Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente
Philhealth Calls Govt. Retirees Non – Paying Members
Among the clients of Philhealth are the retired government employees. These are the people who spent the best years of their lives in government service. After long, dedicated and honest works for the people via the government offices, they are retired either under the optional or compulsory retirement law.
A government worker who has served the government for not less than 20 years may avail of optional retirement. A government employee who reaches age 65 will retire under compulsory retirement law.
While serving the government, part of the monthly salary is subtracted for payment of health insurance with Philhealth. Hence, long before a government employee retires, he has started paying his health insurance and immediately after his retirement, Philhealth is also fully paid of his premium. Since a government employee started paying his insurance premium, Philhealth also is using the money collected.
Well and good, but after government employee retired, he also stopped paying the health insurance with Philhealth. In case he gets sick, part of expenses are reimbursed by Philhealth. Well and good too.
What is bad, even worst and very degrading to the retired government employees is: Philhealth calls them “NON – PAYING” members. This is not only very humiliating but also degrading. Philhealth must have called them “PRE – PAID” members but not “non – paying” for government retired employees have paid Philhealth a good part of their income while serving the government.
Philhealth must change “non – paying” to another better term. Do the present officials and employees like to be called “non – paying” members of Philhealth after their retirement?
-o-
Some reactions were received after EF predicted in this column the farmers will soon be boneless if the prices of farm products remain as is while the cost of production continuously increases.
Here is a reaction from a member of a Sangguniang Bayan who engages also in farming. “I have a luxurious papaya plants loaded with fruits”, he related.
“One time, a rich but not very rich person who can well afford to buy things he likes asked me to give him some green papaya fruits.” “I obliged. I harvested some fruits and gave him. He did not offer to pay but said “thank you very much”.
I told him before we parted: I accept your thank you but you should have honored the farmers and recognized the role they perform as food producers of the nation if you have offered to pay the papaya. By asking for free the farmer’s produce is an insult to them for you give no value to the effort of the farmers to produce food like the papaya.
I agree. Manufactured products are not free even in its respective factory, more so with industrial. No hardware store gives free even one piece of nail to anybody. Everybody buys it. On the other hand, farmer’s products like sweet potato, tapioca and papaya are usually asked for free. Fruits like santol are secured for free. This is not recognition of the farmer’s effort and a disincentive to them.
-o-
The June 24, 2005 monitoring report of DTI – Aklan said “supply of commodities monitored is sufficient and prices remain stable except for some school supplies which prices increased significantly.”
EMCOR has removed its motorcycles display in Martelino Street. It has widened the lane for vehicles. However, the display is just on the sidewalk for the pedestrian to hardly pass.
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The ambulant vendors have moved out of Toting Reyes Street, they made good their promise to Kalibo Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo to leave Toting Reyes Street and move to Oyo Torong site on June 20, 2005.
However, the Dried Up Sooc Neighborhood Association, Inc. has filed an “Omnibus Motion for the Issuance of Writ of Preliminary Injunction and For The Issuance of Temporary Restraining Order With Motion and Prayer to Cite and Declare the Hon. Raymar A. Rebaldo, Mayor of the Municipality of Kalibo in Contempt of Court.”
According to the petition, Special Proceeding No. 6903, the present location is now the subject of litigation in the Court, Branch 8, Regional Trial Court, Kalibo, Aklan. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

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