“Extraordinary times need extraordinary measures” PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo C. Morales stressed, citing that PhilHealth was one of the first responders in this pandemic referring to the grant of the IRM (Interim reimbursement Mechanism) to health facilities.
Consistent with this, PhilHealth earlier announced that it is in the process of evaluating a second wave of IRM to high COVID-19 concentration areas such as NCR and Regions III, IV, VII and VIII where bed capacity either reached full capacity or is in critical levels resulting from the easing of quarantine levels.
PhilHealth clarified that IRM releases are based on the historical claims of hospitals, and undergo a process of application, evaluation, validation and recommendation at the level of the PhilHealth Regional Offices, and approval at its Head Office. All transactions on IRM are aboveboard and within the guidelines set by the Corporation.
The Agency asserted that the IRM is strictly subject to the usual stringent government accounting and auditing rules, and requires reconciliation and liquidation contrary to reports that hospitals are not required to liquidate their advances.
“Liquidation is definitely a must but since we are in unusual times, we made the timing of liquidation flexible with such options left to the good judgement of the Regions given the situations that hospitals are in” the PCEO said.
The Corporation belied reports that its Senior Vice President for Fund Management Sector Renato Limsiaco Jr. favored certain hospitals or has quickly released the IRM in record time, clarifying that Limsiaco’s authority is limited to vetting the release of funds only in terms of completeness of documents, and not in determining which hospitals will be given the fund.
Having been able to release some P15 billion to 711 facilities of late also disproves unfounded claims that he abandoned his post during the Extreme Community Quarantine where he was marooned by the locked down in his hometown in Region VIII.
PhilHealth reiterated that early in the pandemic with no pattern of geographical distribution of cases still identified, the IRM funds was offered to all healthcare facilities including lying in centers and dialysis clinics to ensure unhampered health services to all Filipinos. It necessitated funds even in facilities with pending cases as long as they were licensed by the DOH.
“This is not to say that they will no longer be penalized once proven guilty of any infraction of rues and policies. The whole point here is to ensure that we are able to help in making sure that as many facilities are open and able to serve patients” Morales added.
In late May 2020, PhilHealth revised its strategy in IRM releases by scaling down releases only to areas with high concentration of Covid-19 and the presence of government facilities directly handling patients. The pivot was to ensure that sufficient funds are available for all citizens needing healthcare as well as provide sufficient support to the country’s expanded targeted testing strategy against the pandemic.
Morales explained that the pandemic Covid-19 is not yet over and it is premature to conclude that these hospitals will not be treating infected patients in the weeks or months to come.
“Remember that we have to contain yet the transmission. With LSIs retuning home en masse, a spike in cases is still a very real possibility” the Chief added.
Supporting expanded targeted testing
The Agency also explained that its partnership with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is pursuant to the Bayanihan We Heal As One Act, and in compliance to the call of the Office of the Executive Secretary addressed to government heads in late March to partner with PRC “as the primary humanitarian agency that is auxiliary to the government in giving aid to the people, subject to reimbursement, in the distribution of goods and services incidental in the fight against COVID-19.”
Under the partnership, PhilHealth will prospectively pay PRC for its testing services pro hac vice, or only for this occasion. The Agency said that the advance financing arrangement with PRC is consistent with the Universal Health Care Act that authorizes PhilHealth to paying providers using performance-driven, close-end, prospective payments.
The engagement is but one of the many activities being pursued by the state health insurer to mitigate, if not contain, the transmission of Covid-19,to prevent the overburdening of the healthcare system, and to ensure that there is sufficient, adequate and readily available funding for these initiatives.
“We are always on the lookout for developments in the field. We do not have a complete picture yet of the true behavior of this contagion so it is incumbent upon PhilHealth to be agile and swift in decisions to be more responsive to population areas needing support.” Morales ended. (PR)
PhilHealth Interim Reimbursement Mechanism releases are above board
Close coordination among gov’t agencies factor for a successful campaign against Reds
TACLOBAN CITY- Regional Director Karl Caesar Rimando of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG-8) said that the close coordination of various government agencies is the key why the whole-of-nation approach is becoming effective in the region.
The whole-of-nation approach as contained under Executive Order 70 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte aims to end the country’s long-running insurgency problem.
Rimando’s statement came on the heels of the surrender of 11 former New People’s Army (NPA) members this week.
The former rebels, one of them was a woman, were from Samar, Eastern Samar, and Leyte provinces.
During their surrender, the former rebels turned over to authorities various high-powered firearms and ammunition.
They are expected to receive financial assistance under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP) program as they start to live a normal life.
Rimando, meanwhile, has called active NPA rebels to give up their arms and return to the folds of the law.
(LIZBETH ANN A.ABELLA)
NPA camp overran by gov’t forces in Samar town
TACLOBAN CITY- A firefight between government forces and members of the New People’s Army (NPA) resulted to the discovery and seizure of the rebels’ camp in San Jose de Buan town, Samar province on Wednesday (July 29) afternoon.
The soldiers, belonging to the 87th Infantry Battalion, engaged 50 rebels in firefight for almost four hours that started at about 1:30 pm, the 8th Infantry Division, based in Catbalogan City, also in Samar, said in a statement.
The camp of the rebels could accommodate 100 individuals composed of 34 huts and a kitchen, it said.
The government troops recovered five M-16 assault rifles, hundreds of assorted ammunition, a generator set, electronic gadgets, food, medicines, medical paraphernalia and subversive documents.
No soldier was wounded during the skirmish but authorities believe the NPA terrorists could have suffered numerous wounded.
Brigadier General Camilo Ligayo, the 801st Brigade Commander said acknowledged the help of the residents of the village on their fight against the rebels.
“While the NPA continue to harass and abuse people, our soldiers will be more active in serving the masses. We thank the people and local officials of San Jose de Buan for renewing their support to our legitimate government and denying sanctuary to the NPA,” he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Reynaldo Balido Jr., battalion commander of 87th IB, urged the wounded rebels “to surrender so as to be treated appropriately.”
“There are many cases that their wounded end up dead and they just bury them in shallow graves or worse, they just leave them behind,” said Balido.
Eastern Visayas, particularly the Samar Island, remained a hotbed of insurgency with the continued presence of NPA rebels. (RONALD O.REYES)
11 former NPA members give up armed struggle
CAMP RUPERTO KANGLEON, PALO, Leyte- After almost a decade fighting against the government, ‘Walik,’ 26, has decided to return to the folds of the law to live a normal life.
Last Monday (July 27), Walik was among the 11 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who were presented to the media where they also formally surrendered their respective firearms which they used while they were active as rebels.
Based on the account of his mother, whose identity was withheld, Walik was only 16 years old when he was convinced to join the rebel group.
The mother said that she and her husband tried to convince their son to study instead of joining the NPA.
“His father was furious when we learned that he joined the NPA.He said our son has no future being in the rebel movement. We searched for him to convince him to return to our home,” Walik’s mother said.
The difficulties they encountered in the mountains was the main reason why he decided to give up the armed struggle, he said.
And now that he decided to leave the armed group, Walik, the second child among the brood of 10 children, said that he want to continue his studies and become a soldier, a dream of his father.
Eunice, the lone woman among the surrenderers, said she also get tired living in the mountains and fighting with government forces reason why she decided to surrender.
She was pregnant in 2007 when she and her husband decided to leave the communist group and live a normal life in her home town.
Since returning, they were able to raise their children properly and provide their needs including sending them to school.
Eunice added that her family had even received assistance from the government and is beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
“My family is very thankful to the government for all the assistance that we have received,” she said.
Meanwhile, alias Edil, who hails from Eastern Samar, said that due to lack of education, those living in the hinterlands are easily convinced to join the communist group.
“But when I was already in the group, I noticed that the ideology that they taught us was not right because it also victimizes the innocent civilians. They are more on lip service, none of their promises came into reality,” he said.
The 11 NPA members voluntarily surrender to 1st Leyte Provincial Mobile Force Company Commander, Basey Municipal Police Station and to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8 Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP).
They also surrendered firearms and ammunition to the government forces.
“This is a defining moment for all of us as we just recently launched the RCSP in the province of Samar that is designed to become an important component in our fight against insurgency,” Police Regional Office 8 Regional Director B/Gen Bernabe Balba said.
“Just a week after its launching, significant accomplishment has been marked that connotes a positive impact to the community in attaining peace and development. I am very much delighted to note that I am positive enough that this prolonged adversity will now be addressed,” he added.
The 11 surrenderers who are now in the custody of government forces will undergo debriefing, and documentation and joint validation between the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines if they are facing criminal charges.
On top of the financial assistance, the former rebels received other assistance like livelihood worth P50,000, integration worth P21, 000, financial assistance worth P15,000, this aside from the monetary value of firearms that they surrender.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
EV’s COVID-19 cases surge to 920
BY: LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA, RONALD O. REYES
TACLOBAN CITY-Eastern Visayas has posted one of its biggest increase in a single day of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) with 57 new cases.
This now brings the region’s total COVID-19 cases to 920.
Based on the report of the Department of Health (DOH) released on Thursday night, seven towns in the region posted their first COVID-19 cases with the town of Mapanas in Northern Samar province having the youngest patient.
Joe Louis Gajutos, disaster risk reduction management officer of Mapanas, said that the nine-month old baby boy is now at their isolation facility.
“He is now at our isolation facility with his parents who are both asymptomatic,” he said.
It was learned that the baby boy was suffering some cough since they arrived in Mapanas last July 20 from Quezon City.
The baby is Mapanas’ first COVID-19 case.
Aside from Mapanas, other towns in the region that registered their first cases of the dreaded virus were Silvino Lubos, also in Northern Samar, with four cases; San Jose de Buan, four cases, Almagro, three; Daram, three; and Pagsanghan, two cases, all in the province in Samar; and Tunga in Leyte with two cases.
Except from an overseas worker from Baybay City in Leyte province, all new cases of the region were locally stranded individuals.
The province of Leyte has now 518 COVID-19 cases followed by Samar with 211, Southern Leyte,113, Northern Samar,40, Biliran,35 and Eastern Samar 3.
The DOH attributed the region’s surge of COVID-19 since the start of June to the testing of returning OFWs and LSIs, mostly from Metro Manila and Cebu.
Dr. Minerva Molon, the regional director of the DOH, said 664 or 72.17 percent of the region’s confirmed cases have already recovered.
As confirmed cases continue to rise, the health official reiterated its information campaign, dubbed “BIDA solusyon,” that promotes four key behaviors that would help lessen the possible transmission of COVID-19.
Over 600 people deputized as anti-COVID agents in Tacloban City
TACLOBAN CITY – More than 600 volunteers from 138 villages in this city are going to be trained as COVID-19 surveillance officers.
This was revealed by city health officer Dr. Gloria Fabregas who said that the volunteers include barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, and barangay service point officers.
These barangay personnel, considered to be part of the community dengue brigade, will be called Volunteers Service Officers (VSO) whose training will start on August 3.
Fabregas said that deploying these barangay personnel is part of their campaign to engage every home to be part of the fight against COVID-19 or coronavirus disease 2019.
“We are engaging and empowering every home for the fight against COVID-19, for a healthy Tacloban because the battle against this virus starts at home and not in the hospital,” she said.
As VSO, their primary work is to do surveillance in their respective villages, identifying who are vulnerable to COVID-19, Fabregas added.
“As VSO, they will identify households with residents who are vulnerable to the virus such as pregnant women, and households with positive COVID-19 patients,” she said.
The information that they will get from the surveillance will be forwarded to the barangay health emergency response team (BHERT) and this information will be send to the Quick Response Team.
At present, Tacloban City has six active cases of COVID-19.
The city has a total of 64 COVID-19 cases where 58 had now recovered from the disease. Of these 64 cases, 53 are local, nine locally stranded individuals while two are returning Overseas Filipino Workers.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)