A good intentioned President decides to appoint as Heath Secretary a staunch advocate for herbal medicine. Oh.... and the appointee isn't an MD - she just holds a certificate in heath care given by a prestigious academic institution that previously required enrollees to have an undergraduate degree.
Of course the academic institution was funded in part by the family of the appointee.
But I digress.
After the appointment, the Health Secretary designate begins to wage a war vs Big Pharma. Citing social justice. Saying that the Big Pharma companies are greedy, taking too big profits while the rest of the country remained poor. And insisting that people choose herbals - she even demonstrates a few produced by a firm connected with her family while singing in a video published on social media. When doctors speak out against her campaign she and her allies call them "paid hacks" of Big Pharma.
And she says that legislators who question her competence for the post were paid by Big Pharma to oppose her.
She then begins to issue closure orders. Unilab, the country's largest pharma company, is issued a closure order. Mercury Drug starts to run out of stock. Hospitals are in turmoil. People start buying herbs to grow at home and to chew.
Anti Big Pharma clergy - to show their principles -resort to faith healing instead of surgery. (Hahaha- as if!!!)
Is this a possible scenario?
What will happen to Heath care in the Philippines?
And what do we do with Science? And Research? Which cost billions?
Passion is a plus in a government employee. More for those higher up- who remain government EMPLOYEES no matter how f*****g high up they are, by the way.
But passion misplaced is dangerous. Anywhere. Under any circumstance. And more so when the public interest is at stake.
Of the Philippines' 30 million hectares less than 100,000 hectares is being mined. That's 1/3 of 1% of our total national territory! Vehicular exhaust does more real damage, everyday, than mining does. But mining is portrayed as one of the biggest if not the biggest reason for our environmental despoliation. For our loss of forest cover (false, NEDA points out). For the destruction of our water bodies (population Growth and urbanization and untreated human waste are the primary causes, says NEDA). And mining is even blamed for earthquakes. (False again - but who cares?)
In a few days legislators will pass on the fitness of the nominee to the post of DENR Secretary. If I had a vote I will vote no. The nominee should go back to being an advocate. She is emotionally and mentally suited for that. But definitely not for the job of administrator of laws and implementer of policy.
The job desperately calls for a person with a totally different mental and emotional predisposition and academic background.
Surely love of country and of the poor is not the entire monopoly of one person??? All we need to look for is someone with those qualities and the additional mental and emotional firmness backed by academic competence and scientific understanding to firmly and fairly enforce the environmental laws of this country!
(Ability to sing well is a plus.)
Trust me there are people out there who meet these criteria. They just don't have the backing of an oligarchy-owned media giant to plug for her as she plugs for the family interest.