Supreme Court orders return of P60-B to PhilHealth | The wRap - video Dailymotion

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Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world:  - Supreme Court orders return of P60B to PhilHealth, bars further fund transfer - Babes Singson: ICI powerless to act - Marcos orders DILG, PNP to track down Sarah Discaya over P96-M ghost project - SEC revokes 2 Discaya firms’ registration over false ownership information - US widens travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says  https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/december-5-2025/

Transcript

00:00Today on Rappler

00:06The Supreme Court unanimously orders the return of 60 billion pesos to PhilHealth.

00:17Former Public Works Chief Babe Singson says the Independent Commission for Infrastructure is

00:22powerless to carry out its mandate. The President orders authorities to track down

00:27controversial contractor Sara Diskaya over a ghost project in Davao Occidental. The Securities

00:32and Exchange Commission revokes the registrations of two Diskaya firms over false ownership information.

00:39And the United States plans to expand its travel ban to more than 30 countries.

00:45The Supreme Court unanimously orders the return of 60 billion pesos to the Philippine Health

00:50Insurance Corporation. This after the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the fund

00:56transfer from PhilHealth to the National Treasury in 2024. The SC's ruling on Friday, December 5,

01:02states that the fund transfer was unconstitutional. The High Court also permanently prohibits the

01:07transfer of the remaining 29.9 billion pesos fund balance. Several groups and public health advocates

01:14had filed petitions with the SC seeking to block the order of the Finance Department to transfer

01:1989.9 billion pesos in excess PhilHealth funds to the National Treasury. Then Finance Secretary Ralf

01:26Rectos sought to justify the transfer, saying the order was within the bounds of the law. But petitioners

01:31argued it violates the Universal Health Care Act. The law states that PhilHealth's reserve funds or

01:36income cannot be used as a general fund of the national government. Former Public Works Chief

01:43Chief of Rogelio Babe Singson says, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure does not have

01:48enough powers to carry out its mandate. This, he says, just a day after his resignation as

01:53commissioner of the investigative body.

01:55The Department of Budget and Management only approved a 41.4 million peso budget for the commission

02:19in early November, around two months after its creation. Last week, ICI's powers were also

02:24questioned after several lawmakers managed to evade its live streaming efforts by asking for executive

02:30sessions. Presidential Sun and Ilocos Norte First District Representative Sandro Marcos was among those who asked for

02:37a closed-door hearing. In addition, the commission is powerless to compel a person to appear before them.

02:43Davao City First District Representative Paulo Duterte on Thursday, December 4, declined an invitation from the ICI.

02:48He asserts that it has no power nor jurisdiction over him. Singson hopes that before the year ends,

02:55there would be a quote, much stronger independent commission with proper powers and authorities that

03:00the ICI doesn't have. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. orders the Department of the Interior and Local

03:07Government and the Philippine National Police to track down controversial contractors Sara Diskaya and others

03:13allegedly involved in a ghost project in Davao Occidental. Shortly after Marcos' announcement,

03:19the Office of the Ombudsman orders the filing of criminal charges against Diskaya and other

03:23individuals. Diskaya and nine others face cases of malversation of public funds and violation of the

03:30Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for the allegedly anomalous Davao Occidental project. This includes Maria

03:36Roma Angeline Rimando of St. Timothy Construction Corporation, District Engineer Rodrigo Larete and

03:42Assistant District Engineer Michael Awa of the DPWH Davao Occidental District Engineering Office and

03:48several other section chiefs, project engineers, and inspectors.

03:51Sa inspeksyon ng CIDG noong 25 September 2025, natukoy na walang anumang konstruksyon sa

04:01lugar na yon. Kinumpirma ng mga indigenous peoples at barangay officials sa kanilang joint

04:07affidavit na walang naganap na implementasyon ng proyekto.

04:12As in the first case involving resigned lawmaker Zaldi Ko, the Ombudsman also recommends

04:17no bail for the malversation case. The Securities and Exchange Commission revokes the registrations

04:24of two Diskaya-owned firms for failing to disclose beneficial ownership information.

04:30In resolutions dated November 26, the SEC canceled the certificates of incorporation

04:35of St. Timothy Construction Corporation and St. Gerard Construction General Contractor and

04:41Development Corporation. The two firms were also ordered to pay a penalty of 2 million pesos each.

04:47Their directors were further disqualified from being a director, trustee, or officer of any

04:51corporation for five years. The SEC cites a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on September 1 when

04:57Sara Diskaya admitted she was the owner of St. Timothy and St. Gerard. The SEC notes that Diskaya's

05:03involvement was not disclosed in both companies. Diskaya said in April that she had divested from St.

05:09Timothy in 2018.

05:10The United States plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30.

05:19U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says Thursday, December 4, President Donald Trump is

05:24continuing to evaluate the countries. In June, Trump signed a proclamation banning the citizens of 12

05:30countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others. He said it was

05:35needed to protect against quote-unquote foreign terrorists and other security threats. The ban

05:40applies to both immigrants and non-immigrants such as tourists, students, and business travelers.

05:46Noem did not specify which countries will be added to the list. This marks another escalation of

05:51migration measures since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC last November 26 by an

05:58Afghan national. Trump vowed then to quote, permanently pause migration from all third world countries.

06:06And that's today's wrap. I'm JC Gotinga. Thank you for watching. Click the link below for the full story.

06:12For more updates, download the Rappler app.

Supreme Court orders return of P60-B to PhilHealth | The wRap

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