KAKAMMPI News

Fraud in connection with PhilHealth payments to health care providers first came to light in May, 2015.   This resulted in a riveting Senate investigation in the latter part of 2015 that brought to the limelight even more details about this serious problem, particularly among eye centers and ophthalmologists.  PhilHealth has since taken various concrete measures to curb fraud and to save the funds so that these can be used to improve the benefits of members who are estimated to be around 90-92% of the population.   PhilHealth benefit payments have almost doubled in less than three years.  In 2015, PhilHealth paid 97B in benefits from 55.5B in 2013.   The shift from fee for service to Case Rates also streamlined the claims payment and reduced turnaround time by 50%.    However, much has still to be done to reduce out of pocket payments for members.  In order to achieve this, PhilHealth must improve collection efficiency, restruc...

SINGAPORE - A Singaporean man behind a defunct website that published made-up articles stirring hatred against Filipinos and other foreigners in the city-state was jailed for eight months Tuesday for sedition. State prosecutors had pushed for a strong deterrent sentence on Yang Kaiheng, owner of The Real Singapore (TRS) website, saying the articles on which the charges were based were "designed to provoke hatred against foreigners in Singapore". Yang, 27, had earlier claimed trial but later pleaded guilty to six charges of sowing discord between locals and foreigners in a series of articles, three of which state prosecutors said contained "blatant falsehoods designed to insert prominent xenophobic" references. One article falsely said that a Filipino family instigated a fracas at a Hindu festival in 2015. Another fabricated article alleged that a Chinese woman made her grandson urinate into a bottle inside a metro train. The articles were mostly designed to...

Seven Filipino students from De La Salle University - College of St. Benilde were among the thousands affected by the flooding in West Virginia that killed 24 people over the weekend. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said the seven students were part of a group of 55 Filipino students undergoing on-the-job training at Greenbriar Resort. According to the DFA, the Embassy's Consular Section confirmed that they are in "good condition" and are currently housed "in safer surroundings within the resort." "The Embassy has also gotten in touch with the local chapter of the De La Salle University Alumni Association, who is spearheading a drive to gather supplies for the students," DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said. Days of heavy rain have caused massive flooding in the state, where high waters have washed away cars, trapped hundreds and cut power to large areas. More than 21,300 people were without power across the state Saturday e...

A total of 35 Filipinos will pursue MA and PhD programs in different universities in Europe after they won scholarships under the European Union's Erasmus+ Program in the coming weeks. This, as the Philippine government continues to assess the possible effects of the United Kingdom's withdrawal of membership from the EU to Filipino scholars pursuing studies in UK territories. EU Ambassador Franz Jessen together with Mr Mattias Lentz, Minister Counsellor, Delegation of the EU Delegation to the Philippines and Erasmus+ alumni pose with outgoing Erasmus+ scholars who shall study throughout the European Union in the coming months during a reception held last 27 June at the EU Delegation office in Makati City. Photo courtesy of EU Delegation to the Philippines "We don't have the answers to all the questions at this point. Hopefully, things will become clearer in the coming days as people start to grasp the full implication of UK's exit from EU," said F...

An LA-based shoe company owned by a Filipino-American aims to deliver "vegan" footwear to modern women looking for stylish and sustainable fashion statements beginning this summer. Bianca Moran Mabanta's  SUSI Studio  has already been featured in  Forbes  and  Huffington Post  for advocating "a fulfilling and stylish life without partaking in inhumane practices." "A woman should never have to compromise her values for fashion," Moran told Huffington Post. "Susi is all about cute and conscious consumerism." The female-owned and -operated studio also has a commitment to "encourage women of all walks of life to take the first step to pursue their passion"  through its "Start Today" campaign. "We’re all deeply aware of how in this modern day and age, women still need to work ten times harder than men do to prove their worth. It’s because of this that we support each other and push each other’s boundaries to be ou...

A  GoFundMe page  was set up to bring home the only Asian woman to receive the US Silver Star during World War II for burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The page, set up by a member of the American Legion Bataan Post 600, aims to help the family of Magdalena Estoista Leones fly her body home on July 6. Leones passed away on June 16 at the age of 95. The "Lioness of Filipina agents" won the third highest honor for valor in the US Army for risking "her life to carry important intelligence data, vital radio parts and medical supplies through heavily garrisoned enemy-held territory." From February 27 to September 26, 1944, the Kalinga-born soldier transmitted information on enemy ships and their skippers in La Union to government forces and blew up planes on an airstrip in Tuguegarao. Leones, who earned the rank of corporal, was caught thrice by Japanese forces but she managed to escape and save the lives of others using the Nihongo she learned while in...

Pope Francis has named Dumaguete native Father Ryan Jimenez as the new bishop of the Church in Oceania. The 44-year-old prelate will lead as the second bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa in Saipan, the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands. He succeeds Bishop Emeritus Tomas Camacho, who served the diocese for 25 years until his retirement in 2010. Serving as a priest for only 12 years, Jimenez has been serving as the apostolic administrator of the diocese with 15 priests and 21 female religious catering to more than 43,000 Catholics. Jimenez finished his Bachelor of Arts degree in Pre-Divinity from the Ateneo de Manila University before heading to Saipan in 1997. He also studied at the St. Patrick Seminary and University in California, USA where he earned his Masters Degree in Theology in 2003. He was ordained a priest for the diocese in June of the same year. Jimenez will be officially ordained as bishop on August 14, 2016, at the Chalan Kanoa cathedral. Dumag...

                                                             Expenditures for the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) of Filipinos increased to 40.70 billion pesos from 26.8 billion in 2014. This was the highlight of the Department of Health (DOH) RPRH Report for 2015. The leap in expenditure came despite last year’s hampered implementation due to the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court in June 2015. According to the 2015 RPRH Accomplishment Report, the TRO prevented DOH and other agencies mandated to implement the RPRH Law from implementing the subdermal implant method of family planning. Moreover, DOH Secretary Janette Loreto-Gari...

Malacañang on Saturday lauded Filipino seafarers, saying they are one of the best sailors being sought after by shipping companies in the world. Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., in an interview on state-run dzRB,  praised Filipino seafarers on the occasion of the observance of the Day of the Seafarer. He said, "Kaisa tayo ng sambayanan sa pagbibigay pugay sa mga Pilipinong mandaragat. "Filipinos are highly regarded in the global maritime industry  ... (because of) their competence, skill, and high level of professionalism." Based on data culled from various government sources by GMA News Research, there were a close to 400,000 Filipino sailors in various shipping industries in the world in 2014. Source: Compendium of OFW statistics 2009-2014 In a report on its web site, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that for the "Day of the Seafarer 2016," they have adopted as their  campaign theme : "At Sea ...

A former OFW turned businesswoman was found dead in a grassy field in Antipolo City earlier this week with multiple stab wounds on her body, according to a report by GMA News' Emil Sumangil on "24 Oras" on Friday. The body of Miriam Bermas, 48, was dumped in front of a cemetery, the report said. Aside from the stab wounds mostly in her chest, her upper lip was also torn. Police have ruled out robbery as the victim was found with all her jewelry intact. Bermas' relatives believe she knew her killer and are looking into the possibility that the killing is connected with her money-lending business. "Puro naman dun umiikot ang every ano niya, 'yung routine niya. Maniningil, kokolektahin 'yung mga ganitong payroll," said Mimi Bermas, the victim's daughter, in the report. Based on CCTV footage taken by security cameras outside the gym she went to with her friends on June 19, Bermas was last seen alive entering a Toyota Fortuner. She was still...

SAN FRANCISCO  – Two Filipino Americans in two counties are poised to make political history again as a result of the June 7 primaries.  Daly City Council Member Mike Guingona, the first Filipino American elected in Daly City, is gunning for a political seat never occupied by a Filipino or Asian American, while Contra Costa Ambrose Recreation and Park District board member Mae Cendana-Torlakson aims to be the first Fil-Am woman elected to the California State Legislature. Both will duel with their co-winners in the Nov. 8 runoff. Guingona, five-time mayor of the city in the continental United States with the highest concentration of Filipino Americans, will face fellow Daly City Council Member and current Vice Mayor David Canepa to represent District 5 on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. Canepa bested a field of four with 5,991 or 45.74 percent of the vote in the primary.  Guingona placed second with 2,840 or 21.68 percent. Torlakson placed first in her...

Three officials from the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur received the Gawad Mabini Award for pioneering alternative learning centers (ALCs) for undocumented Filipino children in Sabah, Malaysia. Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia J. Eduardo Malaya, Embassy Attaché Atty. Norren Joy Calip, and Social Welfare Attaché Bernard Bonina were recognized for the establishment of six Filipino community-run ALCs. Gawad Mabini awardees from the Embassy pose for this photo after the awarding (from left): former Social Welfare Attache Bernard Bonina, Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya and Attache Atty. Norren Joy Calip.  PHL Embassy photo At least 2,500 Filipino children from undocumented migrant families were able to achieve basic through the ALCs staffed by volunteers and financed by donations and community fund-raising. “Filipino children in Sabah are in a precarious situation, and our initiatives are mere first steps in a long journey, but we are hopeful that with the support of all st...

The global shipping industry, which carries 80 percent of international trade, employs about 1.2 million seafarers, the bulk of which come from the Philippines. Apart from manning oil tankers, Filipino sailors work on board luxury liners and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks. In 2015, the Maritime Manpower Development Authority estimated that 401,826 Filipino seafarers were deployed in 2014 owing to their "love of work" and their ability to work "in a multicultural environment."  Due to their sheer number and dedication, Filipino seafarers were able to remit $5.575 billion by the end of December 2014. However, seafarers remain vulnerable to poverty after their retirement. Apart from making frivolous expenses, seafarers find it difficult to set aside money and maintain an emergency fund, a  Marine Insight report  said. Filipino seafarers in particular also have the added problem of supporting their extended families regardless of t...

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other Filipinos abroad could watch President-elect Rodrigo Duterte's inauguration on June 30 via livestream on Facebook, his chief spokesperson said Wednesday. "The streaming of the inauguration on Facebook is mainly for those who don't have access to television and radio in the Philippines," said incoming Presidential Communications head Martin Andanar at a press briefing in Davao City. "In other words, those outside the country, the OFWs, the millions of Filipinos who follow the President," he added. To discuss the livestream, Duterte's communication team met with Facebook Public Policy for Asia Pacific head Elizabeth Hernandez on Tuesday . Andanar said livestreaming Duterte's inauguration on Facebook is also a way for the next administration to keep up with the 21st century. "We are in the 21st century. That's the new medium. That's just part of the menu," he said, referring to Face...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.  - Filipino-American officials last week lined up to praise Erlinda Tiongco Galeon, the popular community leader who passed away June 13 at her home in Daly City where she lived for over 40 years. She was 75. Mrs. Galeon had become a pillar in Daly City in the 15 years she dedicated to public service. She was current president of the Daly City Libraries Commission, last year's president of the Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo County and the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center, multi-term president of the Philippine Association of University Women and California Federation of Women's Clubs - Golden Gate District, 2008 president of ALLICE Alliance for Community Empowerment Kumares and Kumpares, and member of the board of numerous organizations often nonprofit or political, domestic and overseas, including the US Pinoys for Good Government. Erlinda Tiongco-Galeon was 2013 Outstanding Citizen of Daly City. Photo by Voltaire Yap/ Philip...