35,333 families receive PhilHealth benefits

BAGUIO CITY — The national government, through the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), has provided free government health and medical benefits to 35,333 indigent families in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The program, in line with the Universal Health Care program of President Benigno S. Aquino III, was carried out in partnership with the Department of Health and local government units in this region.

The figure represents the number of free government health insurance coverage given to indigent families since the program’s launch with the first PhilhealthSabado event on Oct. 25, 2010.

PhilHealth Regional Director Leo Douglas Cardona said the program aims to provide free Philhealth coverage to all indigent families that are identified under the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the Department of Social Welfare and Development which provides a listing of all the poor households.

During the 24th Cordillera Day celebration recently, Cardona turned over 5,423 Philhealth IDs or Family Health Cards to the governors and congressmen of the region’s six provinces and two cities.

“This represented a portion of the huge number of indigent families who stand to benefit from the government’s universal health care program,” he said.



No. 3, 4 cols
Teacher, guard, 2 others nabbed for banned drugs
BAGUIO CITY -- Four alleged members of the “Nider Group” were nabbed here Aug. 2 near the cemetery in San Luis Village last week for illegal drugs in their possession.

Police identified the suspects as Ramil “Mil” G. Ong, 42 of 01 Lower Fairview; Glendel C. “Balong” Calaguas, 27, security guard and resident of Sunflower Street, Dagdagan Compound, Lower San Luis Village; Dondon “Tisoy” A. Sanches, 26 of 24, South Central Aurora Hill, and Manuel; Manny” G. Tamesis, 32, teacher by profession of 86 M. Roxas Street, Barangay Tabora.

Confiscated from the suspects around 6:30 p.m. were two grams of “shabu” valued at P2, 360; twenty-one grams of dried marijuana leaves worth P 247.50; eighteen grams of marijuana hashish worth P4, 500 and a weighing scale.

Arresting officers included elements of Police Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group under Supt. Glenn D. Lonogan, city police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

The confiscated drugs were brought to the Cordillera police regional crime laboratory for chemical analysis while the suspects were taken under the custody by the RAIDSOTG pending preparation of court cases against them..