Cebu City acting mayor denies stopping hospital assistance

CEBU, Philippines – Acting Cebu City mayor Margot Osmeña denied allegations that she stopped the City’s Hospitalization Assistance and Medicine Program (CHAMP).

CHAMP, an existing program under the mayor’s office, provides citizens hospital assistance amounting to a maximum of P25,000 per year.

On May, 24, Osmeña posted on her Facebook page photos of herself signing CHAMP documents.

“This is a proof that I didn’t stop CHAMP. I signed a lot of CHAMP documents yesterday in my office and now those documents are ready for release. The program helps a lot of Cebuanos, why should I stop it? As long as it is for the common good, I will fight for it!” said Osmeña, who is city councilor.

Margot Osmeña, wife of mayor-elect Tommy Osmeña, was declared acting mayor on May 17, Tuesday. On the same day, she sent a memorandum to all department heads ordering the “stoppage of issuing checks and releasing of payments.”

On May 18, Ronniel Sejlien Cabunilas posted on Facebook that CHAMP denied his family’s request for aid. The Cabunilas’ younger sister was admitted in a private hospital which supposedly accepts payments from CHAMP.

Cabunilas claimed that a CHAMP staff told him that Osmeña “temporarily stopped” the assistance. He criticized the acting mayor for supposedly stopping the program which “has been helping many citizens for a long time.” The post caught the attention of other members of the Cebu online community and the allegations eventually reached Osmeña.

On May 20, Osmeña posted: “I did not order to stopping of CHAMP or burial assistance. If anyone in city hall is telling you otherwise, please report directly to my office and I will take care of that person.”

CHAMP head Henry Sanchez said on May 20 the assistance was “temporarily on hold, not stopped” as his authority to sign the letters sanctioning hospital transactions ended when outgoing Mayor Michael Rama was suspended on May 17. CHAMP only gives assistance to those who can present a Letter of Authority (LOA) with Sanchez’s signature.

Sanchez said that he discussed the matter with Osmeña on May 19, Thursday. The acting mayor told him to continue processing the documents and send them to her for authorization.

On May 20, Osmeña alone had full authority to sign CHAMP’s transaction letters. Sanchez said his office’s job now is to prepare the documents to be sent to Osmeña and to the hospitals. – Rappler.com  

Richale Cabauatan is a Rappler intern from Cebu City