NAFCEA unveils Botika ng Manggagawa in its 21st anniversary

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 21^st 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.