Romer Butuyan 
“DATI public health expert daw. Ngayon, ekonomista na?”
Ito ang patutsada ni Deputy Speaker at Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin kay Dr. Tony Leachon sa panawagang pagbibitiw sa pwesto ni Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.
“Sumawsaw ka na naman. Kung totoong buwis ang adbokasiya mo, then say it straight: tax the rich, subsidize the poor and stop pretending that every complicated fiscal decision can be solved by calling for someone’s resignation,” wika ni Garin
Para kay Garin, malinaw na nais lamang magpapansin ng doktor sa larangan ng ekonomiya — “Kulang na kulang sa context ang atake na ito. Madaling magpa-viral, pero mahirap maglatag ng solusyon hindi sisira sa budget, o hindi magpapabigat sa mahihirap at hindi puro paingay.”
“He always wants to land on the headlines. Dati, public health expert daw. Ngayon, ekonomista na? Lahat ng administrasyon, he gets appointed then removed? Tama ba? He has always wanted to be Secretary of Health kaya siguro maingay na naman,” ayon pa sa Iloilo lawmaker.
Ayon sa kongresistang minsan nang nanungkulan bilang Kalihim ng Department of Health, dapat ay alam ni Leachon na ang health financing ay hindi isang ‘one-line slogan’ dahil ito ay nakadepende sa health contributions, subsidies, reimbursements, benefit packages at long-term sustainability.
“Doktor siya, so dapat alam niya na hindi lahat ng sakit nadadaan sa sigaw. Ganoon din sa gobyerno. Hindi lahat ng problema sa health financing nadadaan sa resignation demand,” sambit pa niya.
“If he really wants to help, then he should join the serious discussion: paano palakasin ang PhilHealth benefits, paano bawasan ang gastos ng pasyente at paano tiyakin na ang may kaya ang mas malaking ambag habang ang mahirap ang mas malaking proteksyon,” punto ng lady solon.
Ipinagtanggol din nina Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro at San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora si Recto mula sa alegasyon ni Leachon.
Ani Luistro, hindi tamang isisi lahat kay Recto ang mga komplikadong polisiya ng gobyerno dahil kalimitan ay ito ay dumaan sa pagbalangkas ng Kongreso, economic managers ng bansa at maging sa kaukulang proseso ng pamahalaan.
“Calling for resignation is the easiest line to throw when one does not want to deal with the hard part of governance. The harder question is this: how do we raise enough revenues, protect the poor and keep essential services running without making irresponsible promises?” diin ng Batangas congresswoman.
“Tax policy is always a question of balance. If Dr. Leachon wants to talk about health care, then let us talk about how to strengthen PhilHealth, improve benefits, reduce out-of-pocket expenses and make sure the money reaches patients instead of turning the debate into a personality attack,” dagdag niya.
Paalala ni Luistro, hindi matatawaran ang mahusay na record ni Recto bilang isang legislator at economic policy maker kung saan sa anumang usapin ay dapat siyang mahusgahan ng tama sa halip na pukulin ng paratang sa social media.
“ES Recto has spent decades working on budgets, revenues and reforms. You may agree or disagree with his positions, but reducing that record to a meme is intellectually lazy and unfair to the public,” pahayag pa niya.
Sa panig ni Zamora, malabnaw ang kritisismong dinadaan sa social media. Partikular na tinukoy ng mambabatas ang kawalan ng direksyon sa patutsada ni Leachon.
“The responsible position is to design a system where those with greater capacity contribute more and those with less in life receive stronger support. That is the real conversation, and that is far more useful than asking for resignations every time a policy issue becomes difficult.”
“Public health advocacy should help people understand the choices before the government. It should not scare them with half-context claims that make anger easier than understanding,” dugtong niya.
Ayon pa kay Zamora, malaya ang mga kritiko na kuwestyunin ang fiscal policy na ipinatutupad ng gobyerno subalit hindi dapat maging personalan ang atake sa partikular na opisyal ng pamahalaan kung may hindi pagkakaunawaan.
“We can debate PhilHealth funding, fuel taxes and VAT with seriousness. But if the goal is to help struggling Filipino families, then the answer should be better policy, clearer targeting and stronger subsidies, not another round of online attacks,” pagtatapos ni Zamora.
