SEN. MARCOS DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT 5TH PHIL.

 COOPERATIVE TEAMSHOP

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. was invited to deliver the keynote address at the 5th Philippine Cooperative TEAMshop on Nov. 13, 2015 to be held at the La Carmela de Boracay Hotel and Convention Center in Boracay, Malay, Aklan. 

More than 1,200 cooperative leaders and practitioners nationwide, including non-government organizations, representatives from local government units, and members of the academe are expected to participate.

Marcos, Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Cooperatives filed Senate Bill 424 seeking to amend the charter of the Cooperative Development Authority to strengthen the country’s cooperative movement.

The Boracay gathering, with the theme “Celebrating 10K Diamond of Cooperation-Trends and Prospects” seeks to revisit the experience of Philippine cooperatives and  to provide updates on the 2020 vision for cooperatives as enunciated by the International Cooperative Alliance.

“I am elated to be amongst the gathering of leaders of the country’s cooperative movement where a fruitful exchange of best practices and insights in managing the agro-industrial business enterprises of cooperatives is sought to be achieved.” 

“I look forward to the discussions about the challenges that cooperatives are facing as a result of the coming Asean Economic Integration,” Marcos concluded. 

DO SENIOR CITIZENS RECEIVE 

BENEFITS FROM PHILHEALTH?

On the other hand, Senator Marcos called on government to conduct an inventory of elderly citizens to find out whether all of them are receiving benefits from PhilHealth as mandated by law.

Marcos is co-author of Republic Act 10645, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act signed into law on November 5, 2014, which provided for the mandatory Philhealth coverage of all senior citizens.

“We would like to find out whether all senior citizens are truly receiving their entitlement from Philhealth. If not, there is a need to initiate the necessary action to ensure that this is corrected and the benefits reach all its intended recipients,” Marcos said.

“Philhealth record shows that as of 2014, its members and beneficiaries under RA 10645 reached 5,881,871,” Said Macos

“RA 10645 amended RA 9994 and expanded and made automatic PhilHealth benefits to all senior citizens especially, including indigent or poor senior citizens who are incapable of paying the monthly contribution to PhilHealth to become members.”

“The original law benefitting senior citizens is RA 7432 allowed Filipinos who are 60 years and above, among others, 20 percent discount from all establishments relative to the utilization of transportation services, hotels, theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals and other similar places of culture, leisure, amusement and other purchases,” Marcos pointed out./MP