Liberal Party senatorial candidate Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III yesterday stressed the need for affordable preventive and curative measures for heart ailments that are the leading cause of death among Filipinos, especially the poor.

Aquino, who was in Bacolod, issued the call in the light of first gentleman Mike Arroyo's current bout with a heart ailment. "The first gentleman is one among thousands of Filipinos suffering from heart diseases. But he is among the fortunate few who can afford expensive heart procedures," Aquino said.

Aquino said he welcomed the news that after the 48-hour critical period following his heart surgery, the first gentleman yesterday was in "good" condition, and joins the rest of the country in praying for his swift recovery.

He said heart diseases remain a leading cause of death in the Philippines and this is due, for the most part, to the prohibitive cost of heart procedures and medicine.

Statistics show that heart diseases are the top cause of death among Filipinos in recent years. In 2003, about 68,000 died of heart disorders. In 2001 and 2002, about 17 percent of deaths were caused by heart ailments, followed by vascular system diseases (13 percent), malignant neoplasm (10 percent and pneumonia (9 percent), he said.

"This highlights the need for legislative measures to promote preventive programs and incentives, such as drastic changes in dietary and nutritional practices and lifestyle change," Aquino said.

"Policy initiatives in promoting affordable curative measure, such as cheap medicines, access to modern medical facilities especially in government hospitals. If given the chance to serve in the Senate, I will throw my full support to legislative proposals that will bring the prices of medicine to affordable levels," he added.

Aquino commended fellow LP stalwart Sen. Mar Roxas, for sponsoring Senate Bill 2263 that seeks to amend the Intellectual Property Code to allow parallel importation of medicines as the first step toward broader access to quality health care.

Aquino backed Roxas' position that enabling developing countries to import lower-priced quality medicines from its neighbors was a positive example of how governments can optimize globalization to benefit the poor.

"Advances in the treatment of heart ailment are a welcome development but as long as it remains costly and unreachable by poor patients, the benefits of this technology cannot be maximized," Aquino said.

ECONOMIC POLICIES

In an interview with the DAILY STAR Aquino also stressed the need for sound economic polices for the country to move forward.

Our current economic policies are not setting the ground work for future economic growth, he said.

"We have to move on…but the way to do that is to stop accepting the status quo," he said.

Aquino also said while the call for legislated wage increase makes one "politically pogi" it is not real, it is not doable.

He said a more viable potential solution is a mandatory productivity incentive bonus.

His proposed bill requires that the labor component of any firm is entitled to at least a 10 percent share of the profits that are determined by an auditor chosen by the labor sector.

Both labor and management focused on increasing efficiency to ensure profitability of the firm is a more realistic solution, than periodically mandating wage increases, he said.

Aquino said that, if elected, he will also push for a provision in the law that would require for communities to be consulted as part and parcel of decisions on whether mining permits should be granted in their areas.

ON KRIS

Aquino is the son of Former President Corazon Aquino and slain hero Benigno Aquino, and the brother of TV host and actress Kris Aquino.

He said Kris, whose picture appears with him in his campaign posters, introduces him to the youth sector because, while he worked hard in his three terms as a congressman from Tarlac, he has not been one to self-promote himself.

Kris is confined to her room and to complete bed rest until her expected delivery date a week before May 14 polls, Aquino said. Her doctor has told her that she has diabetes and cannot eat the food she is so fond of eating, he said. Her baby is gaining weight but is still kind of small at about four pounds, Aquino said.*CPG

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