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Cascolan vows effective and credible police service
By Fernan Angeles POLICE Lieutenant General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan is officially the country’s top cop as he formally takes over the top post of the 205,000-strong Philippine National Police. Cascolan, thus, becomes the 24th PNP director general as he replaced retired Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa in a change of command ceremony held at Camp…
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COVID-19 leaves 180,000 Filipinos jobless – DOLE
By Fernan Angeles THE global pandemic forced over 180,000 Filipinos to lose their jobs, said the Department of Labor and Employment. Government data released by DOLE’s job placement monitoring unit showed most of them lost their jobs due in view of company scale-down, retrenchment and closure. The National Capital Region recorded the highest number with…
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DILG reinstates discipline campaign amid COVID-19
By John Clifford Lintao CITING lack of discipline as among the factors that significantly contributed to the spread of the deadly virus, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reinstated shelved advocacy campaign on discipline in an apparent bid to compel compliance on minimum health standards in the time of COVID-19. Interior Undersecretary…
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Duterte still trusts Duque
By Fernan Angeles FOR the second time, President Rodrigo Duterte warded off Senate’s recommendation to fire and file criminal charges against Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in relation to the alleged irregularities in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, instead suggested to the public to wait for whatever findings and recommendation…
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PhilHealth crisis far from over
By John Clifford Lintao MORE pieces of evidence are cropping out from the embattled Philippine Health Insurance Corporation as one of the agency’s former senior auditing specialist claims to have flagged some P17.4-million worth of premiums collected from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), using supposedly fake receipts. According to Ken Sarmiento — previously assigned in the…
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New emergency powers for Duterte proposed
By John Clifford Lintao CONGRESSMEN looking into the irregularities at PhilHealth are seriously considering the idea of filing a bill granting emergency powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to address the issues hounding the state health insurer. “As agreed by the committee, we will be filing an Emergency Powers Act,” said House Committee on Public Accounts…
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Convicted rapist Antonio Sanchez wants to transfer to PGH
By Fernan Angeles CONVICTED former Calauan, Laguna mayor Antonio Sanchez may have grown tired of living inside a secluded facility. He now wants to be transferred elsewhere. However, Sanchez, who is serving seven life sentences for rape and double murder case dating back 1993, claims to be severely ill, which he cited in his request…
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Reporting illicit drug trade: It’s just a click away
By Fernan Angeles REPORTING illicit drug trade anywhere in the Philippines is just a click away, said Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Wilkins Villanueva as he launched a Facebook page seen to serve as the agency’s official online communication platform in the implementation of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program (BDCP). Known as “Barangay PDEA”,…
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Duque denies role in PhilHealth IRM mess
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Tuesday said it was “unfortunate” that the Senate recommended the filing of criminal charges against him, stressing that he had no say in the Interim Reimbursement Mechanism (IRM). The Senate Committee of the Whole earlier urged raps against Duque, chairman of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the…
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Cascolan is new PNP chief
President Rodrigo Duterte has chosen Police Lieutenant General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan as the next head of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday. “He [Cascolan] is the new chief PNP. PRRD [Duterte’s initials] has just signed his appointment paper,” Año said. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea also confirmed the appointment. Cascolan would…