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77% of PET bottles on Palawan shores came from neighboring countries — study
A study conducted by researchers from Mindanao has found that a significant number of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles washing ashore in the Philippines originate from other countries. The study, published in the Philippine Journal of Science in February 2026, showed that 77% of these PET…
Peace through strength, Taiwan president says on China battle anniversary
Peace can only be secured through strength and not even an inch of territory can be sacrificed, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Sunday, visiting a sensitive frontline island to mark a key battle with Chinese forces almost seven decades ago. Taiwan has controlled the Kinmen and Matsu…
Marcos administration’s healthcare sector goals by 2028: stunting down, TB reduced, HIV contained, immunization up
The Marcos administration’s Department of Health has set concrete health outcome targets it must achieve by 2028: lower stunting rates among Filipino children, higher immunization rates, reduced tuberculosis cases, contained HIV infections, and a shift toward healthier lifestyles to address rising…
DOH chief to create dedicated hospital operations cluster, says it needs its own management team
Health Secretary Edwin Mercado said the Department of Health (DOH) will create a separate dedicated cluster for hospital operations, removing it from the Center for Health Development regional offices that currently oversee both hospitals and primary care programs. Mercado stressed this necessary…
PhilHealth chief: private pharmacies run 80% of Gamot network because supply chain is their expertise
Eight out of ten pharmacies accredited under PhilHealth’s Gamot medicine program are private businesses rather than government pharmacies—a deliberate design choice driven by the recognition that private pharmacies have the supply chain expertise to ensure medicines are reliably available when…
LGUs can now use Special Health Fund to hire medical workers, a first under Marcos administration
Local government units can now use the Special Health Fund—the pool of PhilHealth payments they receive for health services—to hire doctors, nurses, and other medical workers, a critical new provision that Health Secretary Edwin Mercado said Saturday will help address the country’s chronic…
Marcos admin builds 100+ specialty centers for cardiac, cancer, stroke care inside existing hospitals
The Marcos administration has built more than 100 specialty centers for cardiac, cancer, stroke, trauma, burn, and brain care—all co-located inside existing hospitals rather than built as standalone facilities—expanding access to specialized medical care across the country without requiring the…
PhilHealth chief vows no more surprise hospital bills for Filipinos by 2028
PhilHealth President and CEO Beverly Ho said Saturday that the clearest measure of success for the health sector by the end of the Marcos administration in 2028 is simple: no Filipino should fear entering a hospital because they do not know how much it will cost them. Ho made the statement in an…
PhilHealth payouts surge from ₱83B in 2023 to ₱420B target in 2026 as out-of-pocket costs fall
PhilHealth benefit payouts have surged from ₱83 billion in 2023 to ₱330 billion in 2025 and are on track to reach ₱420 billion this year, as the expansion of the Yakap primary care program and the Gamot medicine benefit drives more Filipinos to use their PhilHealth coverage, the state-run social…
PhilHealth adds 54 medicines to Gamot program, bringing total to 75 with ₱20,000 annual e-wallet credit
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has expanded its GAMOT medicine program from the original 21 medicines under the Konsulta program to 75 total, after adding 54 new medicines last year under the leadership of then-PhilHealth President and CEO Edwin Mercado, now the Secretary…
France warns of 300,000 potentially unsafe condoms
French anti-fraud and health agencies issued a warning on Friday against tens of thousands of potentially unsafe condoms sold on the internet and in shops and pharmacies. The agencies recalled about 260,000 condoms sold in pharmacies and shops after lab tests found two products presented risks…
Telemedicine and roving teams to bring healthcare to PH’s most isolated communities, says new DOH chief
The Department of Health (DOH) will use telemedicine and roving health teams rather than fixed clinics to bring healthcare to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, acknowledging that brick-and-mortar health facilities are not always feasible in island communities and remote barangays…
PhilHealth’s Gamot program ends era of patients buying only three-day medicine supply
The Gamot program launched by PhilHealth under the leadership of then-President and CEO Edwin Mercado has ended the common practice of patients with chronic conditions buying only three days’ worth of maintenance medicines at a time because they could not afford a full month’s supply, PhilHealth…
Cancer screening now a PhilHealth Yakap program benefit, covering mammography, low-dose CT scan, colonoscopy
Mammography, low-dose chest CT scan for lung cancer screening, and colonoscopy are now covered free of charge under PhilHealth’s Yakap program, making cancer screening accessible to every Filipino enrolled in primary care for the first time, PhilHealth President and CEO Beverly Ho said Saturday.…
Marcos administration ends era of ‘doctorless’ municipalities in the Philippines: DOH exec
Every municipality in the Philippines now has a doctor, ending decades of doctorless towns that left millions of rural Filipinos without access to basic medical care, Health Undersecretary Gloria Balboa said Saturday. Balboa made the statement in an interview on DZRH News program Special on…
The Morning SitRep
The day’s most important stories in the Philippines and the world, in one five-minute read. Delivered at 6 AM, Monday to Saturday.