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Where does the sick go when the healthcare system alone also needs healing? Certain hospitals in the Philippines such as Pasay City General Hospital and Ospital ng Maynila have released pronouncements stating that their facilities have reached full capacity, thus they cannot yet cater patients for the meantime; while Governor Celestino Gallares Medical Hospital in Bohol has raised a Red Flag status last month, July, after exceeding the Emergency Room bed room capacity of 300%. Although, these announcements are deemed “normal” by some and simply sweeped under the rug—these are the receipts of how the healthcare system in the country is slowly dying and how diseases are not the sole culprit that will drive the Filipinos to death, but also those who we trusted, expected, and hoped for to improve the quality of our lives, yet they ended up doing the opposite—these are some of the elected officials. There is this built-in system that cycles through to hide their actions behind curtains. Corruption. Diversion. Band-aid solutions. Firstly, the Department of Health got P35.37 billion as a budget allocation for the year 2025. A budget for cultivation meant to nourish and enrich every branch of our healthcare system. However, nothing has improved; we are still stuck in a healthcare system that is horrendous and sickening—facilities are lacking, equipments are incomplete, and most of the patients in the public hospitals have to undergo sufferring of waiting, waiting, and waiting, even if sometimes they are already in the brink of death. So, where did the billions go? Where was it spent on? Who were selfishly nourished by it? As a matter of fact, we are already in the middle of the year, yet we are still going through the same path that brings a lot of turmoil and agitation to the Filipinos who are only counting on public hospitals in order to lessen the bills. We are already in the middle of the year, yet it still feels illegal to get sick because we cannot rely on the healthcare system in the country that also needs mending and alleviation. We are already in the middle of the year, yet we are all still treated as mere fools that do not deserve transparency regarding the national budget. Furthermore, the government officials have their way of keeping the mass diverted from what is really crucial and at stake. They just hold sports leagues and pageants—I know how important it is to be entertained, but how are we supposed to be entertained from the lack of attention and prioritization in the sectors that we really need? Do these officials expect us to giddily watch those segments even when we are deprived of a just and reliable healthcare? Do they expect us to choose entertainment with a smile on our faces even if we can no longer breathe from lung cancer? Why can they not commit to the health sector as much as how they focus on entertaining the people? Is it because the healthcare system eats up a huge portion of the budget, so big that there would be nothing left in their pockets? Lastly, the above-mentioned hospitals advised the patients to consult to their municipality health centers instead or just proceed to the other hospitals like it is the easiest action to do, like the materials are complete and survivance is assured. It is dismaying how most of these patients resort to forcibly proceeding to a private hospital out of desperation for survival and a hope to live. This is the reality that a lot of the Filipinos have to go through—they have to face the deprivation of rights while battling death, then defying debts and payments after. A deep wound simply patched by a thin band-aid on its surface will never fully heal—instead it can only lead to thick-layered complications and infections. Politicians always advise band-aid solutions towards challenges that are deep-rooted. In that way they are not only preventing proper and faster fixation on the system, but also bring more ailments that can worsen on the state of our ill system. So where does the sick really go when the healthcare system alone also needs healing? Only to themselves—depending on their own budget even if their pockets are not deep enough for the expense. Only to themselves because there is no one to rely on when the seated officials themselves are sick from selfishness. Only to themselves because there is nothing to expect from those officials who do not even flinch from the horrible situations that unfold in the hallways of hospitals. Only to themselves because we cannot hope for fast healing in a country that puts the healthcare system off the rug.