PIA Aklan Balita JULY 1 - 15, 2022

Volume 20

Issue 13

JULY 1 - 15, 2022

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) here is urging its members to register and avail the “Konsultang Sulit at Tama” better known as Philhealth KonSuLTa. In a recently held Aklan Public Information Officers Association (APIOA) meeting, Philhealth-Aklan Information Officer Aimy Joy Desaporado briefed information officers in the province on the KonSuLTa package and urged them to disseminate the new program of Philhealth in their respective localities especially in the local government units.

Desaporado explained that Philhealth KonSuLTa is an expanded primary care benefit of Philhealth to provide comprehensive outpatient benefits to all Filipinos as mandated by the Universal Health Care Law or Republic Act 11223.

It covers individual-based and outpatient health services such as initial and follow-up primary care consultations, health screening and assessment and access to selected diagnostic services, and medicines.

“We do not need to be hospitalized anymore to be able to Aimy Joy Desaporado, Information Officer of Philhealth-Aklan briefs her fellow information officers in the province of Aklan on the PhilHealth KonSuLTa avail of Philhealth services. The purpose of this also is on the package and urges them to disseminate the new program of Philhealth in their

Continued on page… 02 respective localities especially in the local government units. (SQP/PIA-Aklan)

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- The province of Aklan has a total Pilipino Program (4Ps) households/beneficiaries, per record of 27,851 registered clean and active Pantawid Pamilyang from the Aklan Provincial Operations Office (POO) Provincial Link head Beverly Salazar.

These Aklanon 4Ps beneficiaries are composed of Regular Conditional Cash Transfer (RCCT) households numbering 27,205, and Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) households numbering 646.

The MCCT households in Aklan are various Indigenous Peoples (IPS) groups composed of Akeanon Bukidnon of Libacao and Madalag towns, Ati of Malay, and Kalibugan Tribe of Nabas.

In the list, Madalag has 289 households/beneficiaries; Libacao has 280; Nabas has 38; and Malay has 34.

On the other hand, the town of Altavas also listed four MCCT household beneficiaries while Buruanga, the town next to Malay, had one household beneficiary.

Of the RCCT, Aklan’s top five municipalities with big numbers of households/beneficiaries are Ibajay, with 2,648; Kalibo -2,377; New Washington-2,174; Libacao-2,137; and Balete1,816.

Graduation picture of exiting 4Ps beneficiaries in Aklan April of this year. AcThe town with the lowest number of beneficiaries is Lezo, cording to Beverly Salazar, Provincial Link of Aklan Provincial Operations Ofwhich has also the smallest land area. It has 626 households/ fice (POO), reasons for graduating or exiting from the Pantawid Pamilyang beneficiaries.

Pilipino Program could be due to attrition, or the benificiary/household has no more children with ages 0 to 18 for monitoring. (Photo courtesy of Aklan POO)

Continued on page… 03

PIA AKLAN BALITA

PAGE 02

Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 13

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) -- Aklan’s new local chief executive, harmonious, good working relationship with the Provincial Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores said he wants to have a Capitol employees.

Miraflores aired this call during the flag raising ceremony he attended on July 4 in front of the Provincial Capitol Building, the first that he attended as governor of the province, exactly a week after taking his oath before Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.

According to him, the human resource is the best asset of the province, and he said he will treat all employees like a family member.

“Owa it perfect nga pamilya, pero una ro pagpalangga it tatay sa tanan (There is no perfect family, but a father’s love is there for everyone),” he said.

“I will try to make everyone happy,” he added.

Miraflores thanked the Provincial Capitol employees, along with their respective department heads, for sincerely serving the Aklanons and for supporting him.

Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, the new governor of the province of Aklan, Too, he told the employees that what they are doing now is attends the first flag-raising ceremony of the Provincial Government, assuring not for him but for Aklan, and for all Aklanons. (JBG/VGV/ the employees of his full support and of making everyone happy.

PIA6 Aklan)

PhilHealth-Aklan…

From page 01 prevention side of getting us to be sick or to make our sickness to get worst,” Desaporado said.

There are 13 laboratory and diagnostics examinations which can be availed of for free, such as complete blood count with platelet count, urinalysis, fecalysis, sputum microscopy, fecal occult blood, pap smear, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, oral glucose tolerance test, electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, creatinine and HbA1c.

For medicine, there are also 21 that are covered by the package and these are Amoxicillin, Co-Amoxiclav , Cotrimoxazole, Nitrofurantoin , Ciprofloxacin, Clarithromycin, Oral Rehydration Salts Fluid and Electrolytes , Prednisone, Salbutamol, Fluticasone + Salmeterol, Paracetamol, Gliclazide, Metformin, Simvastatin, Enalapril, Metoprolol, Amlodipine, Hydrochlorothiazide, Losartan, Aspirin, and Chlorpheniramine Maleate Although the coverage of the said program is for all Filipi-

nos, Desaporado explained that registration to an accredited Philhealth KonSuLTa facility is needed to avail such services.

“So far in Aklan, we have seven accredited facilities for Philhealth KonSuLTa. These are two Rural Health Units each in Kalibo and Ibajay; and one RHU each in New Washington, Buruanga and Makato,” said Desaporado adding that the list could go on with dialogues already made and scheduled to different facilities, one of which was the meeting with the provincial health board, aiming to include all the state run hospitals in the province.

Registration to Philhealth KonSuLTa facility could be done in two ways; self-registration wherein one should log-in to the Member Portal or Member Online Registration through the website www.philhealth.gov.ph ; and assisted registration through any of the following – current employer, social worker of PhilHealth Konsulta facility, LGU/ Office of the Senior Citizen Affairs, PhilHealth Local Health Insurance Office, Philhealth Customer Assistance Relations and Empowerment Staff, and Philhealth Corporate Action Center Hotline (02) 8441-7442. (AAL/SQP/PIA Aklan)

KALIBO, Aklan (PIA) – The Island of Boracay in Malay, Aklan received a total of 849,047 visitors from January to June this year, according to Malay Municipal Tourism Office.

Based on the data of the local tourism office of the total tourist arrivals, 817,215 were domestic tourists; while 18,845 were foreign tourists; and 12,987 were Overseas Filipino Workers /Overseas Filipinos.

The month of May 2022 posted the highest number of tourist arrivals amid the pandemic with 201,368, notably due to the celebration of long weekend holiday “LoveBoracay” formerly celebrated as LaBoracay in the famous Island.

It followed by the months of June of which the island was able to welcome 193,650 visitors; April with 186,751 and 150,597 in March.

With less than 100,000 tourist arrivals in Boracay were Many business establishments in D'Mall Boracay Island reopen as tourist arrithe months of February and January with 80,882 and 35,799 vals in the island are picking up. From January to June 2022, Boracay island Continued on page… 04 welcomed 849,047 tourists. (SQP/PIA-Aklan)

PIA AKLAN BALITA

Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 13

Aklan has 27K clean…

From page 01 According to Salazar, as of June 2022, some 1,527 households have exited from the program.

Those who exited the program were either due to natural attrition or having no more eligible 0-18 children for monitoring.

According to her, Aklan is the only province which had conducted simultaneous graduation for exiting households nationwide for two consecutive years, with National Program Manager Dir. Gemma B. Gabuya gracing the occasion in Malay and Ibajay held in April of this year.

“Those exited households will undergo Kilos Unlad process, a social case management strategy which aims to guide the households in achieving improved well-being, stepping out

PAGE 03 of poverty, and employing individual and family cooperation,” Salazar said.

She revealed that of Western Visayas’ provinces, Aklan topped the overall compliance rate of 98.73% for rating high in various conditions set by the program like Education, Health, Family Development Sessions, and Deworming.

In Aklan, beneficiaries have direct and secured access to cash grants through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), while those not adequately served by the said bank could access the services of rural banks, cooperative banks and institutions engaged in money remittances accredited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

To monitor the cash grant utilization, Salazar said there are Municipal Roving Bookkeepers assigned in each locality to conduct regular financial literacy and monitoring. (JBG/VGV/ PIA6 Aklan)

The Social Security System (SSS) said nearly 200 job order and contract of service workers will get social security coverage after SSS and the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) last June 24, 2022.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Regino lauded PPSC in their effort to provide social protection to their fellow workers in the government not covered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). "Regardless of their employment status, workers deserve to have a basic safety net in times of contingencies through SSS membership," Regino said.

Under the MOA, PPSC’s contract of service and job order workers will be classified as self-employed members of SSS. Government contract of service and job order workers are not covered by the GSIS due to their employment status.

As a Coverage and Collection Partner, SSS authorized the PPSC to collect and remit their monthly contributions through a salary-deduction scheme under its KaltaSSSCollect Program.

“As SSS self-employed members, they shall become enti-

tled to social security benefits such as sickness, maternity, retirement, disability, and death benefits. They shall also become eligible for loan programs which include salary, and calamity, among others. Likewise, they will also have additional coverage from the Employees' Compensation Program (ECP) for work-related contingencies,” Regino added.

As of May 2022, SSS has partnered with 1,261 local government units (LGUs), 398 national government agencies, 98 state universities and colleges (SUCs), and 58 local water districts covering job order and contract of service workers through the KaltaSSS-Collect Program with a total collection exceeding P2.9 billion.

In the photo, SSS Senior Vice President for Account Management Group Mario Sibucao (third from left) and PPSC Vice President for Administration Retired Police Brigadier General Ferdinando Sevilla (fourth from left) showed the MOA between the two government agencies during the signing ceremony held at the PPSC’s compound in Quezon City, which was witnessed by several SSS and PPSC officials.

(Amiel Genova/SSS)

Social Security System (SSS) President and CEO Michael G. Regino announced on Monday that P53.27 billion maternity benefit was released to 1.91 million members from 2016 to 2021.

Significant jump in disbursement was first noted in 2019 following the implementation of Republic Act No. 11210 or Expanded Maternity Leave Law, which was signed by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte. Highest peak of releases was recorded in 2021 amounting to P13.90 billion.

“The SSS, as a conduit agency gave its full support to this endeavor through continuous disbursement of maternity benefits to our qualified female members since the law was implemented in March 2019. We have also recalibrated and simplified the application procedures through online submission of maternity benefit application for members and reimbursement for employers through the My.SSS Portal which started last May 2021,” said Regino.

Under the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, Regino pointed out that the maternity leave was extended from 60 days (for normal delivery)/78 days (caesarean section delivery) to 105 days. SSS female members may also avail of this bene-

fit, regardless of the frequency, provided that the minimum of three (3) qualifying contributions from the 12-month period prior the semester of childbirth or miscarriage/emergency termination of pregnancy (ETP) has been met and were not paid on or after the semester of contingency.

“With the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, the increased amount of maternity benefit and number of maternity leave assisted our female member s w i th their financial needs, providing extra time to recover from childbirth, and most importantly, to spend quality time with their newborn babies,” Regino concluded. (Amiel Genova/SSS)

PIA AKLAN BALITA

Vol. No. 20 Issue No. 13

The Social Security System (SSS) said nearly 200 job order and contract of service workers will get social security coverage after SSS and the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) last June 24, 2022.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Regino lauded PPSC in their effort to provide social protection to their fellow workers in the government not covered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). "Regardless of their employment status, workers deserve to have a basic safety net in times of contingencies through SSS membership," Regino said.

Under the MOA, PPSC’s contract of service and job order workers will be classified as self-employed members of SSS. Government contract of service and job order workers are not covered by the GSIS due to their employment status.

As a Coverage and Collection Partner, SSS authorized the PPSC to collect and remit their monthly contributions through a salary-deduction scheme under its KaltaSSSCollect Program.

“As SSS self-employed members, they shall become enti-

Boracay welcomes…

From page 02 arrivals, respectively.

The local governments of Aklan and Malay saw more tourists spend their vacations in the island with the resumption of international flights at the Kalibo International Airport and the easing of travel restrictions.

In June, Air Seoul and T’Way Air, have once again touched down at KIA for the first time in Aklan after more than two years the province closed its doors from neighboring countries due to pandemic.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) more direct international flights are expected to resume operations at KIA this July.

Meanwhile, the newly elected Aklan governor, Jose Enrique Miraflores is mulling for a simple and easy pre-entry requirements for Boracay Island, specifically the Quick Response (QR Code) system.

The governor said that streamlining of the QR code system is necessary also for easy checking and monitoring of the tourists going to Boracay; which are expected to increase in the coming months.

At present, QR code requirement for Aklanons and returning travellers have been lifted whose point of destination is Mainlanland Malay only in accordance with Executive Order 002, series of 2022, issued by Miraflores on July 1. (AAL/SQP/PIAAklan)

PAGE 04

tled to social security benefits such as sickness, maternity, retirement, disability, and death benefits. They shall also become eligible for loan programs which include salary, and calamity, among others. Likewise, they will also have additional coverage from the Employees' Compensation Program (ECP) for work-related contingencies,” Regino added.

As of May 2022, SSS has partnered with 1,261 local government units (LGUs), 398 national government agencies, 98 state universities and colleges (SUCs), and 58 local water districts covering job order and contract of service workers through the KaltaSSS-Collect Program with a total collection exceeding P2.9 billion.

In the photo, SSS Senior Vice President for Account Management Group Mario Sibucao (third from left) and PPSC Vice President for Administration Retired Police Brigadier General Ferdinando Sevilla (fourth from left) showed the MOA between the two government agencies during the signing ceremony held at the PPSC’s compound in Quezon City, which was witnessed by several SSS and PPSC officials.

(Amiel Genova/SSS)