‘Mukhang pera’

Some things they say are better left unsaid, but when President Duterte blurted out his sentiments towards Dick Gordon and the Philippine Red Cross as “Mukhang Pera” for imposing a 3-day deadline for PhilHealth to settle their outstanding balance for Covid-19 testing, the President was not alone in that sentiment.

Sen. Dick Gordon and the Philippine Red Cross had the public’s sympathy early on when they were trying to collect somewhere between P900 million to P1.1 billion for unpaid Covid-19 tests. When PhilHealth paid half of the amount, it gave the impression that PhilHealth was committed to paying and was simply following legal procedures. But when Senator Gordon demanded that PhilHealth pay the balance in three days, he misjudged the sentiments of a lot of people, particularly the President.

To begin with, no less than the President had issued a statement and instructions for PhilHealth to pay the Philippine Red Cross. As spokesman Harry Roque once put it: “That is the equivalent of a Sovereign Guarantee. The President gave his word.” Instead of keeping his peace and waiting for the check or better yet, privately and diplomatically speaking with the PhilHealth boss, Senator Gordon gave them a 3-day notice or else. As chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, Dick Gordon should have interacted or worked with the president of PhilHealth as a co-equal in position and status in the realm of public health instead of giving an ultimatum. It may not have been Gordon’s intent to insult the president or undermine the action of President Duterte, but Gordon inadvertently insulted the guy and effectively placed the country’s anti-Covid strategy in jeopardy. The Philippines is in the middle of its worst health crisis and for a major player to threaten to pull out of the offensive because of money matters was a bad call and bad PR move. As a result, people already viewed the PRC in a negative light even before Duterte labeled them as “Mukhang Pera.”

I believe that the issue was never really about money or disrespect. My opinion is reflected in what Jesus once taught his disciples that one cannot have two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or hold on to one and despise the other. In the case of Dick Gordon, he loves them both to a fault. While protecting the interests and concerns of the Philippine Red Cross he clearly and inadvertently addressed the matter while still on senator mode. As far as the media showed it and as the public saw it, here was a senator doing credit collection for the Philippine Red Cross. It was not very long ago when Gordon and his colleagues at the Senate sliced and diced the previous set of officials of PhilHealth, demolished policies and procedures that they put in place and demanded better accounting and transparency, especially in payouts. Based on those recommendations of Senator Gordon et al, PhilHealth judiciously reviewed all their current transactions, including with Philippine Red Cross. Ironically, Gordon viewed that as casting doubt on the integrity of the Philippine Red Cross.

No one can question the dedication and passion of Dick Gordon as a legislator and public servant. But it may be that even the best of men cannot wear two hats at a time and in the case of Dick Gordon, many people have long wondered how or why he is allowed to serve both positions that each require a full-time commitment. The recent incident with PhilHealth and President Duterte has shown that there can be a conflict of interest, especially when an elected official is trying to collect money for a separate and distinct organization. Perhaps this incident is simply a divine notice for Senator Gordon to concentrate on the job where he does the most good, the job he is best at and the job God placed him in. You may love the PRC but it may be in the way of the more important work God wants you to do. When Jesus said that a man with two masters will end up loving one and hating the other, it is possible and has been known to happen that people who hold on beyond their time ultimately create problems and find themselves being pushed out. No, it’s not money, but a reminder that we cannot serve God and “money” at the same time.

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The Mega Task Force against corruption led by the Department of Justice has reportedly reached out to the public for “tips” regarding corrupt officials and transactions in government. If so, then Secretary Menardo Guevarra should have a meeting with all the regional and national officials of the Department of Education and collect all the reports and photographs of all the school buildings and classrooms that were destroyed by earthquakes and typhoons, have these analyzed by engineers, architects and builders in order to prove the countless number of DPWH-built structures but paid for by the DepEd. In the last 12 months before Covid-19 hit the country, there were a series of earthquakes that caused unusually extensive damage to schools and classrooms. DepEd officials showed me images and I immediately saw that the damage was due to poor design, poor construction and use of inferior materials.

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