MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – A lawmaker has proposed a measure mandating that new Filipino doctors and nurses be quarantined in the country for a year before they could seek jobs abroad.

Malasakit and Bayahanihan party-list Rep. Anthony Rolando Golez Jr. said House Bill No. 6232, also known as Mandatory Medical Service Bill, aims to address the shortage of healthcare workers in the Philippines.

Instead of creating incentives for the medical professionals, Golez wants to punish them for years of expensive education and training, and for seeking a better future for themselves and their families.

Is this a case of “if you can’t stop them, detain them?”

Is this also yet another argument for the abolition of the party-list system in Philippine Congress?