Joy Adalia
A little past 4 PM on Thursday, October 30, 2014, former Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) and senator Juan Martin Flavier, 79, succumbed to multiple organ failures due to pneumonia.
Flavier is a favorite politician, even though he only briefly held a place in the senate. He chose to retire after the expiration of his second term in the senate.
He was, however, best known for being the Health Secretary, having created and launched catchy slogans such as “Let’s DOH It” and the “Oplan Alis Disease”.
Stand on HIV/AIDS and Family Planning
A staunch campaigner against the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines, Flavier ensured the DOH had ample funds to distribute condoms in the country’s first HIV prevention program. Due his actions, he was called the “Agent of Satan” by then Manila Archbishop Jaime Sin.
Despite heavy opposition from the Catholic Church, Flavier was not deterred. He continued to campaign for HIV prevention as well as the use of birth control in families. This endeared him to the people and one of the reasons why he gained unparalleled approval ratings across the country.
Stand on Diseases
Under his command, the DOH was able to achieve 100% immunization of children, including those living in hinter barangays and war-torn places. This he achieved by declaring a “ceasefire for children”, something which was surprisingly heeded by Muslim and communist insurgents.
According to InterAksyon, Flavier rallied thousands of volunteers to join the “Oplan Alis Disease” campaign. These people helped NGOs and barangay health workers provide immunization shots to the children on all inhabited islands in the Philippines.
From Barrio Doctor to DOH Health Secretary
The road from being a ‘barrio doctor’ to DOH Health Secretary was not an easy one for Flavier. What made this extra special, though, was the fact that it was actually what he chose for himself, not something imposed upon him.
Having graduated as valedictorian from Baguio City High School and gaining his medical degree from the University of the Philippines, he was later offered work in the US. Flavier, however, recognized the need for doctors to care for the less fortunate people in hinter barangays. So, shunning these jobs offers, he chose to be in the Doctors to the Barrios program.
For over 20 years, he was a barrio doctor, serving the people of Nueva Ecija and Cavite. His experiences were immortalized in the book he authored, Doctor to the Barrios, published in 1970.
It was in 1992 that he became the Health Secretary under President Fidel V. Ramos. Health programs he initiated include the Doctor to the Barrios Program, Kontra Kolera, Stop TB, Araw ng Sangkap Pinoy, Oplan Alis Disease, and Family Planning.
He won as senator in the 1995 elections and again during the 2001 elections. In the senate, he was able to sponsor or author several laws of great importance to the people.
Some of these include the Tobacco Regulation Act, Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Plant Variety Protection Act, Barangay Micro-Business Enterprise, National Service Training Program for Tertiary Students of 2002, Clean Air Act, Indigenous People’s Rights Act, Traditional Medicine Law, the Poverty Alleviation Law, and the Anti-money Laundering Act of 2001.
Indeed, Juan Flavier leaves a great legacy behind. RIP Mr. Let’s DOH It.
