Two of Bohol’s House of Representatives members rallied behind the province’s physicians who were maligned by controversial blogger Bohol Monitor.
Third district Rep. Alexie Tutor and second district Rep. Aris Aumentado issued statements condemning the anonymous blogger who, through Facebook, accused doctors of making money out of the pandemic.
Both Tutor and Aumentado echoed the Bohol Medical Society’s (BMS) statement calling on Bohol Monitor to stop “doctor shaming.”
“We must uplift our medical frontliners and support them in any way we can. Absolutely No to shaming! To The Bohol Monitor, Man-up!” said Tutor, who is vice-chair of the House’s Committee on Health.
Aumentado who described medical frontliners as “our modern-day heroes” pledged his “full support” for the BMS.
“No to doctor shaming! ABSOLUTELY NO TO THIS FACELESS COWARD FB ACCT “THE BOHOL MONITOR”!” he said in a Facebook post.
According to Tutor, anonymous Facebook pages particularly those engaging in information dissemination should be “traced and banned.”
“In the midst of the pandemic, we must call out responsible journalism and social media usage,” she said.
“To give an opinion on an issue is a choice anyone can make but to accuse someone of something without proof is another thing especially when what is put on the hot seat are our medical frontliners who are risking their lives treating Covid patients,” she added.
Last week, the BMS led by its president Jefferson Ong issued a statement calling Bohol Monitor a “faceless coward.”
Ong said doctors, like most professionals and workers in the country, have been adversely affected by the pandemic, contrary to the allegation of Bohol Monitor that they are making money out of the health crisis.
“This pandemic has not put extra money in our pockets instead it has taken much of our regular incomes as we are forced to limit our patients and some have stopped seeing patients in hospitals due to health conditions,” Ong said.
However, the BMS vowed to maintain their commitment to the wellbeing and health of the community despite the maligning of their profession and even as the posting of the accusation has “dampened their morale.”
The BMS said that since the start of pandemic, their position statements and recommendations to the government have always been expressed with “respect and transparency.”
The doctors’ group said that it has never been their aim to provoke conflict but to encourage what is medically right.