“We lost an icon today,” tweeted actress Bela Padilla. “This is truly heartbreaking. Rest easy, sir. I love all the conversations I was blessed to share with you, and I will remember you fondly forever.” “You will be missed and forever remembered,” said Jodi Sta. Maria on Twitter. “I pray you find peace and rest in the arms of our Lord. You are in a better place, Sir.”
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in other news: Phil Health and fake billing for dialysis is the latest scandal. LINK1 LINK 2
Why is this important?
Well, for one reason, it explains why Ex pats here can't get Medicare to pay for their medical care here, even though it is cheaper than the USA.
the danger of fake billing is the problem. Luckily, at least one Medicare advantage card, and some private insurances, will let you get care here, but they are very very expensive. I had private insurance that allowed only certain hospitals and physician groups, mainly in Manila, to be paid for, but I never used it because I was never sick enough to go there (I live in the provinces so it is a two to three hour drive to Manila). So I have dropped it, figuring I will pay from my savings.
and not just exPats: Manila has first class hospitals and could be a center for medical tourism if you could get more insurance to cover care here.
there are a lot of ex pat Yanks here: mostly servicemen or men married to local gals who retire here, but also "Balikbayan" returning locals with US citizenship, like my husband.
This is an ongoing problem: His niece Emie has to pay for her own dialysis treatment, which she now can get locally (we are getting more sophisticated here in the provinces), whereas if she moved back to Chicago, she'd get it for free.
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Then we have the ongoing drug war: This article is about a new book telling the tale of a world wide Drug pusher who lived in the Manila area. LINK
corruption let him get away with it, and the reporter notes that the major drug lords are still around, criticizing Duterte for this by saying only of low level dealers are targeted. However, like most reporters, he doesn't notice the drop in the crime rate has helped the non elite, because the low level druggies are the guys behind the crime commited against unimportant people,( which is why Duterte is popular).
Wired article here. note this conversation:
Pepe turns to the second part of the deal: the trade of his Colombian cocaine for Paul’s methamphetamine, a sample of which Paul has shipped to him from his base in the Philippines.
“Let me ask you a question,” Pepe says. “Sure.” “You are not Filipino, why the Philippines?” “Same reason you are in Liberia. Basically, as far as Asia goes, it’s the best shithole we can find, which gives us the ability to ship anywhere. It’s the best position in Asia. And it’s also a poor place. Not as bad as here, but we can still solve problems.”
“You are cooking your shit in the Philippines?” Pepe says. “Actually, right now we manufacture in the Philippines and we also buy from the Chinese. We’re getting it from North Korea. So the quality you saw was very high.”
Wikipedia tells how they lured him to Liberia to arrest him because it's easier to extradite people from there.
and I'm sure a lot more criminals like that guy are living here, because although Duterte is trying to clean up the swamp, corruption is deeply embedded in the culture, and of course is funding his opposition, who cry "human rights" when they mean "ignore the bribes and kickbacks".
The Philippines was and still is in danger of becoming a Narco state like Mexico.
Ten percent of our population work overseas. Planes here leave every day taking OFW to jobs all over the world (and many are poor and could be bribed to smuggle drugs in their luggage).
Sigh.
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in other news: the 22 Filipino sailors on those stricken tankers hit by Iranian mines are safe.
and when Iranian's proxy terrorists lob missles into Saudi, they will probably hit foreign workers there, many of whom are Filipino;
“The Philippines expresses its appreciation to friendly governments for the rescue of Filipino seafarers. At the same time, the Philippine government condemns the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport and on the oil tankers. Attacks on civilian installations and commercial shipping can never be justified,” the DFA said in a statement. Read more: https://globalnation.inquirer.net/176798/32-filipinos-in-2-stricken-tankers-rescued#ixzz5rWj3xIfq
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