Getting medical help that depends on political favors is wrong and damages human dignity, according to Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David.
According to him, the poor are forced to beg for services rights that should be automatically provided by the government, such as health and education.
He also warned lawmakers against patronage or what he called “soft pork,” where aid becomes favor instead of service of the state.
He mentioned MAIFIP, which allegedly relies on political endorsement, making obtaining treatment a credit.
On the budget issue, there are those who oppose and those who favor MAIFIP, but the cardinal insists: health is a right, not a grace of those in power.
