TACLOBAN CITY- Eight private hospitals in the region have entered a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to fully implement the no balance billing (NBB) policy being promoted by the government.
The eight private health facilities that entered an agreement with PhilHealth were St. John Hospital in Catbalogan City; Ponferrada Polymedic Hospital in Guiuan, Eastern Samar; St. Scholastica Hospital in Catarman, Northern Samar; Oras Doctors Hospital in Oras, Eastern Samar; Leyte Baptist Hospital in Hilongos, Leyte; Domingo Casano Hospital in Dolores, Eastern Samar; Borongan Doctors Hospital in Borongan City; and Dr. Leon Domingo Memorial Infirmary Clinic in Llorente, Eastern Samar.
According to Dr. Leo Douglas Cardona, PhilHealth regional vice president, said that they are happy with the decision of these eight health facilities to enter with this agreement with their agency as this will further realize the vision of the national government under its universal health care (UHC).
Under the policy, all Filipinos are considered to have access to medical care, particularly in all government health facilities.

“This is the first of its kind not only in the region but in the entire country,” Cardona said in an interview after the signing of the agreement held on April 2 held at the PhilHealth office, this city.
These private hospitals, under the agreement, are to cover all case rate benefits in their implementation of the NBB policy in their ward accommodation.
The idea came from Cardona himself who want to ensure that all the Filipinos, especially the poor ones, would have access to medical care as being mandated under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Cardona said that the eight participating private health facilities voluntarily agreed to enter with partnership with PhilHealth reason why he is doubly happy.
He hope that other private hospitals in the region would also ink a similar agreement with them.
There are about 39 private hospitals operating in the region.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)

CA reverses the 2015 decision

TACLOBAN CITY – A town mayor in Northern Samar was reinstated after he was earlier ordered dismiss from his post by the Office of Ombudsman for allegedly falsifying a public document.
Mayor Manuel Aoyang’s return to his position was by virtue of an order issued by the Court of Appeals (CA), reversing an earlier decision of the Ombudsman in 2015.
The CA, however, said that the anti-graft court failed to establish the guilt of Aoyang, reason that the administrative and grave misconduct complaint against him should be dismissed.
Aoyang, who is seeking for a posible third term in this year’s elections, welcome the decision of CA.
“I was a victim of bad politics and the slow resolution of cases in court, but still I am happy,”the mayor, reached on his phone, said.
To recall, the Ombudsman dismissed Aoyang from his post after he was found guilty of tampering a resolution titled ‘“A Resolution Approving the List of Anti-Poverty Reduction Projects in the Municipality of Palapag, Northern Samar” and reportedly forging the signatures of Councilors Sonia Evardone and Anacorito Javier to make it appear that they were present during a special session on Feb.17,2015.
Both claimed that they were not around and initiated in the filing of the complaint against the mayor.
“Although direct proof is essential to establish conspiracy, it must be established by positive and conclusive evidence. Proof, not mere conjectures or assumptions, should be preferred to indicate that the accused had taken part in it. Mere allegation and speculation is not evidence and is not equivalent to proof,” the CA said on its decision.
Aoyang formally return to his post on Thursday (April 4) when he took his oath before provincial local operations officer Danny Laguitan.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

CARIGARA, Leyte – The Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) has completed the P49 million slope protection project along a landslide prone road section in Barangay Lemon, Capoocan, Leyte.
The concrete wall protecting the national highway from landslide covers a total length of 350 meters and a height of 8 meters. The department also rehabilitated the canal along this structure.
According to Gerald Pacanan, DPWH Leyte 2 district engineer, this section along Palo-Carigara-Ormoc road accommodates a huge number of motorists and travelling public everyday as it connects to major cities in the province, Tacloban and Ormoc.
“This will prevent major soil erosions that could endanger the properties and lives of the people utilizing the highway,” he added.
The permanent concrete structure will provide slope stability, thus avoiding abrupt collapse of weakened slope brought upon by heavy downpour and natural ground movement.
In December 2017, one lane of this particular road section was left impassable to traffic due to a landslide and after a portion of the road collapsed during the onslaught of Tropical Storm Urduja.
“In the recent years, the country has experienced series of strong typhoons and earthquakes that have caused major damages and casualties. That is why the department continuously implements quality infrastructure projects that could safeguard the life of every Filipino,” said Pacanan.
In Leyte 2, Capoocan is among the high-risk towns susceptible to landslides, along with some inland villages in Burauen, La Paz, and Mac Arthur based on the geo-hazard assessment conducted by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)