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NEWS / A3
NEWS / A2 VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 326 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2025
PhilHealth hikes benefits by 50% Increase covers 9,000 case rate packages to stem health inflation
‘Around 300’ Afghans in PH while processing US visas By Rachelle Tonelada AFGHAN nationals arrived yesterday in the Philippines to process and complete their United States Special
Immigrant Visa (SIV), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Their transit in Manila is part of a July 29, 2024 agreement between the Philippine and US governments, which permits
up to 300 Afghan nationals to temporarily stay in the country while completing their SIV requirements, DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said. Next page
T
HE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. increased almost all of its benefit packages by 50 percent despite getting zero subsidy from the government this year. According to PhilHealth Circular No. 2024-0037, the increase, which took effect January 1, was approved “to increase support value, decrease out-of-pocket payment (OOP), increase financial risk protection, and ensure the effective delivery of highquality health services.” “This (circular) covers around 9,000 case rate packages that we have increased by 50 percent,” PhilHealth senior vice president Israel Pargas said. PhilHealth said the package hike “effectively reinforces case-based payments and adjusts case rates to align with health inflation, demonstrating a strong commitment to improving healthcare affordability and access.” Among the medical cases covered by the adjustments are urinary tract infection (UTI), acute gastroenteritis, and influenza.
FLIGHT TO SAFETY. Up to 300 Afghan nationals arrived yesterday aboard a chartered flight for the processing of their US Special Immigrant Visas, which is required for immigration to the United States. Their transit in Manila is part of the 100-day deal entered into by the Philippines and the US government. US Embassy in the Philippines.
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VP’s removal COA flags SSS, DOH for collection, project completion deficiencies from NSC her fault—lawyer By Rachelle Tonelada and Rolando Ng III FORMER party-list representative and human rights lawyer Barry Gutierrez said Vice President Sara Duterte’s removal from the National Security Council (NSC) was an outcome she brought upon herself when she threatened the life of the President, the First Lady and the House Speaker. Gutierrez, who was a spokesperson of former Vice President Leni Robredo, argued that Duterte’s controversial “kill” remarks made her a potential threat to national security. “The VP publicly threatened the President, FL, and Speaker. That is certainly more than enough basis for excluding her from the NSC, considering that she unequivocally demonstrated that she herself may be a threat to national security,” Gutierrez told Manila Standard. Gutierrez’s comments were an apparent reaction to lawyer Salvador Panelo’s criticism of the removal of Duterte and her prior exclusion from NSC meetings, accusing the President of “dirty politics” that aims to “diminish” the Next page
THE Commission on Audit flagged the Social Security System for failing to collect P93.747 billion worth of premium contributions from delinquent employers in 2023. COA said SSS was only able to collect P4.581 billion or 4.89 percent of its P93.747 billion collectibles. Total net collecti-
bles of SSS stood at P89.166 billion as of December 31, 2023, covering 420,267 delinquent household or business employers. COA likewise flagged the Department of Health for P2.83 billion worth of deficiencies in the implementation of its Health Facilities Enhancement Program in 2023.
HFEP’s budget for 2023 covered the construction, upgrading, or expansion of government healthcare facilities, purchase of hospital equipment and motor vehicles, as well as upgrading of facilities for COVID-19 response. “The foregoing deficiencies affected the benefits that the public could have derived from the immediate and maxi-
mum use of the said facilities and the non-attainment of the program objectives,” the COA said. As for the deficiencies noted in SSS collections, COA said the inefficiency “deprived the SSS of much-needed funds for the timely delivery of social security protection, claims, and benefits, to its Next page
Lakas-CMD solons affirm support for PBBM, Speaker By Maricel V. Cruz
READINESS CHECK. Personnal of various law enforcement agencies stand in formation in front of the Quirino Grandstand during a send-off ceremony, showdown inspection, and mastering of equipment to ensure preparedness of each unit/agency involved in securing the participants of Nazareno 2025. Norman Cruz
LEADERS from the ruling LakasChristian Muslim Democrats (LakasCMD) reaffirmed their support for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of a prosperous and inclusive Bagong Pilipinas, crediting Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s dynamic leadership as instrumental in pushing forward the administration’s legislative agenda for 2025. Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe lauded Speaker Romualdez’s strategic and decisive approach, which Next page
NSC tells fishermen not to worry about ‘Monster’in EEZ By Rex Espiritu THE National Security Council (NSC) on Monday expressed alarm over the presence of the China Coast Guard (CCG) patrol vessel 5901, dubbed as ‘The Monster,’ in Philippine waters. Well, what’s alarming in these kinds of events is because the biggest impact of this is on our fishermen,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in an interview. He, however, encouraged fisher-
folks to continue exploring the vastness of the country’s exclusive economic zone. ‘The Monster,’ remains within the Luzon coast as of Monday morning, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the West Philippine Sea (WPS) monitor. The PCG through BRP Cabra (MRRV 4409) continues to actively monitor the mammoth CCG fleet after its presence was detected and verified using Canada’s dark vessel detection
(DVD) system over the weekend. “The CCG vessel has been challenged regarding its illegal presence, emphasizing that it lacks the legal authority to operate within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” said PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela in a post on X late Sunday. In a message to Manila Standard also on January 5, Sealight director and retired US Air Force Officer Ray Powell Next page
OFFICIAL BALLOT.
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman George Garcia presents a copy of the official ballot that will be used in the May 2025 midterm and BARMM elections. Manny Palmero