INQToday: Binay mulls ethics complaint vs Cayetano; Navy’s encounter with CCG incurs P60M damage

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

Navy’s June 17 encounter with CCG incurs P60M damage

The damage resulting from China Coast Guard’s violent encounter with personnel of the Philippine Navy on a resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea last June 17 amounted to P60 million, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said.

“We estimated the cost of the damage at P60-million,” Brawner said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. “So we are demanding China pay P60 million.”

Binay mulls filing ethics complaint vs Cayetano

Sen. Nancy Binay said on Thursday that she was considering filing a complaint against Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano at the chamber’s ethics committee over his behavior during the inquiry into the new Senate building.

Cayetano, who heads the Senate panel on accounts, accused Binay of disrupting Wednesday’s hearing on the allegedly ballooning cost of the new Senate building.

Army spox: US missile system to be removed from PH by Sept

The powerful US midrange missile system, which saw action in recent large-scale military exercises between Filipino and American troops, remains in the Philippines but will be “shipped out of the country” this September, according to a Philippine military official.

“The Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system is still in the country. It was used during the last training with the Army Artillery Regiment last June 27,” Col. Louie Dema-ala, the Philippine Army spokesperson, said in a message to the Inquirer on Wednesday.

Gov’t debt inches up to P15.35T in May

Government debt rose to P15.35 trillion as of end-May mainly due to the weakening of the local currency against the greenback, the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) said on Thursday.

The BTr showed that total state obligations increased by P330.39 billion in May, up by 2.2 percent from the previous month.

P27-B COVID-19 allowance for healthcare workers released Friday – DBM

The remaining P27 billion COVID-19 health emergency allowances (HEAs) for eligible healthcare workers will be released on Friday, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The DBM made the announcement shortly after Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa shared his exchange with Budget Secretary Mina Pangandaman, where the latter committed to releasing the remaining funding for HEAs within the year.