I have always thought the previous presidential administration failed in providing service for the public, such as lacking medical services despite the presence of provincial and regional hospitals. It has only been during the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte where the Malasakit Center, which provides free medical services to low-income patients, was devised. Why didn’t prior administrations introduce similar concepts? Did previously elected officials just disregard healthcare?

Perhaps healthcare did not add enough to their personal wealth; the dengvaxia issue turned out to be a matter of money and not about the welfare of children as government officials at the time purported. When will their karma arrive?

This country has been affected by typhoons and floods and, when calamity strikes, television networks are out distributing relief goods – by the way, whatever happened to the canned goods that were donated for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda back in 2013? In the end, it’s the private sector that is assisting those camped out at evacuation centers.

While legislators across the country act as architects and engineers, identifying places to build more roads, the country is wondering which one of them has thought of something like a mobile kitchen, which is used to assist the victims of calamity. What good is the rice or noodles with no kitchen to cook them in?

A mobile kitchen is basically a large truck with built-in food preparation and cooking facilities; it’s pretty simple, yet politicians have yet to come up with such an idea.

How much would it cost? Maybe around P2 million – a small amount compared to what is spent on political campaigns.

Rotary International previously donated a mobile kitchen to the Philippine Red Cross – I used it in Iloilo City years back and it’s still in good shape.

Why do people get sick? Previous administrations were too concerned about lining their pockets and forgot to take care of the nation’s health. I salute the Duterte administration for creating the Malasakit Center.

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This column greets my friends who care for people, including Jane Javellana, Doc Chris Sorongon, Tata Lacson, Kate Cabuga, Ronnie Gabalda, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, JC Clavecillas, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio ‘Ipe’ Remollo, Toto Cua Locsin, and Mayette Javellana-Yao. Cheers to Carlo dela Cruz, Art Colmedora, Charles Lim, Charo Lagamon, and Viveca Singson./WDJ