Latest news with #Palafox
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Poor planning, not climate change sinking Metro Manila —urban planner Palafox
Metro Manila's annual floods are often blamed on climate change — but for architect and urban planner Felino 'Jun' Palafox Jr., it's just an easy excuse masking decades of government inaction. 'Climate change is real. But it is not the main reason Metro Manila is underwater every year,' Palafox said. 'If we had acted on the plans we've had since the 1970s, our cities would be far more resilient today, even with stronger storms," he said. Palafox, whose four-decade career spans 45 countries and more than 1,700 projects, said the worsening floods are a man-made disaster, driven less by nature than by political short-sightedness. He estimates there are at least 150 flood control recommendations — prepared by local and international experts — that remain unimplemented. Shelved solutions Among the most prominent is the Parañaque Spillway, a project first included in the Metro Manila Flood Control Master Plan in the 1970s. Designed to channel excess water from Laguna Lake to Manila Bay during heavy rains, it would have prevented the backflow that inundates Marikina, Pasig, Taguig, and other lakeshore communities. 'It's been in every master plan for 50 years,' Palafox said. 'But it was never built. Instead, we keep studying the same problem while people suffer the same floods.' Another abandoned initiative was the Laguna Lake Rehabilitation Project with a Belgian firm. It aimed to dredge the lake by half a meter, restoring its floodwater storage capacity and reducing siltation from surrounding rivers. The Aquino administration canceled it in 2010, leading to a P1-billion penalty after the Philippines lost in international arbitration, and no alternative project was pursued. Other countries moved, PH stalled Palafox said the non-implementation of the flood control programs was not a question of technical capacity. In the Netherlands, the Delta Works system of polders, dikes, and surge barriers has kept low-lying land dry for decades. Japan's Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel — a 6.3-kilometer network of tunnels with cathedral-like underground tanks — diverts typhoon floodwaters away from Tokyo. Closer to home, Vietnam has invested in large-scale flood control canals in Ho Chi Minh City, while Thailand manages monsoon flows through the Chao Phraya Dam system. 'These countries didn't wait for perfect conditions,' Palafox said. 'They started building. That's why they're ahead of us.' In the Philippines, Palafox says, the real obstacle is political discontinuity. Flood control projects often require 10 to 15 years to complete — far beyond a president's six-year term. 'That's the problem — we plan for six years, not for the next generation,' he said. 'Flood control doesn't get ribbon-cutting ceremonies. It's mostly underground, invisible. So politicians don't prioritize it.' The result: Metro Manila still depends on 1970s-era pumping stations, narrow and silted rivers, and a drainage network overwhelmed by rapid urban sprawl. Natural floodplains have been paved over for development, while informal settlements block critical waterways. The cost of delay With climate change intensifying storms, the stakes are rising. Typhoons Ondoy (2009), Ulysses (2020), and Carina (2024) displaced millions, killed hundreds, and caused tens of billions of pesos in damage. Even moderate rains now trigger flash floods, crippling transportation and commerce. 'Every year we delay, we pay the price — in lives lost, property destroyed, and businesses disrupted,' Palafox warned. 'Climate change is a factor, but our failure to prepare turns storms into disasters.' Palafox then called for legislation that would protect long-term infrastructure plans from being scrapped by succeeding administrations. He also urged the immediate revival of completed feasibility studies for flood control, drainage improvement, and urban water management. 'We cannot control the rain,' he said. 'But we can control how prepared we are. Stop using climate change as an excuse. Start building what we've been planning for 50 years," he added.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cartel associate pleads guilty to drug conspiracy to bring cocaine, heroin to WMass, Vt.
BOSTON — A Massachusetts-based member of the Tijuana-based Sinaloa cartel pleaded guilty Thursday to his role in a cocaine and money laundering conspiracy that ferried narcotics to the Bay State from Mexico, passing money through a co-conspirator's car dealership in Enfield, Connecticut. Eber Alain Estrada Palafox, 39, known as 'Doctor,' of Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute heroin and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Over a two-year span, Palafox conspired with a ring of Massachusetts-based traffickers to transport cocaine and heroin from Mexico through California to Massachusetts and New England, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday. The drugs were taken to Westfield, where they were prepped for distribution, the DOJ said. At least one kilo of heroin from Mexico turned out to be pure fentanyl. Palafox also admitted to conspiring with the owner of State Line Auto Sales in Enfield — Miguel Betancourt, 57, of Springfield — to launder drug proceeds by wiring money to his mother in Mexico. Betancourt was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison in February 2022 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In Palafox's case, he faces up to 30 years in prison, supervised release and millions of fines on the combined guilty findings. He also will be subject to deportation. The case kicked off in July 2015, when the federal government learned that Betancourt and co-conspirators were intent of bringing Mexican narcotics north for distribution in Western Massachusetts and Vermont. He laundered money by both giving away vehicles as payment for the drugs and for wiring drug proceeds through the car business to Mexico. State Line Auto Sales is listed as dissolved/forfeited on the Connecticut secretary of state's website. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs set Palafox's sentencing on Sept. 4. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Noncitizens in Illinois could lose state-funded health insurance. Here's what to know
Immigration advocates and people who received word that they could lose their state-funded health insurance took to the Illinois capitol on April 23 in attempt to sway legislators. Around 32,000 noncitizens in Illinois will lose coverage unless legislators decide to continue funding the initiative that costs the state around $330 million. Here's what you need to know about the program and what's happening to it. More: 'Deep into the shadows': Immigration advocate talks about fears facing communities Gov. JB Pritzker's 2026 budget proposes to eliminate the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults program that provides healthcare for low income people who are in the U.S. without legal permission. The program launched in 2022, covering people between the ages of 42 and 64. The Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors program that also began in that year, will continue, according to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. That program serves qualifying people who are over the age of 65. But the governor's office has said that its decision to not propose funding reflects the state's fiscal reality. 'As always, I stand ready to work with members of the General Assembly to deliberate and negotiate the final budget, but let's be clear, I will only sign a balanced budget. If you come to the table, looking to spend more, I'm going to ask you where you want to cut,' Pritzker said in his annual budget address in February. Upwards of 100 demonstrators from multiple organizations rallied at the capitol and also sought to speak with legislators. Alfredo Palafox, a community organizer with the Southwest Organizing Project, said his parents both receive healthcare through the program. They have lived in the state for nearly 20 years and pay taxes. His mother is 57 years old and his father is 65 years old. Palafox's father visited the doctor for the first time since he enrolled in the program because he knew he could not afford to go without its support. His mother also forwent going to the doctor for years before the program afforded her the opportunity, which Palafox described as a need for her. Most of those demonstrators appeared to be Hispanic, though Rana Alkilano also spoke as a program coordinator with Arab American Family Services. Alkilano spoke on behalf of a client who was too afraid to speak in person because of the political climate surrounding immigrants. She said her client is a woman who raises three children alone, while battling a chronic illness, which has led to sizable medical debt. "My client's story is a painful example of how our healthcare system can leave people behind, especially those who are immigrants, uninsured, and already vulnerable," Alkilano said. More: Springfield students, recent grads lose their visas, like others across US An audit published in 2023 found that the programs overspent exceedingly. The senior's program cost $412 million in its first three years, which was reportedly 84% high than original estimates. The adult program covered noncitizen adults age 55 to 64 and was later expanded to cover those as young as 44, Capitol News Illinois reported. It cost $485.3 million over its first two years – roughly 284% more than the combined original estimate for both programs. The report additionally found more than 6,000 people enrolled in the programs were classified as 'undocumented' despite having social security numbers. Some of those were green card holders who could have instead qualified for Medicaid or traditional insurance. Those currently insured with HBIA after June 30 may have access to primary and preventative care at Federally Qualified Health Centers and free charitable clinics that serve insured and underinsured people, regardless of their immigration status and ability to pay, according to IDHFS. Tom Ackerman covers breaking news and trending news along with general news for the Springfield State Journal-Register. He can be reached at tackerman@ This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Healthcare for noncitizens in Illinois is on the chopping block
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PGI Global Founder Hit With Fraud Charges in Alleged $200M Crypto Ponzi Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged the founder of now-defunct crypto and foreign exchange investment company PGI Global, with violating federal securities laws, alleging he ran a 'Ponzi-like scheme' that defrauded investors of nearly $200 million — and spent $57 million of customer money on Lamborghinis, real estate and luxury goods. Ramil Palafox, 59, of Las Vegas, Nevada, also faces parallel criminal charges tied to his role at PGI Global. In March, a Virginia grand jury charged him in a sprawling 23-count indictment that included eight counts of wire fraud. Due to what prosecutors described as Palafox's 'substantial ties' to the Philippines, including dual citizenship, the judge overseeing his criminal case issued an order on Tuesday that he should remain in custody until further notice. According to court documents, PGI Global was a crypto investment scheme that ran from January 2020 to October 2021. Approximately 90,000 investors around the world purchased membership packages with either bitcoin or fiat currency that promised hefty returns on their investments — up to 3% daily and a 200% total return. But instead of actually investing his clients' money, prosecutors say Palafox spent over a quarter of the funds unjustly enriching himself and his family members, and used the rest to pay back earlier investors in the scheme until it collapsed. 'Palafox used the guise of innovation to lure investors into lining his pockets with millions of dollars while leaving many victims empty-handed,' said Laura D'Allaird, chief of the SEC's new Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit, in a press statement. 'In reality, his false claims of crypto industry expertise and a supposed AI-powered auto-trading platform were just masking an international securities fraud.' Since the beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term in January, the SEC has overhauled its approach to crypto regulation, dropping investigations and some litigation against crypto companies tied to purported securities violations. But despite its about-face on the so-called 'regulation-by-enforcement' practiced during former Chair Gary Gensler's tenure, the SEC has promised that it will continue to go after crypto-related securities fraud. Similarly, the DOJ has narrowed its approach to crypto-related prosecution, disbanding its crypto task force and instructing staff not to criminally charge regulatory violations in cases involving crypto. In a memo to staff last month, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told prosecutors to focus their efforts on going after 'individuals who victimize digital asset investors.' In Palafox's case, the SEC is aiming to get investors' money back, plus interest and civil penalties, as well as get injunctive relief that would prevent him from similar crimes in the future. The SEC is also seeking to get money back from several of Palafox's family members, including his wife, Marissa Mendoza Palafox, and his brother-in-law, Darvie Mendoza. In a submission to the court, the DOJ has said that Palafox — if found guilty — is facing 'at least 108-135 months' imprisonment,' or 9 to 11 years. Palafox's lawyer declined to comment. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of drug trafficking at Spartanburg Co. motel
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A man is facing drug trafficking charges following his arrest Tuesday at a motel in Spartanburg County. The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office charged 23-year-old Benjamin Manuel Palafox with trafficking fentanyl 14 – 28 grams and trafficking methamphetamine 28 – 100 grams. An investigation was initiated on March 4 when deputies executed a search warrant at a Super 8 motel room located at 488 South Blackstock Road. During the search, authorities found 14 grams of fentanyl, 37 grams of methamphetamine, 18 Hydrocodone pills and $24,331 cash. Palafox remains incarcerated at the Spartanburg County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond, deputies said. The sheriff's office said if the suspect makes bond, he is required to wear GPS monitoring. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
