By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
Senator Raffy Tulfo’s proposal to extend PhilHealth coverage to include free dentures and dental health services makes him the “Tooth Fairy” of Congress, exemplifying a commitment to addressing an often overlooked aspect of healthcare.
By recognizing the importance of oral health to employability, idol Raffy highlights the broader societal implications of dental care accessibility.
There exists a gap in PhilHealth coverage, particularly in dental services, despite the provisions of the Universal Health Care law. According to the senator, this gap disproportionately affects marginalized communities, exacerbating disparities in oral health outcomes.
By advocating for free dentures and dental checkups, he aims to mitigate these disparities and promote greater equity in healthcare access.
Mabuhay ka, Sen. Raffy!
Misguided policy in agriculture
Here lies the problem if you had an overstaying but non-performing secretary of the Department of Agriculture: a mess of misguided policies and half-baked presidential interference.
Bongbong Marcos’s audacious move to appoint himself as Agriculture chief left a trail of chaotic decisions that has plunged the sector into disarray — not to mention the artificial inflation due to fake shortages of many crops and produce from onions to garlic and sugar, to meat, and yes, rice!
Administrative Order No. 20 (AO 20), a reckless attempt to tackle rising prices, stands as a testament to the perils of presidential micromanagement. Now, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. inherits the fallout, disavowing policies concocted before his tenure.
Earlier this week, Tiu-Laurel vehemently denied he knew about or endorsed AO 20. The order, issued to combat rising prices, reveals a glaring disconnect between government action and the realities faced by Filipino farmers.
Tiu-Laurel had just exposed that AO 20, enacted without his input, removes crucial safeguards for local farmers, creating a free-for-all in agricultural importation.
Cognizant of its detrimental impact on the sector, the DA chief now calls for a 90-day extension to the implementation of AO 20, which removes the non-tariff barriers on the importation of agricultural products to ensure supply and address the continuous increase in domestic prices.
But Tiu-Laurel argues that the urgency of addressing supply and prices without consideration for the farming community’s well-being is such a stain on policies for Philippine agriculture. As farmers bear the brunt of this bureaucratic blunder, he now is left with the task of cleaning up a mess not of his making.
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