Press Release
Villanueva: Tap 5,000 nurses among BFP corps to create National Emergency Medical Service
More than 5,000 fire officers today are nursing graduates, a big professional pool which can be tapped as the backbone of a National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) which this country does not have, according to Senator Joel Villanueva.
Interpellating the measure at the Senate plenary on Monday, Villanueva cited the overwhelming number of Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) personnel with medical background, in his call to maximize this human resource as the foundation of a national EMS.
Out of the 27,968 BFP personnel, 5,380 have health sciences degrees, 5,034 of whom are graduates of BS in Nursing, Villanueva said, citing a May 2020 BFP document.
Published February 15, 2021, 3:31 PM
Malacañang denied that President Duterte is extorting the United States of America (USA) when he told the US to “pay” if it wants the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to continue, saying the Philippines should, in fact, be getting more than the $3.9 billion it is receiving from the US.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque
(OPS / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Panfilo Lacson agreed that Duterte’s statement on the VFA last February 12 could be interpreted as “extortion.”
In his Monday presser, Roque said that President Duterte was only right to ask the US to pay because it is making the Philippines a “valid military target.” He cited the principle of state responsibility in international law that applies in the use by a state of another state’s territory and such use results in damage or injury to the latter.
President Duterte chided Vice President Leni Robredo about a statement she made, accusing him of trying to extort money from the United States in exchange for the continuation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and lashed back that, being a lawyer, she should have known better that the Presiden
The Philippines should not be made to choose between the United States and China amid the two powerful nations' rivalry, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Thursday.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Thursday invoked “national security” to deny media access to information on the ongoing working-level meeting related to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States.