Latest news with #BongGo
GMA Network
18 hours ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Senate approves anti-POGO bill on final reading
Senate Bill 2868, also known as the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, received 23 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions. The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the country. Senate Bill 2868, also known as the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, received 23 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions. It was authored by Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Raffy Tulfo, Pia Cayetano, Grace Poe, and Risa Hontiveros. The bill declared offshore gaming operations in the Philippines as unlawful. It was approved on second reading last June 4. Under the bill, violators may face imprisonment of not less than six years to up to 12 years and be fined at least P300,000. The bill also states that if the violator is a public official or employee, the maximum penalty will be imposed. In 2024, authorities discovered some POGO hubs engaging in human trafficking and physical and sexual abuse. This includes POGO hubs in Bambam, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga. This led to the arrest of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, also identified as Guo Hua Ping, for alleged involvement in the illegal activities of a POGO hub in her town. –NB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
6 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Senators seek increase in PhilHealth's anti-rabies coverage
Two senators asked the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to increase its package for anti-rabies vaccination amid the rising rabies cases. In a hearing on Tuesday, Senator Bong Go said some patients might have hesitation about availing of anti-rabies shots because of the costs. 'Baka ang mga kababayan natin sa takot ayaw na magpa-injection dahil mahal ang babayaran. Lalo na pag talagang positibo na kailangan nila magpa-inject. Baka maaring taasan nyo ang inyong coverage para hindi matakot ang ating mga kababayan na magpa-injection at magpa-gamot dahil may PhilHealth na masasandalan nila,' said Go, chairperson of the Senate Committe on Health. (Perhaps our countrymen are scared of the injection because the fees are expensive. There really is a need for vaccination, especially when they test positive. Perhaps there can be an increase in coverage so that our countrymen would no longer be scared of vaccination and treatment because they can depend on PhilHealth.) 'Ang bilis, ang bilis niyan. Hindi yan pwedeng sandali…. Dapat punta kaagad sa hospital, punta kaagad sa health center, check-up kaagad. At kung kailangan magpa-injection, injection kaagad. Dapat tumugon kaagad ang gobyerno dahil buhay po rito ang nakataya dito,' he added. (It's so fast. They can't delay… You would have to immediately head to a hospital or to a health center for a check-up. If you need an injection, you need to be vaccinated right away. The government has to respond right away because there are lives at stake.) In an advisory in March 2025, PhilHealth noted that its current Animal Bite Package covers P5,850 for vaccinations. Some hospitals offer free vaccinations for humans, while local government offices also offer free vaccinations for pets. Senator Raffy Tulfo said that local government units must allot a budget for anti-rabies vaccinations for both animals and humans. Two rabies deaths occurred within a month —a man who died nine months after the bite and a woman who was bitten two months ago. The two did not avail themselves of anti-rabies shots. In 2024, the DOH reported a total of 426 rabies-related deaths and emphasized the need for pet vaccinations and increased rabies awareness. Meanwhile, Go also asked the Department of Budget and Management to settle the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) payouts of health workers. 'Unahin niyo bayaran ang mga appeals ng health emergency allowances. Yung mga health workers natin na nagsakripisyo at nakipagpatayan sa atin ng panahon ng pandemya. Kung totoo naman na pinaghirapan nila at pinagtrabahuan nila, sana gawan nyo po ito ng paraan,' he said. (Prioritize paying the appeals of health emergency allowances. Our health workers have sacrificed and faced the frontlines for us during the pandemic. If it is true that they have worked for this, I hope something could be done.) 'Services rendered po yan, pinagpawisan po yan, pinaghirapan po yan ng ating mga health workers. Sila po ang hero ng pandemya. Di natin mararating ito kung hindi dahil sa kanila. Ibigay po what is due,' he continued. (These are rendered services, toiled with sweat and hard work by our health workers. They are the heroes of the pandemic. We will not be able to get here without them. Give them what is due.)—LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
6 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Lawmakers: PhilHealth excess funds could have been used to save more lives
Lawmakers raised concerns over the excess funds that PhilHealth had returned to the Bureau of National Treasury during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography on Tuesday. In the hearing, committee chair Senator Bong Go said that the P89.9 billion excess funds could have been used to increase benefits or coverage for Filipinos. He reiterated that PhilHealth was an insurance institution instead of a business that needed to build profit, and that their lack of coverage may have pushed Filipinos to refuse treatment due to anticipated expenses. 'Matagal ko na po sinasabi kung ginastos ng PhilHealth ang pondo ninyo noon para sa pasyente, wala na po sana kayong sobrang pondo na ibinalik sa National Treasury. Kung ginamit niyo ang inyong pondo to expand benefit packages and increase case rates, ilang pasyente na po ang nasalba o ilang buhay na po ang inyong nasalba dito sa mga pondong ito,' said Go. (For the longest time, I've been saying that if PhilHealth used their funds for their patients before, they could've had no more excess funds to return to the National Treasury. If they only used those funds to expand benefit packages and increase case rates, they could have saved so many more patients or lives with these funds.) 'Marami pong mga kababayan natin takot magpa-hospital, takot magpa-check-up dahil sa kahirapan. Yung iba po hindi nila alam na member sila ng PhilHealth… Kung alam lang nila na tutulungan sila ng PhilHealth sa pagpapa-hospital, hindi po sana nangyari yan. So, wala pong dahilan na ibalik niyo ang inyong pondo sa National Treasury habang naghihirap pa yung mga kababayan natin. Gamitin niyo po to expand your benefit packages. Ang dami pong sakit,' he urged. (So many of our countrymen are scared to be hospitalized, scared to get check-ups because of poverty. Others don't even know that they are members of PhilHealth… If only they knew that PhilHealth can help them when they get hospitalized, that wouldn't have happened. There should have been no reason to return those funds to the National Treasury while our countrymen are suffering. Use those to expand your benefit packages. There are so many diseases.) The committee chair noted that there had been several instances of patients who have suffered through critical conditions or passed away without being able to receive the benefits that should have been offered by PhilHealth. As a result, he expressed support for the reduction of Philhealth's contributions as they had too much excess funds that they weren't using for benefits. 'Kung taasan niyo ang benepisyo ninyo, dagdagan niyo ang benepisyo ng mga kababayan natin, hindi magmamakaawa yung mga pasyente. Hindi yan magihihirap magmamakaawa, hingi ng tulong sa mga politiko. Dapat PhilHealth na yan… Bakit magmamakaawa ang Pilipino? Pera ng Pilipino yan, pera natin yan, pera ninyo yan. Dapat mapakinabangan yan at wala pinipili,' he said. (If you only raise your benefits and add more benefits to our countrymen, the patients wouldn't have to beg. They wouldn't have to suffer and ask for mercy, or ask help from politicians. That should have been under PhilHealth… Why would the Filipinos need to beg? That is the money of the Filipinos, our money, your money. That should be enjoyed without any discrimination.) 'Dapat pag-aralan ng PhilHealth kung paano kayo makasabay ang inyong benepisyo sa actual hospitalization costs. We also urge PhilHealth to look into other packages that must be developed and enhanced… Patay na yung pasyente, hindi pa niya napakinabangan, nalugi pa siya sa kanyang binayad. Kasi kung insurance ito, kaya nga tayo nagbabayad ng insurance para insured tayo, kampante tayo na mabalik sa atin at magagamit natin sa tuwing tayo ang nangangailangan,' he added. (PhilHealth should look into how the benefits could help with actual hospitalization costs. We also urge PhilHealth to look into other packages that must be developed and enhanced… The patient is already dead, they couldn't reap the benefits, and experienced loss with the fees that they paid. If this is insurance, then isn't the reason why we pay is to be insured and assured that it will return and be used everytime we need help?) Go's sentiments were echoed by Senator Raffy Tulfo, who claimed he had seen a public hospital with a cashier for services not covered by PhilHealth. Tulfo questioned the coverages, noting that remaining expenses pushed Filipinos to depend on ayudas and politicians for help on issues that should have been covered by the agency. 'Bakit kailangan mamigay ang politiko ng ayuda na galing sa gobyerno para pampagamot ng mga mahihirap na kababayan when in fact kaya naman gawin ng gobyerno yan? Bakit kinakailang idaan pa sa politiko?… It happens all the time,' Tulfo said. (Why do politicians need to distribute ayuda from the government to cure the poor Filipinos, when in fact the government themselves could do that? Why do we need to go through politicians?... It happens all the time.) The P89.9 billion excess PhilHealth funds have been consistently questioned by the government since 2024, expressing concern over the unused and idle funds amid repeated increased budget requests and increased contribution requirements. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in 2024, said that the excess funds would be used to increase salaries and benefits of government workers as per the list of priority programs under unplanned appropriations. In 2025, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto stated that they used P60 billion of said excess funds for the following health-related projects: P27.45 billion to pay the allowances of COVID-19 frontliners P10 billion to the Social Programs for Health to provide medical assistance to poor Filipinos P3.37 billion for the establishment of three DOH facilities P4.1 billion to strengthen existing DOH facilities P1.6 billion to the Health Facilities Enhancement Program P13.00 billion to fund the government counterpart financing for foreign-assisted infrastructure and social determinants for health projects. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Bong Go, Bam Aquino, Bato top 2025 senatorial race
Twelve candidates have officially secured seats in the Senate following the 2025 midterm elections, according to the National Certificate of Canvass (NCOC) released this week. Senator Bong Go led the race with 27.1 million votes, followed by former senator Bam Aquino with 20.9 million votes, and Senator Ronald dela Rosa with 20.7 million votes. Also making it to the winning circle were ACT-CIS party-list Representative Erwin Tulfo with 17.1 million votes, former senator Francis Pangilinan with 15.3 million, and SAGIP party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta with 15.2 million. Completing the top 12 were former senator Panfilo Lacson, former Senate president Vicente Sotto III, Senator Pia Cayetano, Las Piñas City Representative Camille Villar, Senator Lito Lapid, and Senator Imee Marcos. These newly proclaimed lawmakers will serve a six-year term, playing a key role in crafting national laws, reviewing government policies, and approving national budgets. Winners are now expected to assume office by June 30.
South China Morning Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Philippine midterms: did pro-Duterte candidates benefit from ‘China-funded' troll farms?
A formal complaint has accused candidates backed by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte of gaining an unfair advantage in Monday's midterm elections through 'China-funded' digital disinformation campaigns. Advertisement Backed by forensic evidence and submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the complaint has renewed scrutiny of suspected foreign interference in Philippine politics – echoing a broader pattern of cyber espionage claims tied to Beijing. While some cybersecurity experts say the claims are credible given recent arrests and mounting geopolitical tensions, others caution that definitive attribution remains technically elusive. The complaint, filed with Comelec by Filipino citizen Dillan Mangilit, includes traffic logs, bot activity reports and metadata trails that allegedly point to coordinated foreign-backed efforts to amplify pro-Duterte content. It argued that these activities violated the Fair Election Act and Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code, which bars candidates from receiving foreign political contributions. Senator Bong Go (centre) gestures during a motorcade in Manila, the Philippines, on May 7. He is among the 15 candidates named in the complaint. Photo: EPA-EFE A total of 15 candidates are named in the complaint as supposed beneficiaries of the content amplification, which include Duterte and his sons Paolo and Sebastian, as well as long-time allies and incumbent senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa, who ranked first and third in the elections, respectively, based on partial and unofficial vote counts so far.
