Hontiveros hits severe provocation , utter disrespect as Chinese vessels swarm into WPS – Manila Bulletin mb.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mb.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday, March 16 said she will investigate the supposed involvement of Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials in the outbound trafficking of Filipino women.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement, Hontiveros said she is glad that her series of investigations on the “pastillas scam” has jolted the BI to take their roles as guardians of our borders more seriously. ‘’While the widespread corruption has made us more skeptical of the agency’s credibility, instances like this tell me that all is not lost,’’ Hontiveros said.
‘’Nonetheless, I remain vigilant. There are continued reports of officials in the bureau who are allegedly still in cahoots with Chinese nationals who illegally want to enter the country,’’ she added.
Hontiveros said some BI officers might continue to be an accomplice to the ‘mutated’ pastillas scam, in which each Chinese national pays P550,000 in bribe money, as NBI’s recent entrapment operation was inside the office of a BI official.
Hontiveros: A year under pandemic – 365 days of hypocrisy; ineffective band-aid solutions – Manila Bulletin mb.com.ph - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mb.com.ph Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros
(Senate of the Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Hontiveros said that as the country faces a surge in COVID-19 cases, it is necessary for the government to create a national referral hospital for senior citizens with major health concerns, especially those from poor and near-poor families.
The senator said passage of the bill she filed Senate Bill No. 2086 is urgent as cases of COVID-19 continues to increase and can prove to be “fatal for many more seniors.” “If we have a (Philippine) Heart Center and Lung Center, we can also establish a Philippine Geriatric Center that would provide our grandfathers and grandmothers who would contract COVID-19 and other diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer access to free medical services,” Hontiveros said in a statement.