Remarks by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Distribution of Patient Transport Vehicle for Eastern Visayas

Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Please – please take your seats.]

Good morning to everyone, ating mga gobernador, kanilang mga representatives that have come here.

And of course, our – our city mayor, and I will have to correct you. You say I’m always kind, I’m only always kind to you, the other people I’m not kind.

Kasi mabait ka sa akin eh, so mabait din ako sayo. [laughter]

Sinama ko na si – ang aking – ang mayor natin ng Tacloban is also here, si Alfred, because he wanted to see what it is that we were doing.

We just came from ‘yung Tzu Chi na village where nagtayo kami – nakapagtayo kami ng isang irrigation pumping station that is solar-powered that covers 100 hectares. So, ito ‘yung ginagawa –

we have built over a hundred of those around the country already.

I just wanted to see how it work, maganda naman. We’re using the best of high-technology. May satellite imaging, mayroong AI na ginagamit. It’s really impressive kasi napakaganda sa ani.

And then, but we came here because this is part of the continuing, shall we say, strengthening of our healthcare system.

Dahil talaga, bata pa ako, eh laging – lagi pinapaalala sa akin ng aking mga ninuno na kahit gaano ka kayaman, kahit gaano ka kasikat, ‘pag ikaw ay may sakit, hindi mo ma-enjoy lahat ng pinaghirapan mo buong buhay mo.

So, you have the most important thing for every person. Hindi lang sa ano – sa – in politics, or in public service pero bawat tao, ang pinakamahalaga ang kalusugan.

And so that has – that’s what we have mag – we have focused ourselves on.

Eh bukod pa roon, dumaan tayo sa Covid. Marami tayong nakita na pagkukulang sa health system natin.

Marami tayo nakita na bago na kailangang gawin na dati hindi natin kailangang gawin. Like now, we have to have a virology lab, we have to have specialty centers, we have to have cancer centers, we have to have dialysis centers. All of these are – we are trying to put together.

That is why we are very, very interested in making the experience of all our people who are getting sick.

Basta’t nagkasakit, sana naman hindi na masyado silang mahirapan at hindi sila natatakot pumunta sa ospital para magpagamot dahil mahal ang gamot, mahal magpatingin, mahal magpa-confine.

Kaya’t ‘yung sa last SONA ko, we introduced already zero billing in all of DOH hospitals. [applause]

As a matter of fact, mula rito, we will be going to Tacloban to look at the – kung titingnan – te-testing-in namin ‘yung sistema ng zero billing dahil mayroon kaming naririnig na mahaba ang pila, na mahirap pa rin. So, titingnan natin paano natin aayusin para ang pasyente, papasok – it’s an outpatient service – ang pasyente, papasok, magpapatingin, bibigyan ng reseta, kung ano ang kailangan para gamutin.

Pagkatapos ng konsultasyon, pupunta siya sa pharmacy, puwede na siyang bumili, may – ‘yung reseta, may credit – may ano ‘yun, may credit ‘yun.

So, libre, pero what we are doing now, ina-accredit namin ang mga botika para kahit saan puwede silang pumunta at sabihin mayroon akong resetang ganito, ibibigay sa kanila ng libre. ‘Paglabas – paglabas nila ng ospital, wala na silang babayaran. Ang receipt – ang resibo nila, zero. ‘Yun lang ang – para mayroon lang silang resibo. [applause]

So, ‘yun ang pupuntahan namin after this.

So, ‘yung healthcare system talaga eh gusto namin buoin at gawing maganda dahil kawawa naman ang ating mga kababayan na nagkakasakit.

So, this is part of the strengthening of our health care program because maraming masyado pa na hindi… Well, transport vehicle nga ito dahil karamihan naman ‘yung mga ambulansya natin, ginagamit ‘yan to transport them to kung saan, to the regional hospital, kung doon sa ano hanggang Maynila kung minsan, whatever it is.

So, sa aming pananaw, this the most practical.

And kung titingnan ninyo ang ating mga – ang ating mga binigay ay we have – we chose precisely isang model na kayang ayu – madaling ayusin, maraming piyesa.

Basta alagaan lang ninyo – alagaan lang ninyo nang mabuti, tatagal ‘yan because itong – itong brand na ito, very, very reliable ‘yan. At saka kagaya ng aking nasabi, kahit sinong mekaniko dito sa Pilipinas, kaya nilang ayusin ito at hindi mahirap makuha ang piyesa.

Kaya’t alagaan niyo lang, tatagal nang mabuti ‘yan.

And that’s… Tapos kung sasabihin parang maliit.

Dahil sa experience namin, nagkataon din kami na magkaroon kami ng ‘yung nakikita mo sa television. ‘Yung malalaki na maraming sirena, kung ano-anong – tapos ang daming gamit sa loob, nagkaroon din kami niyan, pinadalhan kami sa Ilocos noon.

Ang problema doon, maganda ‘yun pangbiyahe, pero mahirap ‘yun para papasok sa mga maliliit na eskinita.

‘Yun ang nakita namin, sabi ko, hindi praktikal. Tapos ‘pag nasira, patay ka na, hindi mo na magamit. Basta’t may kaunting sira, mahirap ang piyesa, hindi – walang may marunong buksan.

So, this is – this is the model that we think is the most practical. It will cover 90 plus percent of all the needs of a patient. It can work as an ambulance, it can work as a transport vehicle.

So, as of now, we have out of 106 – sorry, out of the 1642 cities and towns, we have been able to give away 1173 na PTV. [applause] So, malapit na.

Pinapangako sa akin ni Mel, ang ating GM that the – that by the end of the year, we will start already the second round.

Kasi ‘pag natapos na namin, mag-100 percent na lahat itong 1642 na bayan at saka lungsod, babalikan din namin.

Eh mayroon diyan talaga – ‘yung maliit okay na ‘yung isa pero ‘yung malalaki kulang, so baka bigyan na naman natin ng isa pa. [applause]

So, we have to – patuloy na patuloy lang ito. Patuloy lang naming gagawin hanggang medyo naman, maayos na ‘yung ating sistema ng ganyan.

Nagulat ako, binigyan ako ng listahan na mayroon pa pala tayong mga first-timer dito na first time na magkaroon ng ambulansya sa bayan ninyo.

Sa Leyte, Abuyog first time. Jaro, first time. At Jaro, Kananga, Matalom, Santa Fe.

And then in Samar, Tagapul-an is the first time na magkaroon ng ambulansya; General MacArthur naman sa Eastern Samar; Salcedo, San Policarpio, Lapinig, San Vicente, Silvino Lobos.

So, I’m very happy to be able to say na marami rito ay 100 percent na. [applause]

Kung kulang pa, eh sige, babalikan namin kayo if you still need the ano — kung ano pa.

But alam niyo, ang PCSO hindi lang ambulansya ang binibigay.

Traditionally talaga ambulansya ang binibigay, pero maraming serbisyo ang PCSO kaya’t bigyan niyo ng trabaho si Mel Robles para lahat ng kaya niyang ibigay, maibigay niya sa atin. [applause]

So anyway, this is our – this is our continuing effort to strengthen our healthcare system, and to bring healthcare back as low to the – as low down to the smallest members of our society na alam mo eh palapitin lang natin ang healthcare sa taong -bayan.

At alam naman natin, mga governor, mga mayor, alam ninyo lahat ito na kung minsan, ang problema dahil walang – napupunta lang doon sa provincial hospital, doon sa city hospital, doon sa regional hospital pero pagdating doon, malala na.

Kasi, ‘yun, takot pumunta dahil magbabayad ng gamot, walang pambayad ng gamot, very inconvenient na pumunta sa ospital so by the time they go to the hospital, kung minsan too late na.

Kaya’t, this is important, but also important are the facilities that we will be putting at the grassroots level so that ‘yung problema na ‘yun – na kasi karamihan naman ng problema ‘yung sa baga, sa tiyan, buntis. ‘Yun. That’s already 80 plus percent of lahat ng mga pasyente natin.

And then, ‘yung iba ‘yung nasusugatan, nababalian. Those can be taken care of at the barangay level.

So, pipilitin namin na magkaroon ng ano ng barangay.

For the first time in the Philippines, every single municipality and every single city has a doctor now. [applause]

Kaya’t ‘yun ang isang bagay na napaka – napakaimportante.

And that is why we are encouraging… Alam mo naman ‘yung ating mga nurse, ating mga doktor, ang iniisip eh umalis at mag-ano muna – magtrabaho sila sa abroad.

But we are encouraging them to stay and Pilipino naman ‘yan, of course, they will – they want to help their own people.

So, nagiging maganda, kaya nga namin nabuo ‘yung one doctor per LGU. So, patuloy naming gagawin ito.

And I’m glad to see all the recipients are here. Kayo mismo ang magda-drive nito pauwi? [laughter]

Masyadong excited ‘yung iba rito eh lalo na ‘yung mga first-timer. Sabi ko, baka sila mismo, mag-drive.

Anyway, oh sige, basta’t dahan-dahan lang para hindi ano ha, hindi mabangga.

Oh congratulations sa inyong lahat and we’ll keep going.

Maraming-maraming salamat.

Damo-damo salamat!

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