More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
A Filipino American doctor in New York has been convicted of $24 million in Medicare fraud for ordering COVID-19 tests for patients he was not treating.
Alexander Baldonado, a Filipino American physician from Queens, New York, has been found guilty of submitting over $24 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces.
Court documents show Baldonado, 69, received tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks and bribes in exchange for ordering laboratory tests, including expensive cancer genetic tests that were billed to Medicare.
Baldonado authorized hundreds of cancer genetic tests for Medicare beneficiaries who attended COVID-19 testing events at assisted living facilities, adult day care centers and a retirement community in 2020.
“Baldonado was not treating any of the patients who attended the testing events and, in many cases, did not speak to or examine the patients prior to ordering cancer genetic tests and other laboratory tests for them,” stated a press release from the US Department of Justice, dated Feb. 11.
Baldonado also billed Medicare for office visits but many of the patients testified that they had never met the Fil-Am physician. In some cases, the patients never received the results of the tests billed to Medicare.
An undercover video presented as evidence showed Baldonado receiving a large sum of cash in exchange for signed prescriptions for orthotic braces.
“The medically unnecessary laboratory tests and orthotic braces that Baldonado ordered in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes caused Medicare to be billed more than $24 million,” the press release said.
“Medicare paid more than $2.1 million to the laboratories and the durable medical equipment supply company involved in the schemes.”
Baldonado was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; six counts of health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay, offer, receive and solicit health care kickbacks; one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to receive and solicit health care kickbacks; and one count of solicitation of health care kickbacks.
Baldonado is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26.
It's a quick way to get rich and lose your freedom.
Romance scams are big business in the Philippines and its making local banks look bad.
PHILIPPINE BANKS may be exposed to increased reputational risks as the number of Filipino individuals and entities linked to romance scams rose in 2024, Moody’s said.
Moody’s on Thursday said it recorded 1,193 new entities and people with potential ties to romance scams in 2024, up by 14% year on year and the highest in six years.
“In 2024, the US accounted for over a third (38%) of new romance scam profiles among top 10 countries, followed by Nigeria (14%), India (12%), the UK (11%), Malaysia (5%), China (5%), the Philippines (4%), Brazil (4%), Canada (4%) and Australia (3%),” it said in a note on Thursday..
In the Philippines, the number of Filipino entities and individuals with potential links to romance scams increased to 45 in 2024 from 10 in 2023, Moody’s said.
“Criminals often seek to launder the money generated from romance scams like sextortion via the traditional financial system. Banks can face significant reputational risks and fines,” the credit rater said.
“Financial grooming scams increased greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as isolation led to a greater need for emotional connection — and increased vulnerability. Sextortion is a type of romance scam targeting teenagers, particularly boys. Perpetrators use fake profiles to solicit explicit images or videos from victims, then extort money by threatening to expose the images to friends, family or on social media,” it added.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) requires Philippine financial institutions to immediately report reputational risk events that could impact their financial standing and stakeholder confidence.
The BSP’s guidelines define reputational risk as those that could affect earnings, capital and liquidity due to negative perception of the financial institution and adversely impact their business relationships and hinder new venture establishments or continuous access for funding
These risks could be caused by customers, shareholders, investors, employees, market analysts, the media, and other stakeholders, including regulators and government agencies.
Financial institutions are expected to implement mechanisms meant to monitor reputational risks through early warning indicators such as volume of complaints, number of negative news, number of violation of laws or regulations, and codes of conduct with material penalties or sanctions for noncompliance.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act signed in July 2024 prohibits and punishes crimes committed using financial accounts, such as acting as money mules, performing social engineering schemes, and committing economic sabotage.
The law allows the BSP to examine and investigate bank accounts, e-wallets, and other financial accounts that are involved in the prohibited acts.
An analysis by TransUnion Philippines released last year showed that 18% of digital transactions originating from the country across the communities industry — which includes online forums and dating websites — were suspected to be digital fraud in the first half of 2024.
Data from the Philippine National Police’ Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) showed there were a total of 121 sextortion cases in the Philippines in 2023. The PNP-ACG has said that sextortion is among the top five cybercrimes that they receive complaints about.
These scams increased during the pandemic and continue to thrive.
During the pandemic the Philippines was introduced to a new sport called padel.
The story of padel in the Philippines is a story of doing things the right way. Despite being born out of the stress of the pandemic, since 2021, growth has been a constant flow of positives for the Philippine Padel Association under its president, Alenna Dawn. It all began when her partner, Fredrik Lonnqvist, was stranded in Europe at the onset of COVID-19. He saw how big padel was in countries like Spain and Argentina, and the two decided to bring the sport to the Philippines.
“It’s a very easy sport to learn; so the barrier to entry is very low,” she said in an interview with The STAR and dwAN 1206 AM. “Though we started out with former tennis players, everyone from four years old to people in their 70s are now playing it. It’s easy to learn, but becomes a lifelong addiction.”
A doubles sport combining tennis and squash, you can play at your own level, and join tournaments where you are comfortable. Philippine padel has grown into a supportive, social community. Groups of friends and family members have been trying the sport in Manila Padel Association’s two courts in BGC and Mandaluyong. On March 1, a third court will formally be opened at Eaton Centris along EDSA. The fourth is under development at Arcovia City. Multiple real estate developers are likewise offering to build courts on their sites for patrons. Eventually, it will be a source of sports tourism, as well. Dawn and her team are doing their best to ensure that the sport has a lasting appeal, and won’t be just another fad.
“We’ve built relations with the FIP (International Padel Federation), and the federation in Saudi Arabia, which want to partner with us in providing accredited coaches,” says the former Mapua taekwondo athlete. “Other federations that have been around for more than 10 years are surprised that our players have gotten so good right away. They ask me what we’ve been feeding them. But I think it’s just the natural ability of Filipinos to adapt.”
The just-concluded national championships are preview of all the great things to come in Philippine paddle. The association has a grassroots development program being put into place, and is hoping to get Filipino athletes into the world rankings by next year. So far, things have been moving faster than planned. Amazingly enough, the Philippine Padel Association is also at the forefront of the sport’s development in Asia. Though it’s only less than four years old, our national team is already capable of beating almost everyone else in Asia with the exception of Japan. For now.
With with the consistent Herculean effort, great connections, and cooperative nature of the sport, there is no doubt that Dawn and company will turn the Philippines into a global powerhouse in padel. No politics, no drama, no egos. Just pure, hard work, integrity, and selfless desire to see everyone succeed.
How soon before the Philippines produces a world champion?
During the pandemic people around the world quit their jobs in the "Great Resignation." It's not over yet in the Philippines.
Almost two-thirds of Filipino employees are considering to change jobs this year, pushing businesses into heightened competition for talents.
According to the 2025 Human Capital Employee Sentiment Study by global risk management and insurance brokerage firm Aon, 64 percent of survey respondents from the Philippines said they were either in the process of moving to another employer, or might seek new employment in the next 12 months.
The survey was conducted in August 2024 and covered 263 respondents from the country.
With tight competition for talent, Aon said this highlighted the need for a strong focus on total rewards to support employee retention strategies.
Aon Growth Lead for Talent Solutions Josef Ayson also said that competition for skilled talent was increasing across the country.
“This affects not just Manila, where the right talent is more readily available, but also in cities like Cebu, Davao and other islands within the archipelago,” Ayson said in a statement on Thursday.
“In such an environment, managing and retaining employees is important for firms to remain competitive,” he said.
He added that compensation strategies based on the latest data and analytics from their own organizations as well as the market, could help companies make more informed decisions on attracting and retaining employees in today’s evolving workforce landscape.
According to the study, the top five valued benefits of employees in the Philippines are medical coverage, paid time off, work-life balance programs, career development and retirement savings.
Cris Rosenthal, strategic advisory lead for Health Solutions for the Philippines at Aon, cited a growing expectation for employers to provide medical coverage and support for mental and financial well-being with the continued economic volatility and the rising cost of living.
“Employers must rethink their approach to employee benefits balancing wages with flexible benefits to attract and retain the talent they need,” Rosenthal said.
The report found that 65 percent of employees believe that employers should help employees save for retirement and long-term needs.
Moreover, 58 percent of workers believe that employers must provide financial education.
In 2021, a record number of employees quit in America, called as the “Great Resignation,” a trend that spilled to other markets around the world.
Since the survey only covered 263 respondents how can that be an accurate measure of anything?
During the pandemic the town of El Nido built their first sewage system. Years later the city is still working to get every house and business connected.
El Nido in the Philippines was once a small fishing town, but promotion on social media over the last decade led to a dramatic influx of tourists. Tourism has helped the local economy, but also resulted in coastal water contamination, Mongabay’s Keith Anthony Fabro reports.
Home to 50,000 residents, El Nido welcomed 10 times that number of visitors in 2023 — and its sewage system wasn’t prepared to handle so many people. Government data show that the sea around El Nido has high fecal coliform levels, exceeding the safe recreational swimming limit between 2019 and 2023, Fabro reports, citing data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Unlike the town center, nearby islands visited by day tourists for water activities like scuba diving don’t have contaminated water and meet water quality standards.
In an effort to rehabilitate the waters surrounding El Nido, tourist establishments were removed along the 3-meter (10-foot) coastal easement zone. Officials also set a limit on daily visitors.
Construction of El Nido’s first sewage and solid waste treatment plant began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, despite those actions, fecal coliform levels still persistently exceed the safe limit, Fabro reports. Just 30 out of 900 households in El Nido’s four major villages are connected to the sewage system, despite the low monthly rate of 298 pesos ($5) per house.
Registered hotels and restaurants are required to be connected to the system, but residences are not. This is a problem, according to John Gil Ynzon, head of the water office, who told Mongabay that many households actually operate unlicensed tourism-related businesses, such as bed and breakfasts and stores.
“This lack of regulatory leverage led us to decide to subsidize the replacement of residential toilets, lavatories and septic tanks, with the government covering all costs,” Ynzon told Fabro.
In November 2024, the local government allocated 40 million pesos ($685,000) for solid waste improvement for 100 households in areas considered major contamination contributors.
Ynzon said the sewage plant has additional capacity, and they plan to extend the pipeline network to reach areas with emerging tourism development later.
The government’s goal is to connect every household in the next two to three years, but its ability to do that is limited by funding. As of January 2025, 82% of businesses are connected to the sewage system.
Political ecology professor Wolfram Dressler from the University of Melbourne, Australia, who co-authored a study about coastal change in El Nido, said the Philippine government will have to “put the brakes on rapid over-tourism development” and instead improve waste management strategies by enforcing zoning and limits on the height of buildings.
Just imagine how many more towns in the Philippines do not have a sewage system and are dumping their waste into the water supply.
A former Capiz Governor and two others have been convicted of violating the procurement law during the pandemic.
The Office of the Ombudsman has found former Capiz Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras, former Provincial Administrator Edwin Monares, and former Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital (RMPH) chief Edmarie Tormon guilty of violating the Government Procurement Reform Law (RA 9184).
In a memorandum dated Jan. 30, 2025, the Ombudsman ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through provincial director Cherryl Tacda, to enforce the penalty of a fine equivalent to six months’ basic salary for each respondent, pursuant to Section 10, Rule III of Administrative Order No. 07, as amended.
However, the Ombudsman dismissed the case against Nizza G. Billedo, the supplier, due to lack of jurisdiction.
The Sandiganbayan previously denied the trio’s motion to dismiss the criminal case filed against them.
In a four-page resolution, the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division upheld its July 9, 2024, ruling rejecting the defendants’ claim of inordinate delay in the preliminary investigation conducted by the Ombudsman.
Contreras, Monares, and Tormon were charged with one count of violating RA 9184 over alleged irregularities in the provincial government’s procurement of medical supplies in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case stemmed from a criminal complaint filed on Nov. 25, 2021, by incumbent Vice Gov. Jaime Magbanua and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board).
Prosecutors found evidence of unlawful contract splitting in the procurement of medical supplies through small-value procurement.
The accused argued that their right to the speedy disposition of cases had been violated, claiming that the preliminary investigation took 28 months, which they said hindered their ability to mount a proper defense.
In his motion for reconsideration, Contreras contended that the allegations did not constitute an offense and reiterated the claim of inordinate delay in resolving the complaint.
Tormon similarly insisted that their constitutional right to a speedy disposition had been violated, as the finding of probable cause took more than two years.
The Sandiganbayan ruled that Contreras had only until July 15, 2024, to contest the Joint Resolution but filed his motion nine days late on July 24, 2024.
“Under the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases, a motion for reconsideration must be filed within a non-extendible period of five days from receipt of the resolution,” the court stated.
Additionally, the court ruled that the defendants failed to demonstrate any actual or perceived error in the ruling that would justify a re-examination of their arguments.
“In any event, an examination of the issues raised in the instant motions readily reveals that they are merely a rehash of the arguments previously presented. A motion for reconsideration should be denied when it merely reiterates earlier claims,” the court added.
Contreras, who is currently running for governor of Capiz, has yet to comment on the Ombudsman’s ruling.
Of course he is appealing the ruling.
