US, Australia eye sea patrols with PH

by FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA ManilaTimes.net

THE United States and Australia expressed willingness to conduct joint maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea with the Philippines.

The issue was discussed by the respective defense secretaries of the two countries with Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

Galvez met with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles on Wednesday,

February 22."As countries which are committed to the global rules-based order, it is natural that we should think about ways in which we can cooperate in this respect," Marles said during a joint press briefing with Galvez.

"We did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols, and we will continue that work and we hope that comes to fruition soon," he added.

Marles said the Philippines and Australia are "deeply invested" in asserting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (Unclos), particularly in the

West Philippine Sea.

Galvez said that Australia was one of the first countries to conduct joint patrol with the Philippines in 2017. The Philippine-Australia joint patrol at the Celebes and Sulu Sea led to the establishment of the trilateral defense cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia.

SACRAMENTO — California is revamping how it rewards nursing homes to get them to improve patient care.

Rather than limit bonuses to top-performing facilities, the state will hand out additional Medicaid payments next year to nursing homes — even low-rated ones — that hire additional workers, reduce staff turnover, or improve quality of care. Facilities will be scored on their performance so facilities that do more will earn larger bonuses. And to ensure an acceptable level of care, the state will sanction facilities that fail to meet clinical and quality standards for patients.

The switch is part of a multipronged effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to entice nursing homes to do better after the devastating toll of COVID-19. Facilities that improve working conditions for their staff will also earn higher daily Medicaid payments.

“When you’re investing in the workforce, then you have the appropriate levels of care to provide services,” said Lindy Harrington,