Yellow Pad By Jo-Ann Latuja-Diosana The Universal Health Care (UHC) bill is at its final stages. After a couple of preparatory meetings during the Congress break last October, the Bicameral Conference Committee is officially meeting tomorrow to reconcile the differences of the Senate and the House versions. At this rate, we can expect that the […]
Yellow Pad By Maria Asuncion Silvestre INUTILE. That’s how I felt at my beautiful sister Mae’s bedside when she died in 1995, barely a year since arriving back home from her chemotherapy in Michigan. She had two daughters — Ynna Belen and Angela Jed, just as beautiful as her. She had beautiful dreams … […]
Yellow Pad By Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III Rodrigo Duterte’s 2018 State of the Nation Address (SONA) addressed a lot of issues. And depending on your values, beliefs and advocacy, one would either slam Duterte or begrudgingly recognize parts of his reform agenda. But it is not merely a question of counting what is […]
Yellow Pad By Joshua Uyheng In September 2017, the House of Representatives passed House Bill 5784, also known as the “Universal Health Coverage Act.” The bill aims to transform our health system to make quality health care accessible to all Filipinos without financial hardship. Three versions in the Senate have also been passed: Senate Bills […]
Yellow Pad By Madeiline Joy Aloria The recently passed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law raised excise taxes imposed on products such as sugar-sweetened beverages, cigarettes, and coal. These products are deemed to have harmful effects on health and/or the environment. This objective of taxation — influencing behavior for the better — has […]
Yellow Pad By Arjay Mercado One unexpected development in the passage of Republic Act (RA) 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law was the last-minute addition of a tobacco excise tax increase. Health advocates were surprised by this sudden inclusion because neither the House version nor the Senate version of the […]