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Arroyo, execs no-show at bicam hearing on MRP delay


MANILA, Philippines - The bicameral inquiry on the delay of the implementation of the executive order on maximum retail price (MRP) that will lower the prices of 22 essential medicines started Monday morning without President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or any of her representatives. While the hearing was ongoing, a letter from Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita came notifying the bicameral Quality Affordable Medicines Oversight Committee that he, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Deputy Executive Secretary Joaquin Lagonera cannot attend. Senator Manuel Roxas II and Rep. Antonio Alvarez co-chair the bicameral body. Ermita said "there was no sufficient time for the invitees to adequately and properly prepare for the hearing, thus, they could not attend, neither their representative." The letter said that the Office of the President received the request to attend only last Friday. But Roxas insisted that Malacañang received the request letter on July 9 as can be seen in bar code stamped on the copy of the letter. Representatives of Pfizer Philippines also failed to attend the hearing. In a letter to the committee, Patricia Pascual, Pfizer’s public relations officer, said their officials have prior out-of-town appointments that cannot be rescheduled. She apologized for “Pfizer’s unavoidable absence in this public hearing." Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Trade Secretary Peter Favila, who earlier confirmed their attendance, were also not present in the hearing as they were still waiting for a clearance from Malacañang. "They got verbal instruction not to attend until they receive clearance to attend," a staff of Roxas who talked to Dr. Robert Louie So, Duque’s assistant, told the committee. The Senate staff, who coordinated the attendance of Duque and Favila, said that the two earlier told him they were on their way to the Senate but decided not to proceed after they learned of Ermita’s letter. Health Undersecretary Alexander Padilla, who was already in the committee room earlier, also left. After a supposed meeting with President Arroyo and representatives of pharmaceutical firms on July 8, Roxas alleged that Mrs. Arroyo colluded with medical companies to circumvent the law on cheaper and affordable medicines. But Reiner Gloor, executive director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), who was present in the July-8 meet, said he believes that the meeting was not secret as critics had claimed. Duque and Favila had denied accusations that the President met with officials of drug companies to hear their side, but they said the meeting was a dialogue. "There was no collusion. We should not believe this," Duque said in a press briefing at the Palace Friday. On the other hand, Gloor denied that the PHAP asked the President not to sign the executive order on the implementation of the MRP for essential medicines. "We did not ask her not to sign the MRP. We question if the MRP is necessary and if there is a better way to achieve it (better access and affordability of medicines)," Gloor said. He said the President told them that if they cannot come up with something commendable and good she will have to sign the MRP. Earlier meeting Before the July-8 meeting with President Arroyo, representatives of pharmaceutical companies met with Secretary Ermita and Trade undersecretary Thomas Aquino on July 2. PHAP’s Gloor said at the bicameral hearing Monday that the meeting was arranged by Albert Mateo Jr, president and country manager of Pfizer Philippines. Other attendees in the meeting were representatives from Roche, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. He claimed that the meeting centered on the proposed executive order on MRP and if it was possible to have alternatives to it. Offer of bribe Prior to the announcement on the list of essential medicines that would subjected to MRP, the Pfizer offered to donate to the government five million discount cards (sulit card) but this was rejected by Secretary Duque. It was not clear why the company made the offer, Gloor said. However, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile believed the offer was part of an effort to bribe the government and thwart the implementation of MRP. Gloor said the offer could be part of Pfizer’s program to help indigent partners. He added that the offer was made even before the MRP list was announced. “The Congress has already passed that law. It is already an indication that the purpose of the offer is to impede the enforcement of the law…To me, as a lawyer, that is an offer of a bribe," Enrile said. He added that if the company can afford to give discounts to selected people, which could amount to millions of pesos depending on the usage of the card, why couldn’t it offer to all. “Why only to selected five million and not the whole mass" Enrile said. - Amita O. Legaspi, GMANews.TV
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