INQToday: Grijaldo skips House quad panel probe for the 4th time; held in contempt

Grijaldo skips House quad panel probe for the 4th time; held in contempt

Police Col. Hector Grijaldo was a no-show again in the House quad committee probe into the Duterte administration’s drug war on Thursday – so he was cited for contempt.

Grijaldo, who earlier claimed that two House quad panel co-chairs coerced him into confirming the existence of a reward system for policemen and hitmen during the brutal war on drugs, skipped the hearing for the fourth time.

11,700 families so far affected by Kanlaon eruption

The recent eruption of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island has so far affected 11,791 families, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Thursday.

In its latest situation report, the disaster response body said the figure is equivalent to 40,489 persons in 25 barangays in Western Visayas and Central Visayas.

PhilHealth’s P74-B subsidy scrapped due to its ‘failure’ – Escudero

“It’s a failure [kapalpakan],” Senate President Francis Escudero said on Thursday to explain the bicameral conference committee’s decision to scrap the P74-billion subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) for 2025.

In a phone patch interview with reporters, Escudero said the incident should be a wake-up call for PhilHealth to do better.

PH gov’t to assist Filipinos in US regardless of immigration status

The Philippine ambassador and consuls general in the United States said the government will assist Filipinos regardless of their status in anticipation of major immigration policy changes under the incoming Trump administration.

The diplomats have met on Dec. 10 to 11 to discuss a wide range of issues, particularly immigration, and craft “coordinated response”.

Senate bill seeks to crack down on ticket scalpers

Those caught reselling tickets to events at excessive prices face a stiff fine of up to P500,000 plus a prison sentence under Sen. Mark Villar’s recently filed Senate Bill No. 2873, or the proposed Anti-Ticket Scalping Act.

“We filed this bill to stop or suppress the worsening incidents of scalping, which take advantage of concertgoers or avid fans. The practice of reselling concert and event tickets at an inflated price by scalpers is no longer reasonable,” Villar said.