Lacson: Evidence enough to indict PhilHealth execs. Inquirer Newsletter. August 24, 2020

No images? Click here   SURVIVOR Gold, the Philippine cockatoo that has successfully hatched an offspring four years after it was rescued and nursed back to health, basks in the glow of sunlight in the wild of Palawan province. Habitat destruction and poaching have decimated the population of Philippine cockatoos to near-extinction, but climate change has posed the biggest challenge to their survival. CONTRIBUTED/ KATALA FOUNDATION INC.     News Ventilation, short trips can reduce COVID-19 risk in public transport Proper ventilation and short trips can greatly reduce the risk of contracting the new coronavirus on buses and trains, according to a global study published this week, amid a growing consensus that taking public transport is by itself not a major driver in outbreak. —STORY BY Krixia Subingsubing Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1326069/ventilation-short-trips-can-reduce-covid-19-risk-in-public-transport   Metro Piston: Issue 10-year license to all drivers The head of a nationwide transport group said on Sunday that the Land Transportation Office (LTO) should make the 10-year driver’s license available to all motorists without any conditions, pointing out that there were already laws in place that allow traffic agencies to suspend or revoke the licenses of errant drivers. —STORY BY Krixia Subingsubing Read more on Inquirer Plus: bit.ly/inquirer-plus   Board Talk Simpler: The future of governance Simpler. Faster. No hassle. That is the kind of governance that can better provide for our people’s needs, especially during a time of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Now is a good time to review, simplify and change the culture and nature of the bureaucracy. —STORY BY Ramon Magsaysay Jr. Read more on Inquirer Plus: bit.ly/inquirer-plus   Newsletter / Join us Has this been forwarded by a friend? Subscribe now to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Newsletter and get your latest news and important updates on COVID-19 and the enhanced community quarantine. Subscribe   Join us!     Banner story Lacson: Evidence enough to indict PhilHealth execs By Marlon Ramos Testimonies of whistleblowers and official records presented at Senate hearings proved that the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) was under the thumb of a corruption “mafia” composed of its top officials, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday. It was PhilHealth’s resigned antifraud legal officer Thorrsson Montes Keith who first accused PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales and the rest of the executive committee of operating as a syndicate in funneling P15 billion into fraudulent transactions in 2019 alone. Lacson, a former national police chief, said the Senate committee of the whole was able to secure sufficient evidence to warrant the indictment of Morales and at least three of his subordinates for malversation of public funds, violation of the antigraft law and other criminal offenses. He said the panel, led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, had already handed over documents to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who was tasked by President Duterte with leading a multiagency investigation into the various schemes that led to the health insurance firm racking up huge losses. —INQ Read more: newsinfo.inquirer.net   Editorial Remittances‍ in peril How bad has been the downturn in the remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), long a lifeline of the Philippine economy but which have been battered by the worldwide pandemic as tens of thousands of OFWs have lost their jobs and are streaming home? For three straight months starting last March, OFW remittances contracted. Read full story: opinion.inquirer.net   Copyright © 2020 PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 2353, Makati Central Post Office, 1263 Makati City, Philippines.   Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  Preferences  |  Unsubscribe