Humingi ng paumahin si Xilca Alvarez-Protacio, anak na babae ng namayapang senador na si Heherson Alvarez, sa naging pahayag ng nakatatandang kapatid na si Hexilon Alvarez sa DZMM Teleradyo noong Martes, April 21.
Sa nasabing panayam, sinabi ni Hexilon na umabot daw sa P8 million ang hospital bills ng ama at ng inang si Cecile Guidote-Alvarez.
Parehong na-confine sa Manila Doctors Hospital ang mag-asawa na nagpositibo sa COVID-19.
Pumanaw ang dating senador, sa edad na 80, noong April 20.
Sa kabutihang palad ay gumaling si Cecile, at na-discharge na sa ospital noong April 15.
Sa ipinadalang sulat ni Xilca sa pamunuan ng ABS-CBN kahapon, April 22, sinabi niyang mali ang mga nasabi ng kanyang kapatid ukol sa hospital bills ng kanilang mga magulang.
Naka-address ang liham kay ABS-CBN President Carlo Katigbak.
Pahayag ng abugada, “I now write to apologize to you.
“Yesterday (April 21, 2020), my brother Hexilon had apparently stated in an interview that (a) my parents’ hospital bills for their confinement had reached more than PHP 8 million, and (b) my family had paid this amount and was hoping to receive reimbursement from Philhealth.
“Unfortunately, both statements are factually incorrect."
Ayon kay Xilca, ang totoo ay umabot sa "approximately P2 million" ang hospital bill ng kanyang ina.
Pero hindi raw ito pinabayaran sa kanila ng Manila Doctors Hospital, dahil sinagot ng Philhealth ang kabuuang halaga nang ma-discharge si Cecile noong April 15.
Hindi naman daw matiyak ni Xilca kung magkano ang hospital bill ng kanyang yumaong ama.
Pero naglalaro raw ito sa halos P5 million, hindi pa kasama rito ang Senior Citizen's discount.
Paglilinaw rin ni Xilca, "Manila Doctors did NOT ask us to settle my dad’s bills, as their priority at that time was to release his remains as soon as possible so that he could be cremated immediately (given the highly infectious nature of COVID-19).
“In fact, Manila Doctors did not even volunteer the amount of his bill, and they gave me an estimate only because I had prodded them to."
Tiniyak din daw sa kanya ng Manila Doctos na hindi prayoridad ang bayarin sa hospital, na tatalakayin nila ito sa Philhealth, at ire-release nila agad ang mga labi ng kanyang ama.
Sabi pa ni Xilca, “This, too, was a tremendous relief, as it allowed me to focus my efforts on arranging for my father’s cremation.”
“I AM VERY EMBARRASED”
Ayon pa kay Xilca, siya ang nakikipag-ugnayan nang direkta sa pamunuan ng ospital, mga doktor, at mga nurse kaya siya ang nakakaalam sa lahat ukol sa running bills ng mga magulang.
Dagdag niya, “I can even assure you that we would not have been able to pay PHP 8 million, even if we had wanted to, so there is nothing for Philhealth to 'reimburse' my family.”
Nahihiya rin daw siyang sabihin na hindi naintindihan ng kapatid na si Hexilon ang totoong sitwasyon at gumawa ng assumptions "based on outdated information."
Saad ni Xilca, “In particular, after our parents had been hospitalized for about a week and were both intubated, I was informed that their running bill was approximately PHP 2 million.
“At that time, there were yet no clear guidelines or pronouncement from Philhealth as to the extent of coverage to be granted to COVID-19 patients, so we had to brace ourselves for the prospect of a gigantic hospital bill at the end.
“I then told this to my brother weeks ago, and it now appears that he extrapolated the figure of PHP 8 million from what I told him weeks ago, and assumed that we must have somehow paid that amount.
“I hope you can forgive him for his honest error, and plead for your understanding as he (like the rest of my family) is very distraught over our dad’s demise.
“I hope you can accept my apologies as well for any inconvenience or embarrassment this may have caused."
FALSE INFORMATION
Hiniling din ni Xilca na tanggalin o ipa-take down ang interview ng kapatid, at iba pang artikulo na nakabase rito.
Maaari raw kasi itong pagmulan ng problema para sa Manila Doctors Hospital at sa Philhealth
Saad pa niya, “I am also concerned for others who are where we were weeks ago — not only distressed because our loved ones were on the brink of death, but also crippled by anxiety over how to pay for the hospitalization expenses.
“Hearing the news about my parents’ bills, or that we are hoping to be 'reimbursed' by Philhealth (which implies that we had to pay them), can only make the suffering of these other families worse.”
Idinagdag din ni Xilca na dahil sa mga nasabi ng kanyang kapatid, may mga tao na raw na nag-alok ng donasyon sa kanila bilang pandagdag sa pambayad sa ospital.
“And to be completely honest, I would much rather that my dad’s life be celebrated for the advocacies he championed and that he be remembered for the good things he did in his lifetime, rather than for this distraction that my brother’s error had inadvertently caused.”
Sa briefing ng Department of Health (DOH) ngayong araw, April 23, sinabi ng guest nilang si PhilHealth Vice President for Corporate Affairs na si Shirley Domingo na covered sina Senator Heherson Alvarez at Cecile Guidote-Alvarez sa unang package ng kagawaran para sa COVID-19 cases.