✨🅐🅦🅔🅢🅐🅜 🅛🅐🅦🅨🅔🅡 2026

IT IS TIME FOR US TO SPEAK UP FOR HEALTHCARE I say this not as a politician, but as a doctor and a Filipino who has spent much of his life seeing what illness can do to an ordinary family. We cannot simply close our eyes when healthcare remains a heavy burden for so many. The transfer of ₱60 billion from PhilHealth to the National Treasury was eventually ordered returned by the Supreme Court, which also declared the challenged legal measures void. In 2025, PhilHealth also operated with zero government premium subsidy for indirect contributors. These are not merely political talking points. They raise serious questions about our priorities in financing healthcare. Behind every budget figure is a patient. A father trying to pay for medicines. A mother worried about a hospital bill. A senior citizen counting what little remains of a pension. A family wondering whether treatment will consume the savings of a lifetime. We should be able to ask difficult questions about public policy without hatred, insults, or fear. We can disagree respectfully. We can demand accountability peacefully. And we can insist that every peso intended for health ultimately serves the Filipino patient. Around the world, ordinary citizens make their voices heard when institutions and policies affect their lives. Why should we remain quiet about something as fundamental as our health? Speaking up is not about political colors. It is about citizenship. I do not claim to have all the answers. I only hope we do not become indifferent to suffering that can still be prevented. Let us speak with facts. Let us speak with respect. Let us speak for those whose voices are seldom heard. And when the struggle becomes tiring, let us remember why we began. Never give up. Bayan muna bago sarili. 🇵🇭 Tony Leachon