Last Saturday, the political party One Cebu announced that Winston F. Garcia may be its candidate for governor in 2016.
Cebu now has three personalities who have declared their interest to run for the post: incumbent governor Jun Davide, former governor Lito Osmeña and now Winston.
This is an advantage for Cebuanos who now have the opportunity to choose from three candidates.
Davide is the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party; Garcia may be the official candidate of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), and Lito Osmeña, who declared he is supporting Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, hasn’t said yet who he would back for president.
It’s funny because I remember that Garcia was Lito’s political lieutenant during his term at the Capitol, and now they are vying for the same position.
True indeed is the saying that in “politics there are no permanent friends but only permanent interests.”
With three gubernatorial candidates, the race in the Province of Cebu has become more interesting and will be a hot topic for analysis by political observers and the public.
Up to the May election itself, we shall be seeing political alignments change, new alliances formed and broken, all in the name of survival.
Then there’s the vice-gubernatorial race.
Of the three, only Davide has a clear running mate in Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale. But one question in the air is whether Magpale will stick with Davide come election of 2016?
Or will Magpale shift her support to someone else? The question can find its answer in whoever Danao Mayor Ramonito Durano will support. Magpale usually defers to his decision.
Who else among the present crop of political leaders has the potential, especially members of the Provincial Board who already have a bailiwick.
Lito Osmeña, who is now a registered voter in the town of Balamban, earlier asked Rep. Benhur Salimbangon and Mandaue City Councilor Lollypop Ouano to be his vice governor bet, but both declined.
Actually, both are still good potential bets because they hold large bailiwicks: Ouano in Mandaue City and Salimbangon from the fourth district in north Cebu.
Would it be possible for Lito Osmeña and Winston Garcia to get another Durano as running mate?
In politics anything is possible. Consider Magpale. The answer would depend on Ramonito Durano.
Or Rep. Samsam Gullas from the vote-rich first district of Cebu? The answer would depend on his grandfather, former congressman Eduardo Gullas and the Alayon Party.
From hereon many names will be floated.
A few weeks ago, PhilHealth announced that it was increasing the coverage of hemodialysis of patients from the present 45 sessions to 90-session days. This was welcomed by many patients, including this writer.
As as of this writing, however, it hasn’t been implemented yet. The new coverage of 90-session days would be a big help even if the policy change would reduce the amount of coverage from P4,500 to P2,500 per session.
To undergo hemodialysis in a private hospital without PhilHealth coverage would cost at least P3,000 per session without the dialyzer and the regular medical laboratory tests that a doctor would require.
Many patients have dialysis three times a week or a cost of P36,000 a month. At present, in a private hospital, PhilHealth can cover dialysis for 45 sessions plus the dialyzer and the professional fee of the doctor of about P500. The doctor usually asks for a laboratory examination every three months.
The whole process is a heavy financial burden on patients.
I hope the Aquino administration and PhilHealth initiates the new policy soon.
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