Several lawmakers slammed physician and public health advocate Tony Leachon, who called for the resignation of Executive Secretary Ralph Rection over issues related to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) funding and tax policies.
Deputy Speaker and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, and San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora separately criticized Leachon’s remarks, saying the criticisms oversimplified complex fiscal and healthcare issues.
In a social media post, Leachon urged Recto to step down, citing concerns over the alleged “defunding” of PhilHealth, the government’s handling of fuel excise taxes, and Recto’s association with the Expanded Value-Added Tax (EVAT) law.
The lawmakers, however, argued that revenue measures and taxation policies are part of broader government efforts to sustain healthcare services, infrastructure projects, subsidies, and social protection programs.
“Kung totoong buwis ang adbokasiya mo, then say it straight: tax the rich, subsidize the poor and stop pretending that every complicated fiscal decision can be solved by calling for someone’s resignation,” Garin said.
She added that public finance issues require careful balancing and should not be reduced to viral political attacks lacking broader context.
Luistro likewise snapped at Leachon, stressing that tax and budget decisions go through Congress and involve multiple government agencies and economic managers.
“Calling for resignation is the easiest line to throw when one does not want to deal with the hard part of governance,” Luistro said.
She emphasized that the more important issue is how the government can generate enough revenue to sustain essential services while protecting vulnerable sectors from additional burdens.
The Batangas lawmaker also said discussions on healthcare financing should focus on strengthening PhilHealth benefits, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for patients, and improving the delivery of health services rather than turning the issue into a personal attack.
Luistro further argued that Recto’s decades-long experience in public finance and governance should be evaluated comprehensively and not reduced to isolated accusations circulating online.
For her part, Zamora said Leachon’s statements overlooked the more important debate on how the government should properly fund healthcare while shielding ordinary Filipinos from economic hardship.
“The responsible position is to design a system where those with greater capacity contribute more and those with less in life receive stronger support,” Zamora said.
She also cautioned against using public frustration to fuel attacks against officials instead of promoting informed discussion on fiscal and healthcare reforms.
Garin, a former Health secretary, also underscored that healthcare financing involves long-term planning, subsidies, reimbursements, and sustainable funding mechanisms.
“Doktor siya, so dapat alam niya na hindi lahat ng sakit nadadaan sa sigaw. Ganoon din sa gobyerno. Hindi lahat ng problema sa health financing nadadaan sa resignation demand,” Garin said.
The lawmakers maintained that while criticism of government policy is part of democratic discourse, discussions involving taxation and healthcare funding should remain grounded in policy solutions rather than political rhetoric.