ORMOC CITY: The oil drilling in San Isidro town, some two hours away from this city, was stopped around two weeks ago due to “environmental and safety concerns,” according to Energy Undersecretary Ramon Allan Oca. Oca said the drilling was the second done by the Australian firm Otto Energy Ltd in the area. The first was last year and the company was “almost at the target depth” when it encountered an impregnable layer of rock which even sophisticated drilling equipment could not penetrate.
Fire displaces 90 families
ZAMBOANGA CITY: More than 90 families were left homeless when abig fire hit a slum community in Isabela City, Basilan Sunday night, a fire department official said. No one was reported injured or hurt in the conflagration but 33 houses were razed at Zone 2, Barangay Kaumpurnah about 8:30pm Sunday, according to city fire marshal Senior Inspector Dionisio Caduyong.
Insurance plan for therapy
MANILA: Ordinary people may eventually have the chance to undergo expensive stem cell therapy. Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the Department of Health (DOH) is looking at the possibility of including stem cell therapy in the benefit packages of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth) if the medical sector accepted it as a standard care. “Our dream is that when this type of therapy already has a standard of care, its cost will definitely go down. By then, hopefully, (PhilHealth) can offer it already,” Ona said.
Agencies
