By Rose de la Cruz

Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay, Senior Citizens partylist, said the Philippine Health Insurance (Philhealth) has failed to fully implement its mandate to provide adequate health care coverage as intended by law.

The Mandatory PhilHealth Coverage for Senior Citizens Act (RA 10645) mandates the universal coverage of the Filipino elderly above 60 years of age as automatically enrolled in the national health insurance agency. Proceeds of RA 10351, the Sin Tax Law, were meant to finance the coverage.

Upon the first enactment of RA 10645 in 2015, 2 million eligible senior citizen beneficiaries were…

Read more: Phlhealth has failed covering senior citizens

By Rose de la Cruz

With the futures trading of oil seen easing to $75 per barrel in June, then sliding to $69 for June 2019 and further to $65 by December 2019, government would have to initiate a national stockpiling program for crude to ensure the country against wild fluctuations of this vital commodity in the months ahead.

Some congressmen are even asking the Department of Energy to also make public the unbundling of oil prices similar to the unbundling of electricity charges.

Rep. Ciriaco Calalang, Kabayan partylist, said the earlier-feared $80 per barrel level would…

Read more: With Middle East oil futures seen easing, govt. eyes price unbundling for transparency

By Rose de la Cruz

Even with a slight drop in business confidence for the second quarter of 2018 (from 39.5 to 39.3 percent) the construction, industry, retail and trade sectors continues to be upbeat but the service sectors are less optimistic for the coming months on account of concerns over the weaker peso and higher commodity costs (particularly fuel) in the global economy.

Construction firms' bullish outlook for Q2 2018 was due to the award of new construction projects (both public and private) for 2018 and a better business environment.

The sentiment of…

Read more: Services sector's confidence weakens

By Rose de la Cruz

The proposals to create a national commission on senior citizen to ensure coordinated and consistent implementation of laws on the rights and welfare of senior citizens gained more support in the lower house.

This time, Senior Citizen partylist Rep. Milagro Aquino-Magsaysay said it is necessary to have a national commission on seniors (under the proposed bills of Rep. Ron Salo of the committee on government reorganization and Rep. Maria Lourdes Aggabao of the committee on population and family development) and a third bill of Rep. Francisco Datol (with Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez…

Read more: More support for bills creating Senior Citizen Commission