Expanding Pharma Zones: A win-win solution for health and pandemic-stricken economy - Tolentino
MANILA - Administration Senator Francis Tol N. Tolentino believed that accelerating the establishment of pharmaceutical manufacturing zones under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) will not only give Filipinos better access to cheaper medicines but would also help stabilize the pandemic-stricken economy.
Tolentino said expanding the so-called Pharma Zone has both short and long term goals since aside from providing the public with locally manufactured but less expensive vaccines just like in the case of COVID-19 disease, it can also bring forth more investments and jobs for the pandemic-stricken economy.
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Zubiri Files Bill Suspending Increase in PhilHealth Premium Contributions
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, along with Sens. Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, Nancy Binay, Win Gatchalian, and Sonny Angara, have filed Senate Bill 1968, amending the Universal Health Care Act (UHC Act) to suspend the scheduled increase in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) premium contributions.
In the UHC Act, under which all Filipino citizens are part of the National Health Insurance Program, PhilHealth premium contributions are scheduled to increase annually in increments of 0.5 percent of an individual s monthly basic salary beginning 2021 until 2025.
But owing to the current pandemic and its attendant economic impact on the Filipino people, this bill seeks to amend the UHC Act to postpone the scheduled increase to the year after any given public health emergency.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 16) The Asian Development Bank assures more funding to support the Philippine government s programs in the next two years aiming to jump-start the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the ADB said loans to the country is expected to hit $9.4 billion (around ₱451.7 billion) between 2021 and 2023. At least two-thirds of the amount will go to infrastructure, health, and employment recovery initiatives in line with its Country Operations Business Plan. We will be paying special attention to accelerating infrastructure projects that have high fiscal impact multipliers. These are the investments that link local economies, businesses, communities, and public services to those that need them, ADB Philippines Senior Programs Officer Oscar Badiola said in an online press conference.