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Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon once again schooled Senator Bong Go in parliamentary debate, telling the newbie legislator that he only has himself to blame for the delayed passage of hospital bills he is sponsoring. 

On Tuesday night, May 25, Drilon pointed out that the Senate committee on health and demography chaired by Go had actually sat on the bills that would either upgrade, establish, and even renationalize hospitals for 15 months.

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This was long before the Senate Minority Leader even began interpellating his neophyte colleague in the plenary last week.

“Mr. President, because of this statement, I examined the records and to my surprise, I found out that these measures we have been debating on have been pending in the Senate for 15 months,” said Drilon. 

Drilon argued that if Go’s bills were truly urgent as he is insisting now, then the latter’s committee should have passed these measures over a year ago. 

“Minsan lamang po ako nagtanong – last week – ngunit sa committee po ay mahigit sa 15 buwan na nakatengga. Kung tayo po ay concerned sa buhay ng ating mga kababayan, eh dapat po noon kaagad, isang taong nakalipas, ay dapat nagawa na natin ito,” said Drilon.

(I only started asking last week, but the bills had been sitting in the committee for 15 months. If he were really concerned about the lives of our countrymen, then these should have been attended to last year.)

The veteran senator cited the legislative history of several bills Go was sponsoring, among them a measure increasing the bed capacity of a lying-in clinic in Rizal, Palawan. 

The bill was referred to the committee on health on January 20, 2020, but it would take Go’s panel over a year to finish hearing the measure. Go’s panel submitted its committee report on the bill only on February 15, 2021. 

Go was then calendared to sponsor this bill along with 14 other hospital measures on May 17, 2021.  

Drilon turned the tables on his colleague on Tuesday after Go’s lengthy manifestation, where he tried to appeal to senators’ emotions as he asked them to immediately pass the hospital bills. 

“Tulungan na lang po natin ang ating kapwa Pilipino. Kawawang-kawa po talaga sila, at alam na alam ko po ‘yun dahil halos linggo-linggo, halos araw-araw po ako bumababa sa mga kababayan nating mahihirap. Witness po ako diyan. I’m begging you po, ‘wag ‘nyong pabayaan ang ating mga kababayan, Mr. President,” said Go. 

(Let’s just help our fellow Filipinos. They are so pitiful, and I know this because I go down to the ground and visit our poor countrymen almost every week, almost every day. I am a witness here. I’m begging you, please don’t neglect our countrymen, Mr. President.)

Last May 20, President Rodrigo Duterte’s longtime aide tried but failed to end plenary debates on the hospital bills after Drilon exposed a fundamental fiscal issue hounding the measures. 

Senators refused to accept Go’s motion because he was still not properly answering Drilon’s queries.

The end of the Drilon vs Go debate

Drilon was not done with Go, however. 

The Senate Minority Leader cited a previous committee hearing conducted by Go’s panel in 2020, when Health Undersecretary Lilibeth David already told senators that there was not enough funding for the 15 hospital bills. 

According to Drilon, David had said that the only way money could be allocated for these hospitals was if the bills became law within 2020.

Doing so would require the government to allot funds for the hospitals under the 2021 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or the annual national budget. 

“The passage of the 2021 budget has come and gone, but the budget for these hospitals were not included in the GAA. Why? Because the hospital bills were pending…in the health committee, notwithstanding the fact that it was almost over a year that the committee was sitting on these hospital bills,” said Drilon. 

But after ripping apart Go’s defense of his pet bills, it was still Drilon who identified the possible sources of funding for the hospital measures.

It’s usually the bill sponsor or author who is expected to do this.

The Senate Minority Leader proposed carving out savings from the underutilized Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF) and the Pension and Gratuity Fund (PGF) for retired uniformed personnel.

He said that in 2020, the MPBF still had savings worth P18.39 billion, while the PGF’s savings was at P17.45 billion. 

“We did an initial analysis of the figures and there is room to carve out from the MPBF and PGF to fund the proposed hospital bills. That is my submission, Mr. President,” said Drilon. 

Drilon then said he would finally end his interpellation of Go, who looked relieved when the camera turned on him. 

“Now, I am convinced, Mr. President, that you are willing to help these measures to be passed, Mr. President. Thank you,” said a smiling Go. 

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri then moved to close the plenary debates so the period of amendments for the hospital bills could commence. 

The next step for senators now is to identify the final funding source for Go’s hospital measures. – Rappler.com