News Roundup 14 December 2022
Dec 14, 2022 • 5 min Read
Philippines urged to address exodus of nurses as NZ offers medical workers residency | PHILSTAR.COM – An organization of nurses called on the government to address the problem of migration of health workers following New Zealand’s offer of residency to overseas nurses and midwives. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Monday that the government is offering healthcare workers from abroad an immediate pathway to residency as the country addresses an acute shortfall of medical staff. In a statement Wednesday, the Filipino Nurses United said the offer of better job opportunities and higher pay of other countries have attracted massive migration of Filipino nurses. “With the increasing economic crisis of the Filipino families, the offer of residency in a country such as New Zealand will be truly enticing and definitely an additional push factor for nurses to leave their local nursing jobs,” FNU said. “Our country itself is in dire need of nursing and health services. Amidst the availability of nurses, our public health care system has not absorbed them so that it can respond to our people’s health needs,” it added. According to the organization, only 172,589 out of 617,898 Filipino nurses are employed locally. To address the mass exodus of nurses, FNU renewed its calls for an increase of nurses’ salary to P50,000 monthly, mass hiring of additional 52,000 nurses in public health and in hospitals, and regularization of contractual nurses.
Nasino, 2 other activists ask Manila court to reduce ‘enormous’ bail | PHILSTAR.COM – Activist Reina Mae Nasino and two others have asked a Manila court to cut their bail bonds by half, arguing that their inability to pay the “enormous” amounts render their access to temporary freedom “practically nugatory.” Nasino and Alma Moran are being asked by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 47 to pay P420,000 each for bail, while Ram Carlo Bautista is being asked to pay P570,000 — amounts which they said they are unable to pay due to their circumstances. Nasino and Moran appealed to the court to reduce their bail to P210,000 each, while Bautista asked to reduce his bail to P285,000, “even as these amounts would remain to be a tremendous challenge to raise as it is.” “As full-time human rights workers, they were earning only what was necessary for their daily sustenance. They have no other sources of income and have relied for support from their families, fellow activists, and concerned citizens. They also come from low-income, working-class families,” read their six-page motion filed Wednesday. The activists argued that they are not flight risks as they have “strong ties to the community” being activists and they have no criminal history and other pending cases and were not fugitives when they were arrested. They also emphasized that the evidence against them is weak, as also pointed out by the Manila court. They also said that the Court of Appeals has ruled to exclude evidence allegedly seized from them when it voided the search warrant used to raid their residences. Nasino, Moran and Bautista were arrested in Tondo, Manila in November 2019, and were charged with illegal possession of firearms, and of explosives. Nasino was then pregnant with River, whom she delivered in detention, but the baby died after their separation. The death of Baby River and the subsequent burial where Nasino was put in cuffs the entire time sparked condemnation from the public.
No urgency to pass Maharlika fund bill: People already in deep debt don’t need it – lawmaker | INQUIRER.NET – To certify as urgent a bill that aims to establish the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) is not necessary because “people who are already deep [in] debt” do not need it. Alliance of Concerned Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro made this assertion Wednesday, countering the belief of Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez who earlier urged his cousin, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to certify as urgent House Bill (HB) No. 6608. A bill certified as urgent could skip the three-session day requirement before the House of Representatives proceeds with a third and final reading of a measure. Simply, the passage of a bill certified as urgent would be faster than the usual process. But Castro said that a proposed law of such high importance as it involves the utilization of huge government funds should be scrutinized properly. “There is no necessity to certify as urgent the Maharlika Investment Fund. it is not needed by the people who are already deep [in] debt, who are finding it difficult to make ends meet due to the rising prices of goods and the low salaries. The only people pushing for the urgent passage are its proponents,” she stressed. “People’s organizations, economists, experts, business groups, academics and the people have sounded their opposition to this bill that prioritizes an investment fund over budget for social services even with a deficit budget. There should be no rush in passing a bill that involves billions of people’s money,” she added. According to Castro, there are several issues that need to be addressed even if HB No. 6608 – originally HB No. 6398 – already went through several amendments. Among others, the party-list lawmaker inquired if the MIF could be tapped to fund development projects like the Kaliwa dam, which they believe is disadvantageous to the environment and the indigenous peoples. She also raised the issue on whether the MIF would eventually accept investment money from government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), including government financial institutions (GFIs), like the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System.
