PhilHealth, CMN Ink MOU for Benefit of OFW Members May 7, 2012

TO provide better service to Overseas Filipino Worker-members, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Catholic Media Network Corporation (CMN) to generate more avenues for its advocacy campaigns.

The consultative and collaborative partnership with the CMN aims to achieve a common goal of promoting apostolic aspirations of the Church and for the State to safeguard the health and welfare of all Filipinos, both domestic and overseas. It was pursued in line with the fact that health care is a moral and ethical obligation.

The CMN is a Catholic radio network that operates 49 AM and 42 FM radio stations nationwide, reaching 11 regions and 35 provinces. It is by far the largest broadcasting station in the country in terms of total number of stations and transmitting power per station. Its broadcasts are also transmitted via LIVE streaming on the Internet, thus reaching OFWs.

Through the partnership, PhilHealth will be able to attend to membership, collection and benefits availment concerns of listener-members, including but not limited to members under the Overseas Workers Program (OWP) and their qualified dependents, through a link on the CMN’s online web accounts.

The partnership also paves the way for strengthened networking efforts with Catholic OFW organizations both locally and overseas, posting of PhilHealth updates and advisories on community bulletin boards and websites, Catholic schools, and parishes to reach as many members as possible.

On the other hand, the CMN will designate and deputize regular point persons per area to ensure an effective and well-coordinated support system for PhilHealth members and their qualified dependents. They will also consider possible bilateral and/or multilateral agreements pertaining to their public service programs on local networks and with its subsidiary/affiliate stations and partner organizations worldwide.

PhilHealth President and CEO, Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon thanked CMN President Fr. Francis B. Lucas for this collaboration, saying “PhilHealth appreciates the efforts of the CMN as we expand the program particularly for the Overseas Filipino Workers. At this point, we’re really expanding the overseas program for what’s unique with PhilHealth is that this is one program that really involves all Filipinos.” He further said that the partnership augurs well with PhilHealth’s aim of bringing into the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) all Filipinos regardless of religious beliefs, especially those from OFW-dense countries such as Hongkong, the Middle East, Taiwan, Italy and many more.

For his part, Lucas said that the CMN partnered with PhilHealth because they would like “...to expand our communications to everybody in the form of partnership because we feel that what you’re doing is very relevant and helpful to our Filipinos, not only here but also all over the world.”

Also signing the MOU for PhilHealth were Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Atty. Alexander A. Padilla, and Senior Vice President for Legal Sector Atty. Edgar Julio S. Asuncion. For CMN, the other signatories were Chief of Operations Medda M. Carpio and Counsel George Ahmed Paglinawan.

Other PhilHealth Officers present during the signing ceremony were Corporate Affairs Group Vice President Gregorio C. Rulloda, OIC-Vice President for Member Management Group Walter R. Bacareza, and Overseas Filipino Workers - Lifetime Membership Segment Head Gary Gaffud. (END) (by Loida C. Ignacio)