-
Senate OKs P4.5T 2021 nat’l budget
By John Clifford Lintao THE Senate, voting 22-0, approved on third and final reading its version of the proposed P4.5-trillion national budget for 2021, which is anchored on the theme “Reset, Rebound, and Recover: Investing for Resiliency and Sustainability.” The passage comes well within the timeline set to ensure that the bill gets President Rodrigo…
-
Senate, House clash looms
By Fernan Angeles BREWING confrontation looms between the Senate and the House of Representatives as Senate President Vicente Sotto III drew first blood by lambasting House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano over statements. Reacting to Cayetano’s statement, Sotto warned the public not to be misled after the House Speaker blamed them if the P4.5-trillion 2021 budget…
-
Senate spots P1 billion insertion for new roads and comfort rooms
By Fernan Angeles THE Senate contingent in the bicameral conference for Bayanihan 2 spotted a P1 billion fund insertion by the House of Representatives wanting to construct additional comfort rooms and streets. “Ito ang mahabang diskusyon na nangyari dahil ang ibig ng mga kongresista ay ilagay ito sa pagpapatayo ng kubeta at kalsada habang ang…
-
Delicadeza, intolerance compelled 2 PhilHealth officials to quit
By John Clifford Lintao SHORT of admitting the mafia operations at the state insurer, two former officials of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation cited delicadeza and intolerance amid massive corruption as the main reasons why they resigned. Former PhilHealth senior vice president Augustus De Villa said delicadeza was one the reasons why he filed his…
-
Go on leave, DOJ urges entire PhilHealth board
By Fernan Angeles THOSE at the helm of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation should seriously consider going on a “leave,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Monday, August 10. Guevarra did not name names but apparently he was referring to the entire board of the embattled agency. The justice chief also expressed hope PhilHealth officials…
-
Let Senate decide on Morales’ skipping Senate probe – Roque
By John Clifford Lintao ONLY the Senate may decide whether or not to consider the alibi of top PhilHealth officials who have hinted on the possibility of skipping its next hearing on the alleged irregularities within the agency. Sought for reaction over reports that had PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales and Senior Vice President Arnel de…
-
2 PhilHealth officials won’t attend Senate hearing
By John Clifford Lintao TWO top health officials under fire cited their health condition as an excuse not to attend the continuation of Senate hearing on alleged irregularities. Instead they sent advance copies of their medical excuses. Senate has already received documents that tend to say that they won’t be available next week for the…