Final

The Readings in the Philippine History

Name: Joanna Marie Maglangit BSEd-English 1st Year -A

Teacher: Roseller Reginan

Dipolog City port ‘operating illegally’

DIPOLOG CITY, Zamboanga del Norte — The local government-run shipping port here is

operating without the authorization from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

Engr. Salvador Delina, Dapitan City port manager, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with

the Philippine News Agency Wednesday, saying that the “holdover authority (HOA)” given to

the locally-run port located in Barangay Galas, this city, expired in March, 2018.

Delina said they are still waiting for the issuance of another HOA from the PPA central office for

the city-managed port, whose operations have been questioned in the past for reportedly lacking

adequate security and other support systems.

The port serves a lone passenger-cargo Roll-on, Roll-off (RoRo) ship from Cebu City plying a

daily route to Cebu and Dumaguete.

For his part, Zamboanga del Norte (1st District) Rep. Seth Frederick Jalosjos on Sunday (May

20) said the port should be closed immediately, pointing out that it does not have the presence of

vital government agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard, the Maritime Group of the

Philippine National Police, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

“How can we effectively protect our province’s coast from drug or human trafficking and even

terrorism when there is an unsecured port operating illegally under our noses,” asked the visibly

irked lawmaker, pointing to the inability of government agencies to discharge their respective

mandates.
Delina said the city-run port started as a fish landing area where fishing “bancas” were anchored.

Later, the city government under then Mayor Roseller Barinaga erected a structure to transform

it into a functioning port.

Barinaga admitted that the initial idea was for the Dipolog port “to accommodate smaller sea

vessels that cannot dock in the Port of Dapitan,” which is barely 12 kilometers away.

“But everything has changed now,” he conceded, referring to the port’s expansion.

Delina said that in 2007, the Dipolog City government signified its intention to establish the

“Galas Port.” It was only in 2007 that the PPA and the local government signed a three-year

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the operation of port here.

“But there was no ship serving the port in Dipolog until 2015,” Delina said, “and since the MOA

expired in 2010 and the processing of another MOA is still going on, we have just to issue a

yearly holdover authority subject to the approval of PPA head office.”

Jalosjos maintained that illicit trade can continue to flourish if the port continues to operate

without government scrutiny.

“I am receiving reports that pebbles, illegally cut logs, drugs and God knows what else are

passing through that port! If there are no officials that are willing to stop it, I cannot in my

conscience just stand by and do nothing,” he added. (Gualberto Laput/PNA)

[Source:https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1036273]
 Corruption scandal of the Philippine Insurance Corporation (philhealth)

MANILA — The Philippines, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, is also in the middle of an

alleged corruption scandal. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation — PhilHealth — which

has been helping finance COVID-19 testing and treatment in the country, has been rocked with

allegations of fund mismanagement and overpricing.

Last week, the Philippine senate, which serves as the upper house of the country’s legislative

body, approved a report recommending the filing of charges of corruption against several senior

officials of the corporation. These included Ricardo Morales, who recently resigned as CEO, and

the country’s Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III who sits as ex-officio chairman of the

board.

In March, the corporation initiated the implementation of the mechanism in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic. However, lawmakers found the mechanism started operations even before

standard operating procedures were approved, making its operations “illegal,” and didn’t have

clear guidelines as to which health care institutions were eligible to receive funding.

Lawmakers found it questionable that some institutions that are non-COVID-19 health facilities,

or reported few COVID-19 cases, received large amounts of funding and received payments

within just a few days compared to others. They also questioned why some hospitals that didn’t

have PhilHealth accreditation and have pending cases of alleged anomalous monetary claims

also received funding under the mechanism.

Root if this issue is corruption of funds and irregularities of philhealth service because why some

hospitals that didn't have philhealth accreditation and have pending cases of alleged anomalous

monetary claims also received funding under the mechanism.

“Currently, PhilHealth will be left with no choice but to revert to its usual process of reimbursing

hospitals based on claims submitted. This also may take a longer time, but I hope that with the

aid of IT developments, PhilHealth can provide hospitals better turnaround time for the claims,”

Hontiveros said.

The lawmaker and other health advocates in the country see digitization as a solution to speed up

the corporation’s processes, particularly on reimbursements, but also in reducing fraudulent

activities that have plagued the corporation. Digitization, they believe, will aid in data

transparency and allow for easier tracking of the corporation’s funding.

Ensuring data transparency will be critical in the rollout of the UHC law, which PhilHealth

initially said would be fully implemented by mid-2021. The COVID-19 pandemic could affect

that timeline however.

I suggest that funds must be secured at republic banks and contribution will be monitored base

on the hospitals that need health funds especially to senior citizens.

 Museo Sugbo

The Cebu Museum (also called Museo Sugbo) is one in every of the more important destinations

in urban center that visitors, and international history buffs, should not miss. Sugbo is that the

native name of town that was later adapted to Cebu, where visitors will come across an attractive

colonial Spanish-style structure, flanked by two canons and placards. A brief practice the narrow

archway results in the primary galleries. In these front galleries, visitors will find a group of

ancient artifacts—all of which are excavated on Cebu or Mactan Island. The pottery and jewelry,

which has international origins, reflect the importance of inter-waterway trade routes between

the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and mainland China. Cebu Provincial Museum incorporates

a series of galleries for guests to explore, featuring historic relics and private effects from the

Spanish colonial era, the American colonial era, and modern Philippines history—from

Governor Legazpi's handwritten correspondence to architectural plans for current day

government buildings. Also, the stories of influential figures, events and more are often found

throughout the galleries. Guests will discover that this former jail turned museum is an eclectic,

informative historical diary of not only the island, but also the Filipino nation.
In addition to the galleries, on my research, visitors can find the perfect gift, souvenir or

memorabilia at one of two quaint gift shops within the compound. The Crafted Trails sells

beautiful hand-made wares and museum gifts, where the 1871 Celda Cafe offers hearty snacks

and cleverly named sandwiches like the Crime of Passion, the First Day in Prison and the Last

Meal Request. Surrounded by high coral-stone walls, the open grounds have matured into a

terrific venue for hosting unique celebrations. The vintage, artisan backdrop is the perfect place

to host a private celebration or entertain colleagues and business associates. The Well of

Wisdom, Love and Good Fortune at Museo Sugbo was believed to be the source of water for the

prison complex of the Visayas district. Commonly known as the Wishing Well, this Spanish-era

well was unearthed during a renovation project near the rear section of the Museo Sugbo grounds

in 2009 and is a great place to round-out your tour of the museum.