JV Ejercito placed it to the Top 12 in almost all of the surveys

"Nobody deserves to live a miserable life." 

“I am in favor of divorce for only one reason--for those that have been psychologically and physically abused by their partners," reelectionist Senator JV Ejercito told us during a press conference held Monday.    

"If the  relationship has become very turbulent and irreconcilable dun I think applicable yung divorce. Kung talagang sinasaktan na physically or emotionally kailangan naman mabigyan ng chance na mabuhay ng maayos because nobody deserves to live a miserable life."

Sen JV said despite being "adopted" by several parties he considers this as the toughest campaign of his political career as he is running as an independent. Getting the endorsement of the President he said as well as the warm reception of the people he meets at the campaign trail motivates him to push through despite his limited funds.  

His hard work it seems is slowly paying off as he already made it to the top 12 in almost all of the surveys, placing as high as number 7.

  

“I think Im an easy candidate to sell,  even if I have no political, I am proud of my track record as a public servant and the laws I have passed when I was in the senate.”

Senator JV Ejercito sponsored and authored Senate Bill 1896, or the Universal Health Care (UHC), which automatically enrolls all Filipino citizens in the National Health Insurance Program and prescribes complementary reforms in the health system. Simply put, it gives all Filipinos access to health-care coverage and services while protecting them from enduring financial hardship as a result. 

 

Every Filipino citizen will be entitled to healthy living, working and schooling conditions, and access to a comprehensive set of health services without any financial hardships. 

 

Provide financial assistance for medical emergencies, hospital admission and all other medical routines that focus on treatment and rehabilitation. 

 

Senator JV wants to return to the Senate to make sure that the UHC Law will be properly implemented and enjoyed by all Filipinos, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

@lola_lamon Dont forget to cast your vote for the good one @JV Ejercito ♬ original sound - Lou Sv

 

According to him, the pandemic has exacerbated the weaknesses of the country’s healthcare system and hampered the implementation of the UHC Law. He feels that it his mission and obligation to finish and oversee its implementation. 

 

He also said that the country’s healthcare system suffers from three major problems amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: inadequate healthcare facilities, delayed benefits and privileges for healthcare workers, and mismanagement of the PhilHealth program. All of these can be addressed by the full implementation of the UHC Law, he added. 

INFRASTRUCTURE to unleash potential of Mindanao’s natural resources - JV Ejercito Former Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said improving Mindanao’s infrastructure will bring the best out of the island's vast natural resources. 

 

Ejercito said Mindanao is in the best position to be one of Asia’s most valuable sources of agricultural products. 

 

“Noong nadaanan ko ang Liguasan March kahapon at yung iba pang areas sa Mindanao, napakayaman talaga ng Mindanao. Talagang gifted ng natural resources. Abundant and very rich ang soil ng Mindanao,” he said. 

 

“We just have to put the necessary infrastructure para ma-tap natin at ma-maximize natin ang potential ng Mindanao to be the fruit basket not only of the Philippines but of Asia,” he added. 

 

Ejercito, who has been advocating for infrastructure development since his first term in the Senate, said constructing an efficient railway system in Mindanao will not only improve the delivery of agricultural goods but also reduce poverty and deter armed conflict on the island. 

 

“Malaking bagay kaya kung maisama pa natin ang railway system dito, nako, talagang sisigla, uusbong ang ekonomiya ng Mindanao. Mawawala na rin, sa tingin ko, ang kaguluhan dito in the next decades,” he said. 

 

The former Senator recently called for the construction of the Mindanao Railway System to promote economic development in conflict-ridden areas and “pave the way for genuine and lasting peace.”

JV Ejercito eyes construction of advanced healthcare facilities in the Visayas 

 

Former Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito said he will push for the enhancement of healthcare facilities in the Visayas and other key areas in the country. 

 

Should he retum to the Senate, Ejercito said he will ensure the full implementation of the Healthcare Facilities Enhancement Program under the Universal Healthcare Law, which he principally sponsored. 

 

“In line with the Universal Healthcare Act, yung Health Facilities Enhancement Program, one of the aim is to put up specialty centers in strategic areas all over the country,” he said in an interview with DYRF Radio Fuerza 

 

“We will establish a lung center, a kidney center, and a heart center and a cancer center sa V. Sotto Medical Center,” he added. 

 

Aside from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, specialty health facilities will also be constructed in major hospitals in the Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Bicol, and Davao regions, Ejercito said. 

 

Once these facilities are constructed, the former Senator said patients from different provinces would no longer need to travel to the National Capital Region to secure advanced healthcare services. 

 

“Pag meron tayong complicated cases, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, they bring it ali there, to the specialty centers (in Metro Manila),” Ejercito said. 

 

“Imagine if you go to Manila, may accommodation, may airfare, may companion pa, times two 0 times three. It’s very expensive and very inconvenient,” he added. 

 

Asking Cebuanos for support, Ejercito said he hopes to return to the Senate to ensure that all Filipinos will benefit from the Universal Healthcare Law. 

 

“My priority is really to survive this COVID-19 pandemic and of course, to implement the Universal Healthcare Act. Hayaan niyo lang ako na tapusin ito. Sana di na po mangyari yung magkasakit lang yung isang miyembro ng pamilya, mauubos ang ating savings, magbebenta tayo ng kagamitan, magsasangla tayo ng lupa,” he said. 

 

With the full implementation of the Universal Healthcare Act, ang ating gobyermo ay nandiyan na para umalalay sa atin. Hindi na tayo dapat mamroblema, especially yung mga senior citizens, PWDs and indigents,” he added.

The fight for better health services continues for Mr. Healthcare Senator JV Ejercito

For the regular readers of my blog, you know that in my previous life, long before I joined the blogging world, I worked at one of the biggest private hospitals in Manila.



I was as one of the admitting officers in what we called the “Panic Room” because everyone who came in to the admissions department was either panicking or in a state of panic. And we couldn’t blame them because even if we were one of the biggest and most advanced hospitals back then, getting a room / or bed was almost as hard as finding a seat at the MRT during rush hour.

There were patients coming in droves from the Emergency Room, expectant mothers who’ll tell you that their water just broke and are about to give birth, and others who come in from different hospitals. We were always at full capacity and it was hard to allocate the rooms for the Medical, Pediatric and OB patients.



What’s even harder is trying to explain to the patient and their companions that we couldn’t just put them in any room as there were different wards for different kinds of illnesses. Or that we were still waiting for the outgoing patients to settle their bills, or that there was simply not going to be any available room for the rest of the day. Even if you had the money.



Sometimes, patients would have to wait for as long as 5 to 6 hours. There was even a time, when a patient had to wait the entire day just to get a room.



In my years of working in the admissions department, we would also have to deal with patients who were endorsed by public hospitals. The reason for this is either the lack of medical equipment like oxygen tanks, there were no specialization doctors for the patient re- diagnosis, some would need to be moved to the ICU or there were no NICU rooms available for babies.

The recently approved Universal HealthCare Law authored by Senator JV Ejercito might not solve all the problems being faced by hospitals, but it would surely benefit every Filipino who is in dire need of access to proper health care coverage and services.



He considered the ratification of UHC as “a victory for all Filipinos and a sound accomplishment that truly reflects his commitment to uplift the condition of the people. “No Filipino will be left out because under the UHC, all Filipinos are covered under the national health insurance program,” said the senator.

This was one of the reasons why Senator JV Ejercito has taken up the mantle of Mr. Healthcare as he seeks reelection in the senate. At a recent dinner he hosted for friends last March 28 at Lazat Restaurant in QC, he stressed that having the law signed by President Rodrigo Duterte was just the beginning of an even bigger challenge for him, and that is to make sure that the Universal Health Care Bill law will not just be a landmark law on paper, but something that will improve the lives of all Filipinos.

The law automatically enrolls all Filipinos to the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) and ensures all Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable health goods and services and protection against financial risks.

Under the measure, membership in the NHIP will be classified as “direct contributors” or those who have the capacity to pay premiums, or “indirect contributors” or those sponsored by the government such as indigents, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.

The law also grants every Filipino “immediate eligibility” and access to preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative health services, delivered either as population-based or individual-based health services.



Senator JV Ejercito, adds that the law would expand PhilHealth coverage, which would include free medical checkups, laboratory tests, and other diagnostic services.



All graduates of health-related courses who are recipients of government-funded scholarship programs will be required to serve for at least 3 years in the public sector, he said.



Funds for public health coverage will be pooled from the incremental sin tax collections, charity fund from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), income from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), premium contribution of members, annual appropriations of the Department of Health (DOH), and government subsidy to PhilHealth.


As a lawmaker he has authored 41 ENACTED LAWS;  6 Bills Pending Signature And Approval By The President; 173 BILLS, 17th Congress; 40 RESOLUTIONS during the 17th Congress.


If Ejercito wins a second term, the senator adds he would also focus on creating laws to support infrastructure development and railway system. Infrastructure he said is key to furthering the development of the economy and the country. 



In previous interview Senator JV repeatedly underscored the relevance of a modern railway system to the economic growth of the country, saying that “only an efficient, reliable, cost-effective, environment-friendly and modern railway system which moves people and goods faster can be the catalyst for economic growth.”

He again expressed his commitment to revive and improve the existing Railways both in the northern and southern parts of the country and has been very vocal about his vision of having a modern, efficient railway system for the country even when he was the Representative of San Juan City in the 15th Congress.



“One of the reasons why I support President Duterte is because he is the only President in the recent years to commit and spend P3 trillion for infrastructures in the next six years. We have a growing population, now stands at 105 million; and 30,000 new vehicles are added to our streets every month- that’s around one million vehicles in the next three years.



“We need to push for our railway projects, particularly the PNR-North, PNR- South, Mindanao railways system, and now the Metro Manila Subway System.

“For me, railway is the only way. I’m glad that the President has the political will to really push for this. He has the political will to bite the bullet kahit medyo maghihirap muna tayo, konting trapik, pero dapat nating gawin.”



The only way we can spread out development to the countryside and, at the same time, decongest Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao, is through infrastructure development and transport modernization. 



I think the Philippines is 30 years behind in terms of infrastructure development. We have a lot of catching up to do. Kung gusto natin ng tunay na hanapbuhay, if we want genuine exclusive growth, we really have to invest in infrastructure and transport modernization, Sen JV pointed out.

PH Online Car Registration coming soon

I learned how to drive when I was 16 y/old and got my professional (take note) when I turned 18.  Because there were only very few driving schools back then, it was my tatay who taught me how to drive defensively.

At first I really didn’t want to drive but because of our business and being the eldest. I was tasked to pick up and deliver some materials from our shop in Manila to Makati.

Back then, the streets of Manila weren’t as congested so it was a bit more-friendly for women drivers like me who were still learning how to drive. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about my experience at the Land Transportation Office.

If I recall correctly, Tatay had to meet our clients so I had no choice but to go to the LTO to register our vehicle. I arrived a bit past 8am, just as they opened but there was already a long line. I was standing for almost an hour when a “fixer” approached me from asking if I wanted help in processing my papers “faster.” He then went on saying that he had an “contact” inside who can help facilitate everything in an hour or so including stencil, plus insurance, everything. All I had to do was pay an extra P1,000.

As tempting as I might seem, I didn’t have that extra money. He left and saw him approach a few other people in line offering his “service.”  After about 20 minutes, he came back reducing his offer to P800. This was in the 90’s when P1000 was still a big deal. I told him I didn’t have the money, but he was really getting persuasive,  telling me that I would be spending the whole day in line--unsure if I would even be able to file our registration.

He eventually left and he was right it took me almost five hours to finish processing our registration. When I got home I told my tatay the story, and I was shocked when he told me that there were really a lot of fixers at the LTO, it has already become the norm—that some corrupt official really make you wait long so you are forced to pay these fixers just to get things done.

Its been a long time since I last went to the LTO and I heard that the agency is trying to improve its services and eliminate fixers especially during the current administration. President Duterte had described the LTO as one of the most corrupt agencies in the country even naming some of the agency officials.

I also heard that Senator JV Ejercito has filed a bill to automate vehicle registrations (and eventually every transaction at LTO) with the aim of eliminating corruption by removing the human element.

I think this is a very timely bill and a very important one, especially with all the traffic problems in the city. Especially if you are a mom with kids, going to the LTO will just be a waste of time and would disrupt your schedule.

But with the Human element removed there would be no more opportunities for these fixers to harass vehicle owners.