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A matter of trust

Hannah Gabling
Sep 28, 2020
2 min read

In the past 10 years, the Philippines ranked in the lower half of 180 countries as least corrupt in a report by Transparency International (2019), and, even today, it is not uncommon to hear news about missing money or fraudulent figures. So, if I heard another of these cases reported, I would not be too surprised.

As of mid-September, President Rodrigo Duterte extended the state of calamity due to the coronavirus in the Philippines until September 12, 2021. This declaration allows the government and local units to access funds such as the quick response fund for the containment of the virus spread, to monitor and control basic necessity and commodity prices, and to provide basic services to the affected populations.

The funds’ accessibility paints a pretty picture. In a righteous world, giving officials and health centers enhanced financial abilities means affording to provide assistance and necessities as needed by the victims of the virus spread. And, ideally, money going to these rehabilitation efforts also means coronavirus statistics slowly but surely edging towards our favor.

Still, the outcome remains in the hands of authorities, and there is reason to believe things will not go as one would like them.

The government-owned Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) faced an estimated P15 billion loss to fraud, the funds supposedly going to the reimbursement of “ghost” patients, overpayments, and other false claims. Former PhilHealth Anti-Fraud Legal Officer Thorrsson Montes Keith, who resigned because of the “widespread corruption” in PhilHealth, claimed that the corporation’s officials were responsible for this occurrence. The said officials did, however, deny Keith’s statement, saying his accusation was vengeful and was the result of a rejected promotion.

The extension of the state of calamity offers our government the boost it needs to bring the country to victory against the fearsome virus. Perhaps, the money will be directed to the pandemic efforts, funding various programs and institutions made to slow and, hopefully, eradicate the coronavirus cases in the country. The government has made decisions towards the country's recovery from the virus such as closing schools and implementing quarantines, so I would like to trust that they have our best interests in mind.

Still, until progress is evident in the fight against the virus, I will wait to jump for joy. All that they have left to do is to ensure that the money goes where it must— the necessary authorities and corporations— to benefit who it must— the afflicted citizens.

Shall we trust them to do so?