July 2, 2025

San fernando: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) disbursed PHP1.76 billion in inpatient hospital claims in La Union province in 2024, while its total collection from members’ premiums in the same year amounted to PHP700 million. PhilHealth La Union Local Health Insurance Office head Raymund Maningding, in a phone interview on Wednesday, said that of the total amount, PHP400 million was paid for maternity care package. “This covers normal spontaneous delivery and caesarean,” he said. According to Philippines News Agency, some PHP276 million of the total amount was paid for dialysis, he said. “That’s why we are asking the health

Bangued: Newly sworn-in Vice Governor Ana Marie Bersamin called on local officials to set aside political divisions and work together for the betterment of the province and its people. “We will start working as one for the progress of our province and the Abrenos,” Bersamin said in a media interview on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, Ana Marie, niece of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, emphasized the importance of cooperation, regardless of political affiliation, and urged her fellow officials to serve without being hindered by party lines. A member of the Progreso group which secured most provincial and municipal seats

Northern samar: Northern Samar 2nd District Rep. Edwin Ongchuan has introduced a bill aimed at institutionalizing the position of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions Officer (LEDIPO) across all local government units in the country. Ongchuan’s House Bill 602 seeks to amend Republic Act 7160, formally known as the Local Government Code of 1991, to ensure the permanent placement of LEDIPOs in provincial, city, and first- and second-class towns. For the third to sixth class towns, the appointment of LEDIPOs will remain optional, Ongchuan said in a statement Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, Ongchuan emphasized the need for a

Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania announced Tuesday that it has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams to resolve a federal civil rights case brought by the US Department of Education. According to Philippines News Agency, the agreement is part of the broader effort of the Trump administration to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. The decision followed the education department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) determination that the university violated federal law by allowing a transgender athlete to join the women’s swim team and access female-only facilities. The investigation for Title IX violations was

Maguindanao norte: Three militants operating under local terrorist groups surrendered to the Philippine Marines here, turning over two 60mm mortar launchers and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with one live round on Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, the Marine Battalion Landing Team 2 (MBLT-2) stated that two of the extremists belonged to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) under the Kagui Karialan faction, while one operated under the Dawlah Islamiya (DI)-Hassan Group. The MBLT-2 revealed that the extremists’ surrender was primarily due to combat fatigue, family pressure, and fear of continued military operations. Both the BIFF and DI have a