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Category: Health

This sordid PhilHealth mess

Former PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr., Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and former PhilHealth Chief Ricardo Morales.

The PhilHealth mess is still unfolding and it seems that we have not seen the worst of it.

Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that President Duterte accepted the resignation of PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales.

News reports also said PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr. who was among those suspended for six months without pay, also resigned last Monday.

In announcing Duterte’s acceptance of Morales’ resignation, both Roque and Duque cited the PhilHealth chief’s ill health and nothing about the massive corruption in the agency that has been the subject of a Senate investigation.

Rumors about the President’s health that refuse to die

One week afterMalacañang denied rumors that President Duterte was airlifted to Singapore on Aug. 15, the item continues to circulate in social media’s private chats with more dubious details.

The persistence of the rumor reminds me of the talk that circulated in the 80’s during Martial Law about Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

Rumors had it Bongbong was killed by the mafia while he was in Europe and the family replaced him with a double. Incredible but many believed it. Up to this day, I still get that claim from someone who insists that he knows somebody whose sister’s officemate has a cousin who was a member of the Malacañang staff at that time.

People believe what they want to believe.

The public awaits Duterte’s response to health workers’ plea

The health workers’ appeal for a “time out” to assess the government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis was a stinging indictment of its failure to competently address the problem even with a severe four -month lockdown.

Words such as “waging a losing battle” and “failing miserably” contradict Malacañang’s claim of improvements in the fight to to stop the spread of COVID-19.

More than 24 hours had passed and there has been no response from President Duterte to the health workers’ “distress signal” which was an appeal for a return of Mega Manila to the more rigid Enhanced Community Quarantine for two weeks from Aug. 1 to 15 “to reline our pandemic control strategies.”

Cervical cancer-free PH by 2040

From the presentation of Dr. Clarito Cairo.

The Department of Health is aiming high: By 2040 they want a cervical cancer-free Philippines.

That means there no more new cervical cancer cases that number about 7,000 a year.

That means thousands of husbands would be spared of the grief of losing a wife, of children losing a mother, of parents losing a daughter, of kins losing a sister or aunt.

Updates on Duterte’s health from Bong Go

Pres. Duterte accompanied by Bong Go visits his mother’s grave amid speculations about his health.

Just when we thought he was looking better with the dark blotches on his face gone (by Honeylet’s facial cream?), the President’s health condition once again returned to the front page when he didn’t show up in the Barangay Summit on Peace and Order in Palo, Leyte at on Friday, the first day of February.

The first statement on the 73-year old health status came from senatorial candidate, Christopher “Bong “ Go, a former aide who continues to be always with the President.

Go, not a doctor, said the President was “not feeling well.”

Duterte talks about his asshole

Pres. Duterte talks about asshole trouble in his speech during the 3rd Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Forum of the Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Sept. 21. Malacanang photo by Robinson Niñal.

This is your President speaking.

This happened last Friday, Sept. 21, at the third Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Forum of Asia Pacific Association of Sastroenterology held at [Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, LapuLapu City, Cebu |

“Now back to medicine. You know, I’ll just end my talk by just.. allow me to give you a vignette of life.

“Historically, I took after my mother who was always constipated. That was her complaint. And but she lived to be 96 years old. So if you want to live forever, pray for constipation.

“Well, I’m telling you the truth. And that was also genetically maybe. And I have a son, Sebastian. He got it also and as a matter of fact, he started to have a leak because of…

Sick

President Duterte was in his elements again – spewing expletives, spreading lies, concocting fake news -when he was in Cebu Thursday last week for Mandaue city’s 49th Charter Day celebration.

And as usual, the audience lapped up everything : his cursing of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, his Leni Robredo bashing, his lack of respect for the Constitution, his preference for dictatorship and worse, his joke about rape.
Duterte seems to have an obsession about rape. He relishes relating incidents of rape to justify his sweeping, bloody war on drugs.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explains Pres. Duterte rape jokes.

Bong Go video raises more questions re Duterte health

Bong Go goes live on Facebook with Duterte amid 'coma' rumors

WATCH: In a Facebook Live, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go shows President Rody Duterte having a dinner with a "beautiful lady from Davao" to debunk Joma Sison's claim that the President is in coma.

Posted by Philippine Star on Monday, August 20, 2018

So, okay, the President is not in coma as spread by Communist Party of the Philippines founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison in social media Aug. 19.

From Netherlands, Sison said his source who was at the national convention of the San Beda Law fraternity Lex Talionis Fraternitas on Saturday said “the darkness of his (Duterte) face had become aggravated from its appearance the other day and that his walk and handshake had become more unstable.”

In the latest still-to-be-verified update from his source, Sison said, “Duterte has gone into coma since the afternoon or evening of today, Sunday, August 19. “

Gifts from two people I admire who have recently departed

A twide-a-month gathering of friends of eminent writer Carmen Guerrero Nakpil at Havana Restaurant.

I have received three gifts from two persons I truly admire which have become even more meaningful now.
One is a black cashmere blouse and another is a pair of black leather gloves which came from Mrs. Carmen Guerrero Nakpil.

The third item is a silver rosary blessed by the Pope from Ambassador Jun Lozada.

We were in Portland, Seattle on Nov. 4, 1993 to cover the first summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation at the Tillicum Village in Blake Island, Washington State the next day. I was part of the Malacañang Press Corps and the president then was Fidel V. Ramos.