The Universal Health Care (UHC) Act of 2019, a landmark legislation for equitable healthcare access, places PhilHealth at the forefront of its implementation. However, recent controversies—ranging from the unlawful transfer of funds to the National Treasury to Congress denying PhilHealth a budget for 2025—have exposed systemic failures and raised serious questions about accountability and leadership.
PhilHealth’s Fund Crisis: Illegal Transfers, Congressional Decisions, and Leadership Failures
Tag: cronyism
Spin Cycle
Together We Win: Letter to workers for unity with IUAFS.
Dear comrade!
Someone wants to kill you, to rob you, and you will be next!
You are being addressed by Derzhava, a Ukrainian Political Party banned by the neo-Nazi government of Zelensky. Most of the media lies and hides from you the fact that your government openly supports Zelensky’s fascists, openly helps neo-Nazis and actually preaches fascism itself, directing efforts to exterminate as many people as possible.
Letter to workers for unity with IUAFS.
Media Bias: Ukraine Blocks Journalists From Front Lines With Escalating Censorship
After Ukrainian forces regained control of the port city of Kherson last November, following eight months of Russian occupation, some journalists entered the liberated city within hours. Without formal permission to be there, they documented the jubilant crowds welcoming soldiers with hugs and Ukrainian flags. Ukrainian officials, who tightly control press access to the front lines, responded by revoking the journalists’ press credentials, claiming that they had “ignored existing restrictions.”
Ukraine Blocks Journalists From Front Lines With Escalating Censorship
As if Ukraine doesn’t create ‘propaganda’!? 🙄
Related:
Inside the high-stakes clash for control of Ukraine’s story:
The heated clashes have remained largely behind the scenes because the credentials are vital to report from the country, and journalists worry that a public conflict might further threaten their access. Most of the journalists from Western and Ukrainian news organizations who have clashed with their handlers spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The Ukraine Lobby’s Latest Targets
A powerful pressure campaign is operating behind the scenes and distorting American policy.
The Ukraine Lobby’s Latest Targets
Ukraine Corruption Scandal Stokes Longstanding Aid Concerns in U.S.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, U.S. officials have watched with some anxiety as billions of American dollars flowed into the country, well aware of Kyiv’s history of political corruption and fearing that aid might be siphoned off for personal gain.
Ukraine Corruption Scandal Stokes Longstanding Aid Concerns in U.S.
Josh Hawley Wants In On The TikTok Moral Panic Attention, Proposes Nationwide Ban
Insurrectionist sprinter Josh Hawley has joined the growing chorus of GOP politicians who’ve spent years doing jack shit about U.S. consumer privacy abuses, and now want to pretend that banning a single app — TikTok — will protect American consumers from a problem they themselves created.
Josh Hawley Wants In On The TikTok Moral Panic Attention, Proposes Nationwide Ban
U.S. Press Starts To Figure Out College TikTok Bans Are A Dumb Performance
U.S. Press Starts To Figure Out College TikTok Bans Are A Dumb Performance
One, the bans are generally designed to agitate a xenophobic base and give the impression the GOP is “doing something about China.” But the party that couldn’t care less about rampant corruption or privacy violations isn’t doing much of anything meaningful to thwart China. In fact, letting adtech, telecom, and app companies run rampant with little oversight runs contrary to any such goal.
Two, the bans distract the public and press from our ongoing failure on consumer privacy and security issues. Banning TikTok, but doing nothing about the accountability optional free for all that is the adtech and data-hoovering space, doesn’t actually fix anything. China can just obtain the same data from a universe of other international companies facing little real oversight on data collection.
Three, the ban is really just about money. Trump gave the game away with his proposal that TikTok be chopped up and sold to Oracle and Walmart. That cronyistic deal fell through, but it’s pretty clear that this moral panic is designed to either help TikTok’s competitors (Facebook lobbyists are very active on this front), or force the sale of the most popular app in modern history to GOP-allies. At which point they’ll engage in all the surveillance and influence efforts they pretend to be mad about.
Related:
Read More »Congress’ Best Idea to Save Local Journalism Would Actually Hurt It + Some Temporary Good News
Congress’ Best Idea to Save Local Journalism Would Actually Hurt It
Meta reported $114.93 million in ad revenue in 2021, whereas Google reported $209 billion. But determining how much of that publishers should get is difficult—and the JCPA doesn’t even try. One version of the JCPA proposed platforms and publishers negotiate an agreed-to payment, and if they couldn’t come to a consensus, they’d enter forced-arbitration with no formula for what is fair. But whether the money would end up being vast or a modest bump to the bottom line, not every publication stands to benefit if the JCPA becomes law. While the JCPA’s alliances allow for partnerships, exclusionary elements of the JCPA would encourage big brands to unite selectively at the expense of smaller ones and shut out niche independent journalistic outlets altogether.
Related:
JCPA Update: The Dangerous Link Tax That Still Won’t Save Local Journalism
The original text of the JCPA already authorized print media companies to form one or several cartels and collectively bargain with the largest online platforms—defined in terms that single out Facebook and Google. Although the bill hinted at these news cartels being able to demand payment for merely linking to their content, or hosting snippets like the results you get from Google News, the mechanism by which they would be paid was left vague. However, the fact that the bill allowed news companies to withhold content strongly suggested a claim to some sort of property right, or ancillary copyright, that the targeted platforms would owe for hosting links and snippets.
Some Temporary Good News: None Of The Really Bad Internet Bills Seem To Have Made It Into The NDAA
This would also hurt independent media and bloggers (you would have to pay a ‘link tax’ to corporate media for linking to their articles—see below image)! So far, it hasn’t passed (it was attached to the NDAA) but there’s still the omnibus spending bill and the next session of Congress!
The Myopic Focus On TikTok Privacy Issues Remains Kind Of Weird + Facebook-Hired PR Firm Coordinated Anti-TikTok Campaign To Spread Bogus Moral Panics
Generic Disclaimer: The statements, views and opinions expressed in the following articles are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site.
The Myopic Focus On TikTok Privacy Issues Remains Kind Of Weird
Related:
Facebook-Hired PR Firm Coordinated Anti-TikTok Campaign To Spread Bogus Moral Panics
The NATO to TikTok Pipeline: Why is TikTok Employing So Many National Security Agents?
If TikTok is such a threat, why did the Biden Administration train TikTok influencers to propagandize others about Russia’s special military operation?! Even though TechDirt makes some good points (privacy laws and the xenophobia), it seems like they—and Buzzfeed—are just creating another moral panic!
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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