By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent No stone will be left unturned in the anomalous multi-billion anomalous procurement and implementation of the PHP 8.1-billion two-phase Barangay Health Station (BHS) Project, said Health Sec. Francisco Duque III last June 18. Speaking at a media briefing at the Department of Health (DoH), Duque said he was shocked to discover the volume of irregular transactions at the health department. “Heads will roll. Big names, small n...

By Corina Oliquino| FilAm Star Correspondent MANILA -- The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) revealed last June 18 that personal remittances in April grew at the fastest pace in 17 months, crediting it to the steady inflows from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during the month. According to BSP data, personal remittances grew by 12.9 percent to $2.616 billion in April from the $2.317 billion in the same month last year. “This is also the fastest growth registered in...

By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent The ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) has offered its services to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to help improve the Philippines’ ties with North Korea or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The statement came on the heels of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and DPRK Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore last June 12. “As part of our independent foreign p...

By William Casis | FilAm Star Correspondent If Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will run for president in the 2022, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV stressed that the decision was made for her by President Rodrigo Duterte. “President Duterte knows that at the end of his term, he will be facing, left and right, several charges over spate of killings and robberies. To prevent these occurrences and protect himself and continue his happiness, he is finding ways to remain in po...

By Macon Araneta | FilAm Star Correspondent Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III appealed to online news site Inquirer.net to take down their stories linking him to the 1982 rape and murder of the late sexy star Pepsi Paloma. Sotto clarified, “Please note that I am making the appeal without the intention of trampling on your freedom of speech or of the press. In fact, I am with you in protecting those constitutionally enshrined rights when I filed a bill amending R...

By Lara Climaco | FilAm Star Correspondent Rising import costs has prompted the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to adjust its balance of payments (BOP) forecast for 2018. “The over-all BOP position for 2018 is seen to post a higher deficit of US$1.5 billion from the earlier projection of US$1 billion. This is equivalent to just -0.4 percent of GDP, a very manageable external payments position,” the BSP said in a statement issued June 14. “Consistent with the revise...

By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent A woman airline passenger may have nipped an attempt to revive the “tanim bala” (bullet-planting) scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport when she created a rumpus at the departure area and showed herself to be a government employee too. Kristine Moran said the bullet was detected when her luggage went through x-ray inspection at the NAIA Terminal 3. Moran claimed the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on June 15 at the...

The Santiago City Association (USA), Northern California Chapter (Santiago, Isabela) will be holding their Biennial Picnic/Reunion on July 28, 2018 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at Cardoza Park, 1358 Kennedy Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035. All Santiago City (Santiago Isabela) compatriots are invited to come. For more details, please contact: Pabling Ilagan: 415-225-3545; Alice Alcid Mendoza: 510-305-6504; Vingin Flores Bautista: 408-505-0361; Chato Lazaro Mangligot: 954-292-4928; Manue...