Recto: Graying PH needs more MDs whose studies cost a fraction of intel fund

16 September 2020, Comment are Off
Producing doctors will cost a fraction of the government’s “intelligence and confidential” fund, but will yield a “high ROI or return of investment” in a country that lacks public health physicians and faces an ageing population. This was pointed out by Senate President Pro...

Military camps should be no-go zones for a possible electronic Trojan horse

10 September 2020, Comment are Off
The Philippines has a land area of 30 million hectares, with military installations occupying a fraction of it, maybe not even 1/10th of 1 percent of the total. Dito can build their sites anywhere in this wide expanse of land — and government should help them — except...

Gierran cannot be a one-man army

01 September 2020, Comment are Off
If he wants to succeed, Gierran cannot be a one-man army. The work ahead is too tough and too big for a lone ranger. He needs to have strong backup, but they should not be the boys from Taft alone. Better to recruit alumni of NBI’s neighbor, the Philippine General Hospital. He...

Not just spending reports, Duterte must order agencies to tally help people got

25 August 2020, Comment are Off
President Duterte should order government agencies to add the most important column in their monthly publication of funds spent, and that is for “goods and services delivered to the people.”  “Spent” is a broad term, and is often used to disguise delays in the delivery of...

A presidential TRO against an unconstitutional idea

25 August 2020, Comment are Off
The President has spoken. It should be read as a cease-and-desist order in big, bold letters by those pushing for this dangerous experiment.  The call of the hour is not for rev gov, but government to rev up its response to the pandemic. A rev gov is not a vaccine against...

Removing the barrier to common sense

19 August 2020, Comment are Off
The barrier to common sense has finally been lifted. No IATF rule triggered the greatest resistance and launched the most jokes. And the fact that they stonewalled for a long time and stubbornly defended it, despite evidence to the contrary, inflicted damage on their reputation....

With 100 billion pages of modules to print, cash-strapped schools need P30B—Recto

17 August 2020, Comment are Off
The postponement of K-12 classes should give the Department of Education (DepEd) “breathing space” to print self-learning modules (SLM) for 21.5 million public school students, which Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said “could be around 100 billion pages.”  “My...

Hazard pay urged for private janitors, guards, maintenance men in public hospitals

17 August 2020, Comment are Off
They stand shoulder to shoulder with medical staff in public hospitals, but because of their status as private service providers, janitors and security guards are not entitled to hazard and hardship pay despite facing the same health risks.  Taking up the cudgels for them,...