House deputy majority leader and Iloilo 1st district Representative Janette Garin criticized the claims made by a so-called “fake expert” who criticized the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Tingog Party-list, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) regarding the construction of hospitals and other medical facilities nationwide.
In a speech, Garin clarified that the MOA’s goal is to increase the number of hospitals across the Philippines, debunking the assertions of Tony Leachon, who claimed that the agreement was being used for political purposes and raised concerns about its legality.
“We should stop politicizing public health… While doctors are busy working in their clinics, those in the academe are busy mentoring their students, and scientists who are busy in the field and their laboratories. There are just some who love chaos and cannot live if they don’t create chaos pretending to be experts in every aspect of the medical field, where in reality, they just want to grab airtime,” the lawmaker and former Health secretary emphasized.
Garin pointed out that it is the responsibility of lawmakers to voice the concerns of the people, address issues affecting the livelihoods of Filipinos, and take action to find solutions. She stated that lawmakers can be directly involved in healthcare issues to help address them effectively.
“Hindi naman sinasabi na bawal tumulong ang iba. Iyung mga mai-ingay diyan at nagpapanggap na eksperto, I dare them to come out in the open and do the tasks and address the gaps we face at the present,” Garin said.
Furthermore, Garin emphasized that the MOA outlines Tingog’s role in assisting local government units (LGUs) by helping them access DBP’s financial resources through fiscal training, capacity-building, and other initiatives.
She clarified that no funds would be transferred to Tingog, and that the financial arrangements would remain solely between the DBP and the LGUs, in accordance with DBP’s loan access procedures.