Employees of the National
Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) can now easily avail low-priced but safe
and good quality medicines as an in-house pharmacy, called the Botika ng Manggagawa, was recently unveiled
by the NAFC Employees’ Association (NAFCEA).
The launch of the drugstore was
held last May 4, during the three-day celebration of the association’s 21st
anniversary, in the presence of NAFC employees and officials and Ms. Esperanza
S. Ocampo, National President of the Philippine Government Employees
Association (PGEA) whose partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) has made
the project possible.
The said project is a result of
the September 2010 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) entered into between the DOH
and PGEA to establish 100 Botika ng
Manggagawa in different government agencies in the National Capital Region.
Under the project, every government agency/beneficiary is provided with generic
and essential medicines worth P50,000.00.
 |
(L-R) NAFC Exec. Dir. Ariel
Cayanan, NAFCEA President
Solidad Bernardo, PGEA President Esperanza Ocampo,
and NAFC Deputy Exec. Dir. Noel Juliano during the
ribbon-cutting ceremony of
the Botika ng Manggagawa sa NAFC.
|
Medicines available for sale at NAFC’s
Botika ng Manggagawa vary from antibiotics,
to vitamins and maintenance for hypertension and diabetes. The facility itself
is located at the NAFC Human Resources and Management Section office at the second
floor of Apacible Hall, Department of Agriculture (DA) Compound, Elliptical
Road in Diliman, Quezon City.
During the launching ceremony, a MOA
for the establishment of the Botika ng
Manggagawa was signed between the PGEA, NAFCEA officers and NAFC officials.
 |
NAFC officials
and employees pose with PGEA
President Esperanza Ocampo (in blue) for a group
photo with the newly unveiled in-house pharmacy
of the agency in the
background.
|
In an interview, Ms. Ocampo stressed
the privilege of government workers to acquire health care services that are
easily accessible and affordable.
“Our dream is to empower government
employees to an extent that they become critical in the development of our
country. It can only happen if government employees are united and if every
government employees’ organization can address the needs of the workers. The
PGEA mission and vision is to really serve and empower the employees to become
effective workers. The pharmacy is just one of the programs that will help us
attain this,” Ms. Ocampo said.
 |
(L-R) NAFC Deputy Exec. Dir. Noel
Juliano, NAFCEA
President Solidad Bernardo, PGEA President Esperanza Ocampo, and NAFC Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan sign the memorandum of agreement for the Botika ng Manggagawa established for employees of the DA and NAFC. |
Ms. Ocampo said that their
organization is also currently pushing for low-cost housing for civil servants
who earn meagre income for their families.
Botika ng Mangagawa is a variant of the
DOH’s projects under the Cheaper Medicines Program of the Philippines. Other
projects include Botika ng Barangay
(BnB), Botika Ng Bayan (BNB), and Botika para sa Taumbayan (BPT).
In his speech, NAFC Executive
Director Engr. Ariel T. Cayanan expressed gratitude for the project which
addresses the health concerns of the Filipino population.
NAFCEA Vice President Susan
Puentebella echoed Dir. Cayanan’s message saying, “We are very privileged to be
given this grant. Now, employees not only from NAFC, but also from DA, can
acquire quality but affordable generic medicines.”
The facility will be open to all
DA and NAFC employees soon after the DOH conducts inspection of the medicines
in the said outlet.
