Will this bill ever pass?

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

One of the frustrations of Filipinos, especially the elderly ones, with the 13 th Congress of the Philippines was its failure to pass the bill that had been so anxiously awaited by the public. This was House Bill No. 6035, better known as the Cheaper Medicines Act of 2007. The bill had been pending for several months, with pronouncements from the House titillating the people, especially those with patients in their families requiring prolonged or even lifelong treatment.

Up to the very last days of the 13 th Congress, the bill stayed on the shelf, because, of all reasons, the House could not muster a quorum to act on it. Another reason given was that the Senate had its own version which could not jibe with the one from the House.

Those may be logical reasons, but the public already had its owns suspicions about the real causes why the bill was being delayed, seemingly on purpose. There was, for instance, a time when, during deliberations, officials or representatives of drug companies suspiciously flocked to the session showing keen interest in the proceedings. In fact one of them was “unmasked” when a congressman exposed an attempt to influence him and fellow members by pointing out the lack of quorum.

The measure had also become a sort of bone of contention between the two Houses who seemed to be competing as to which will be able to get its version adopted. There were even some accusations that some congressmen and senators were being used by the drug companies to derail it. Whether there is truth to that or not, we don’t know.

What we do know is that both Houses should recognize how important this piece of legislation is to the health and well-being of their constituents whose welfare they are supposed to look out for and protect.

The new Congress has just opened and again the measure on cheap medicines is being brought up. All Filipinos should watch closely the actions of their solons with regards to this bill. By this they will know whose interests they are protecting, and they don’t have to ask why.*