistance from P5 million to P100 million depending on the volume of indigent patients.

All that disappeared during the term of President Bongbong Marcos, no thanks to Congress and the Department of Finance.

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Are we still getting relevant information from Malacañang or has the daily coverage by reporters deteriorated to collecting a narrative of negativity, tit-for-tat attacks on critics and the opposition, propaganda and a game of “I dare you” or “chicken?”

I have seen with alarming regularity how Malacañang reporters are forced to poke, prod or go head-to-head with the presidential spokesperson who has an abundance of criticism but a drought of honest-to-goodness usable information for the public.

What makes things almost unbearable and ineffective is the “tart” behavior of the spokesperson, defined as “sharp in character, spirit or expression; cutting; biting.”

The current communication style from Malacañang is an extreme departure from “tradition” and can be considered as disrespectful of the broadcasters and journalists covering the Malacañang beat.

If the situation persists, it may be time for the Malacañang press corps or their respective editors to consider a cooling off in their on-the-spot or direct coverage. The last thing the media would want is to become the unwitting channel of political and personal animosity.

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It is nice to hear about business and industry “speaking out” and writing position papers against the worst case of corruption in Philippine history. The fact that some are even talking and chatting about regime change almost convinces me that they are finally taking a stand.

My problem is that most of their statements are still done with relative anonymity and lack specifics and what should be done.

Business and industries have complained about the BIR, Customs, etc., but lacked the necessary laundry list of who, what, how and where corrupt BIR personnel have been causing them fear and grief. If you have nothing to hide, then put courage into your convictions.

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