2 days ago
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MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go has described as timely, and a necessary intervention, the expanded Animal Bite Treatment (ABT) package now being offered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), as animal bite cases are expected to rise during the hot and dry season.
Go, chairperson of the Senate committee on health, underscored the importance of access to proper medical care following animal bites, especially for people in rural and underserved areas.
PhilHealth recently increased its ABT benefit package from P3,000 to P5,850, allowing for a more comprehensive coverage for bite victims – including post-exposure prophylaxis, wound care, rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin, tetanus shots and antibiotics.
The increase comes amid warnings from health experts of a possible uptick in bite incidents during the summer months, when more children are out playing and animals are often agitated by the heat.
According to PhilHealth, more than 700 accredited ABT providers across the country are now capable of administering treatment, with ongoing efforts to expand this network.
From January to March this year, the Department of Health (DOH) has already recorded 55 deaths linked to rabies, a disease with a 100 percent fatality rate if left untreated.
The number is part of a worrying trend, with 426 rabies-related deaths recorded in 2024 – nearly double the figure in 2020.
While rabies is preventable, it remains deadly when left unmanaged.
The virus is transmitted through bites or scratches from infected animals, most commonly dogs or cats.
The DOH emphasized that symptoms may appear within weeks or take up to a year, depending on several factors including the site of the bite and the viral load.
Data from DOH revealed that 45 percent of last year’s rabies deaths came from bites by domestic pets, many of which were either unvaccinated or with unknown vaccination status.
Regions with the highest number of rabies cases were Central Luzon, Soccsksargen and Calabarzon.
Land use plans
Meanwhile, outgoing Makati City Mayor and senatorial candidate Abby Binay suggested that local government units should strictly adhere to their comprehensive land use plans (CLUP) to ensure food security, while at the same time managing the growth of urbanization.
“Coming from the perspective of a mayor, what we really need is the strict implementation of the comprehensive land use plan,” Binay said, noting that CLUP is good for 10 years, and it is a product of an intensive study of the conditions and needs of a locality.
“The usual problem lies with the fact that plans are good, but always fall short on the implementation side,” she said, underscoring the importance of properly implementing the CLUP to achieve balanced and sustainable development.
Binay made the statement at the press conference of Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas in Sta. Rosa, Laguna over the weekend. The candidates were asked how urban projects, particularly housing development, can be implemented without compromising food security.
Muslim prayer breaks
House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo, who leads the senatorial candidates in the midterm election surveys, has vowed to file a bill that will allow Muslim employees to enjoy prayer breaks in their workplaces.
“In Islam, our Muslim brothers and sisters need to pray five times a day. Two of these prayers, ‘Dhuhr,’ which is performed at midday, and ‘Asr,’ which takes place in the late afternoon, often coincide with working hours,” the ACT-CIS congressman said.
The proposed legislation – which the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate intends to file when the House session resumes on June 2 – aims to institutionalize two prayer breaks for Muslim workers in both the public and private sectors, as well as the establishment of a designated prayer room or space.
Protecting agricultural lands
Government support for the promotion of Filipino-made products must include the protection of agricultural lands that are vital to domestic industries, including coconut, lanzones and palay, reelectionist Sen. Francis Tolentino said.
Tolentino said the government could address the continuing conversion of coconut farmlands in the province to make way for subdivisions and commercial establishments.
“There must be a way to link the ‘One Town, One Product’ law that we just passed to fill in policy gaps due to the absence of a National Land Use Plan,” Tolentino said at the Alyansa press conference.
He was referring to Republic Act 11981, or the Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Filipino) Law, which was signed by President Marcos last year.
He vowed to study the law’s implementing rules to see how the government could halt the unwarranted conversion of agricultural lands, not just in Laguna, but also in other provinces.
“We can regulate the issuance of permits and clearances. You can’t be allowed to just wipe out coconut plantations,” the senator said.
“As a child, I remember that San Pablo City used to have Franklin Baker,” Tolentino recalled, referring to the company renowned for producing desiccated coconut and supplying coconut ingredients to major confectioneries around the world.
Laguna is known for producing coconut-based delicacies, most notably the iconic buko pie.
Tolentino said that the same approach can be used to protect lanzones farms in Alaminos, and palay fields in towns such as Victoria and Pila, from unwarranted land-use conversion.
The senator stressed that he backs the passage of the National Land Use Plan Act, which has languished in the legislative mill for over a decade.
Defense ecozone
Opposition senatorial candidate Raul Lambino proposed the establishment of a Special Economic Zone within the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation to attract private investment in the local production of high-tech defense equipment and essential supplies for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“The government can designate a portion of Fort Magsaysay as a special economic zone to encourage companies to manufacture nightvision devices, electronic warfare systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, among others, for military and law enforcement use,” Lambino said.
“Our proposal aligns with the newly enacted Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Law, which seeks to enhance the Philippines’ capacity for local defense production,” he said.
Passed by Congress in October 2024, Republic Act 12024 strengthens the Philippine defense industry by promoting local manufacturing of advanced weaponry and equipment through technology transfer, private sector partnerships and investment incentives.
“At present, we import most of our defense supplies. By producing them here at home, we can generate thousands of jobs for Filipinos, boost demand for local raw materials, and reduce foreign exchange outflows spent on imports,” Lambino said.
Professionals eyed as teachers
In a related development, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is mulling to push for a measure that will allow professionals, who can meet the teaching standards, to become licensed teachers.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, said the measure could provide alternative pathways for professionals to become licensed teachers, a step that he believes could help improve senior high school education.
Gatchalian raised the possibility during a hearing on Senate Bill 2840, which aims to amend the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (RA 4784) and introduce alternative pathways for people to become registered as professional teachers.
Under the proposed measure, applicants could qualify either by passing a licensure exam or by submitting a portfolio showing they meet professional teaching standards. — Delon Porcalla
