Nation

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter   MANILA — An intensified information campaign is needed to spread the importance of a mandatory health insurance coverage for all senior citizens, said Rep. Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City. The Senate and the House of Representatives have separately approved measures seeking to automatically enroll in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) all Filipinos aged 60 years and above. “Ginapangayuan na nila ako conformity sa mga differences sa Senado para go na,” said Treñas, one of the authors of the consolidated House Bill (HB) 4593. Senate Bill 712 and HB 4593 are now ready to be tackled at the bicameral conference. “Information (about the measure) should be disseminated to inform all senior (citizens),” Treñas told Panay News. If information about the measure is poorly disseminated, the measure becomes “an exercise in futility,” the congressman said. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, author of the Senate counterpart bill, said the national government can afford to make all senior citizens — indigent or not — members of PhilHealth. “Insuring our elderly should not be viewed as revenue loss,” said Recto. “It should rather be viewed as a productive expenditure and debt paid to those who gave the best years of their lives so ours will be better.” There are more than six million senior citizens in the country, but only close to four million are PhilHealth members, government data showed. According to Recto, PhilHealth has P116 billion in reserves and P62 billion in income as of December 2013. Senate President Franklin Drilon said the PhilHealth coverage measure will provide senior citizens “accessible” and “sufficient” health care services. “(It) will advance the health of millions of Filipinos and will uphold their right toward effective and easily attainable medical services,” he said./PN

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter   MANILA — President Benigno Aquino III has reservations on the proposed reimposition of death penalty in the country. Aquino has concerns with regards the judicial system, according to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda. Death penalty may be reimposed “if maganda ang judicial system natin,” Lacierda yesterday said. “Minsan nape-prejudice ang mahinang legal presentation.” Convictions cannot be reversed once a capital punishment is imposed, he said. “What happens (kapag) may judgment, ’yun pala nagkamali? There is no reversal.” The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) recently raised the issue on death penalty. Police officer involved in heinous crimes should be penalized by death, the VACC said. “They have the firearms. They have the authority. They use that against the people,” the group said, referring to the EDSA “hulidap” policemen. Aquino said in January this year that death penalty is not a deterrent to crimes. “Palagay ko, kailangang pag-aralan ng husto iyan,” said the President. “Siguro, at the most, at this point in time, ’pag may death sentence, iyong na-convict at tunay na criminal, iyon lang ang natanggal natin.” Senate President Franklin Drilon, on the other hand, said the Senate can debate on the reimposition of death penalty. “Dapat tingnan kung ang pagtaas ng krimen ay dahil ba sa pagkawala ng death penalty o sa hindi maayos na pagpapatakbo ng peace and order situation ng ating kapulisan,” Drilon said in a radio interview yesterday./PN

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter   MANILA — Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid has proposed to grant free college education to children of public elementary and secondary school teachers. Under Lapid’s Senate Bill 2416, the said teachers will be exempted from paying the tuition and other miscellaneous fees of one of their children enrolled in a state college or university. Under the bill’s Section 3, however, two children can avail themselves of free college education if both parents are public school teachers. Currently, the average college tuition is P60,000, Lapid said, citing a report. A public school teacher, however, gets a minimum monthly salary of only P18,500, the senator lamented. “It is important to provide non-wage benefit to public elementary and high school teachers to ensure that they will still be able to send their children to college (even with) the rising cost of tertiary education,” he said./PN

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter MANILA — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV wanted to investigate the apparent shortage of nurses in government hospitals despite the growing number...

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter MANILA — Sen. Grace Poe is pushing for initiatives that will help fight malnutrition in the country. Poe said the government will...

By SAMMY JULIAN Manila News Bureau Chief MANILA — The European Union has more than doubled its development cooperation funding for the Philippines for the next...

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter MANILA — The investigation on the alleged misuse of the P900-million Malampaya funds has been postponed. Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chair of...

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter MANILA — Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid has proposed the establishment of a community fitness center in every municipality or city. A full-time...

By SAMMY JULIAN Manila News Bureau Chief MANILA — The United States believes every dollar of its money extended for the victims of super typhoon “Yolanda”...

By PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter MANILA — Sen. Grace Poe wanted the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to finalize the new implementing rules and regulations (IRR)...