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MANILA, Philippines — Organized labor yesterday welcomed the suspension of the Philippine
Health Insurance Corp. Inc. (PhilHealth)’s premium hike.

The Federation of Free Workers (FFW) said the suspension of the PhilHealth premium hike
would provide workers with “light” financial relief amid rising inflation.

“Though not that big, as this is a light relief for employers and workers as we usher in 2023, it is
still a welcome development,” FFW said in a statement.

In 2021, PhilHealth suspended the rate hike of three percent to 3.5 percent due to the COVID-19
pandemic.

By 2022, PhilHealth implemented a raise in the contributions to four percent.

Had the 2023 hike not been suspended, the monthly contributions of members would have
increased to P450 from P400 for those earning P10,000 a month.

The state-run health insurer said additional announcements shall be made later “to properly
guide the members and their employers.”

With the moratorium, FFW said a worker earning P20,000 monthly will be able to save at least
P50 a month from paying the additional PhilHealth premium.

FFW said an employer with 100 workers earning P10,000 each will have reduced costs at P50
for each employee or a total of P5,000 a month from operating expenses for PhilHealth
insurance.

Even with the suspension of the PhilHealth premium hike, FFW is still pursuing wage increases
through collective bargaining negotiations at the enterprise level, the Regional Tripartite Wages
and Productivity Boards and through legislation.

The labor group further reiterated the call for a labor summit with Marcos.
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MANILA, Philippines — Majority of the delegates for the 71st Miss Universe edition arrived today
in New Orleans, Louisiana as January 3 and 4 were assigned as registration days.

It is also the start of the fitting for the production number dresses and footwear, as well as photo
shoot for the souvenir program's official portraits.

Filipino shoemaker Joaquin "Jojo" Bragais is the official footwear provider for this year's pageant.
He was also the official footwear designer of the 69th Miss Universe edition. For the coming New
Orleans pageant, Jojo designed the "Maureen" shoe line for the candidates. The first batch of the
said footwear has been shipped to Louisiana.

Olivia Quido is still the pageant's official skincare for the third consecutive year now.

Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi departed for the US in mid-December to
prepare for the last stretch of her pageant journey. A few other delegates also left their respective
countries around the same time as Celeste.

All of the other delegates must arrive at their official residence by tomorrow, January 4.

Here are this year's official candidates. They were grouped according to geographical locations
and/or continents.

Asia/Oceania
 Kristina Ayanian (Armenia)
 Monique Riley (Australia)
 Evlin Khalifa (Bahrain)
 Tashi Chosen (Bhutan)
 Manita Hang (Cambodia)
 Jiang Sichen (China)
 Divita Rai (India)
 Laksmi De-Neefe Suardana (Indonesia)
 Marybelen Sakamoto (Japan)
 Diana Tashimbetova (Kazakhstan)
 Hanna Kim (Korea)
 Altynai Botoyarova (Kyrgyzstan)
 Payengxa Lor (Laos)
 Yasmina Zaytoun (Lebanon)
 Lesley Cheam (Malaysia)
 Zar Li Moe (Myanmar)
 Sophiya Bhujel (Nepal)
 Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi (Philippines)
 Carissa Yap (Singapore)
 Anna Sueangam-iam (Thailand)
 Aleyna Sirin (Turkiye)
 Nguyen Thi Ngoc Chau (Vietnam)

North and Central America

 Ashley Lightburn (Belize)
 Amelia Tu (Canada)
 Fernanda Rodriguez (Costa Rica)
 Alejandra Guajardo (El Salvador)
  Ivana Batchelor (Guatemala)
 Rebecca Rodriguez (Honduras)
 Irma Miranda (Mexico)
 Norma Huembes (Nicaragua)
 Solaris Barba (Panama)
 R'Bonney Gabriel (USA)

Europe
 Deta Kokomani (Albania)
 Chayenne van Aarle (Belgium)
 Kristina Plamenova (Bulgaria)
 Arijana Podgajski (Croatia)
 Sara Mikulenkova (Czech Republic)
 Petra Hamalainen (Finland)
 Floriane Bascou (France)
 Soraya Kohlmann (Germany)
 Noki Simbani (Great Britain)
 Korona Emmanouilidou (Greece)
 Hrafnitildur Haraldsdottir (Iceland)
 Virginia Stablum (Italy)
 Roksana Ibrahimi (Kosovo)
 Kate Alexeeva (Latvia)
 Maxine Formosa (Malta)
 Ona Moody (Netherlands)
 Ida Hauan (Norway)
 Aleksandra Klepaczka (Poland)
 Telma Madeira (Portugal)
 Anna Linnikova (Russia)
 Karolina Michalcikova (Slovak Republic)
 Alicia Faubel (Spain)
 Alia Giundi (Switzerland)
 Viktoria Apanasenko (Ukraine)

Africa
 Swelia Antonio (Angola)
 Issie Marie Princesse (Cameroon)
 Alba Isabel Obama (Equatorial Guinea)
 Engracia Mofuman (Ghana)
 Alexandrina Belle-Etoile (Mauritius)
 Cassia Sharpley (Namibia)
 Montana Onose Felix (Nigeria)
 Gabriella Gonthier (Seychelles)
 Ndavi Nokeri (South Africa)

Caribbean and Latin America

 Barbara Cabrera (Argentina)
 Kiara Arends (Aruba)
 Angel Cartwright (Bahamas)
 Camila Sanabria (Bolivia)
 Mia Mamede (Brazil)
 Lia Claxton (British Virgin Islands)
 Chloe Powery-Doxey (Cayman Islands)
 Sofia Depassier (Chile)
 Maria Fernanda Aristizabal (Colombia)
 Gabriela dos Santos (Curacao)
 Andreina Martinez (Dominican Republic)
 Nayelhi Gonzalez (Ecuador)
 Mideline Phelizor (Haiti)
  Toshami Calvin (Jamaica)
 Lea Ashmore (Paraguay)
 Alessia Bovegno (Peru)
 Ashley Cariño (Puerto Rico)
 Sheris Paul (St. Lucia)
 Carla Romero (Uruguay)
 Amanda Dudamel (Venezuela), and
 Tya Jane Ramey (Trinidad and Tobago)

The 71st Miss Universe pageant will unfold at the Ernest N. Moral Convention Center in New
Orleans, Louisiana on January 14 (January 15 in Manila). The coronation night will be broadcast
live on ABS-CBN, the Kapamilya channel and iWantTV. Stay tuned!
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MANILA, Philippines — A lone bettor in Parañaque City became an instant millionaire after
guessing the six-digit winning combination in the Mega Lotto 6/45 draw on Monday, the
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) announced yesterday.

The winner picked the combination 04-26-38-15-34-17, which carried a total jackpot of
P19,503,337.

The bettor can claim the prize at the PCSO central office in Mandaluyong City by presenting the
winning ticket and two identification cards.

Under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN Law, lotto winnings of more than
P10,000 are subject to a 20 percent tax.

Winners have one year from the date of the draw to claim the prize.

The PCSO urged the public to patronize lottery games to generate more funds for the
government’s charity programs and medical assistance for the poor.