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Two groups slam gov’t plan to hand out Philhealth cards to Sacadas
Another moneymaking scheme, leftwing militants say

Two militant groups on Monday assailed the plan of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to enroll at least 30,000 sacadas or seasoned employed migratory sugar workers in the government’s Philhealth Indigent Program.

The Philhealth program for seasonal sugar workers will be piloted in Central Luzon, Western Visayas and the Calabarzon areas covering at least 2,250 sacadas.

In a joint press statement, leaders of leftwing groups Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and allied group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) lambasted the program as another money making scheme intended to raise funds for the 2007 national elections.

Rene Galang, UMA national chairperson and president of the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) said the government wants to make a box-office killing from the compulsory issuance of Philhealth cards to seasonal sugar workers across the country.

“This is a national racket of the regime. Another super scam and crime of corruption in the making,” Galang said.

According to UMA, based on DOLE target of 30,000 enrollees to the Philhealth card program, the government will collect at least P 1,500 at the average from each seasonal sugar worker and that would amount to P 45 million per year. The agricultural workers group said there are 500,000 sugar workers across the country, and if the government strictly imposes this policy then Malacañang and DOLE would earn P 75 B a year from exploited sugar workers across the country.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said the 500,000 regular and seasonal sugar workers across the country should expose and oppose the newest syndicate program of Malacañang and the labor department, saying that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is exploiting the further depressed situation of sugar workers in the country by compelling them to enroll in Philhealth card program and shell out their hard-earned pesos for this grand project of corruption.

“ If the government imposes the Philhealth card program to all seasonal sugar and agricultural workers all over the country the government will stand to gain more or less P 120 billion pesos in total cash from all enrollees and that is a big fortune for the corrupt regime,” Hicap said.

Hicap said in the fisheries sector, there are 250,000 regular and seasonal workers in aquaculture sub-sector and 50,000 seasonal and regular workers in commercial sub-sector. If the government will impose the same kind of policy, the government will collect not less than P 45 B in total Philhealth card fees.

“ The government is supposed to deliver basic primary health care and basic services to the downtrodden people of this country. But here is Mrs. Arroyo going for a giant kill to siphon the last remaining pesos in the pockets of poor people. This is grandslam corruption,” Pamalakaya said.

UMA and Pamalakaya will conduct a massive national campaign on the implications of the Philhealth program of the national government and DOLE. The groups said, they would urge their members all over the country to launch a boycott campaign on the plan of Malacañang to enlist all seasonal agricultural workers across in the Philhealth card program. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 07:21 | link | comments |

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