Philippine News

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, April 30 (PIA) -- The improved peace and security situation in Basilan has accelerated development activities in the province that paved the way for economic growth.Basilan Governor Jim Hataman Salliman, in his recent State of the Province Address (SOPA) , reported to the people of Basilan and boasted of his administration’s accomplishments for three years.At the 14thSession of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the governor bannered peace and security programs, infrastructure, agriculture, and other social development programs that his administration implemented.The “all-out war” the Governor declared versus the notorious Abu Sayyaf group and the sustained support and efforts of the military, police, the defunct ARMM regional government, local government units, religious groups, and civil society organizations contributed to the significant weakening of the local extremist group.This resulted in the surrender of a total of 237 Abu Sayyafs, the recovery of 210 firear…

LABANGAN, Zamboanga del Sur, April 30 (PIA)-- The partnership between the 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division, Philippine Army and the newly-elected officers of the Tabak Defense Press Corps (TDPC) is very important in the  quest for peace and development.BGen. Rolando T. Ancan, commander of the 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division,  said in his message during the media fellowship night held at Camp Major Cesar Sang-an, Pulacan recently.
Ancan said the TDPC, composed of reporters covering the Tabak division beat,  play a significant role in military affairs. “You play a key role in bridging the gap between the AFP and the people,” he added.He also said that the Philippine Army particularly the 1st Infantry Division recognizes the media   as a channel for quick means of disseminating information and educating the public in various trends.“You have the function to report without fear the misbehavior of our government and its programs towards peace and development, as well as its efforts for lasting …

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Following the armed confrontation that occurred weeks before the May 13 elections, the provincial government of Lanao del Norte said it has further intensified security measures beginning on Tuesday to ensure that voters cast their ballots without fear of violence.

Provincial information officer Lyndon Calica said Tuesday that the shooting incident involving supporters of opposing political candidates in the Lanao del Norte town of Salvador on April 3 "must not be downplayed."

"Law enforcers must see to it that it won’t be repeated," Calica said of the shootout that injured four persons when supporters of mayoral candidates Farhani Tawantawan and Bangcola Umpa traded bullets.

The Tawantawan and Umpa families are known to be political rivals in Salvador.

But Calica said that except for Salvador and a few municipalities, the whole of Lanao del Norte cannot be considered as an election hotspot area.

“Lanao del Norte is a peaceful province, but w…

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- A 43-year-old man was trapped and killed when a fire hit their house in the town proper of Norala in South Cotabato on Tuesday morning.

Fire Insp. Richard Madayag, acting chief of the Norala fire station, identified the victim as Angel "Nono" Fano, a resident of Purok Mercado Rizal in Barangay Poblacion.

Madayag said the fire broke out past 5 a.m. on the second floor of the Fano residence and rapidly spread to other portions of the house. The damage has been initially estimated at around PHP300,000.

Citing accounts from witnesses, he said the victim initially managed to come out of the house but reportedly rushed back to retrieve something.

"But the fire then was also raging and he was eventually trapped inside," Madayag said.

Aside from Fano, he said five of his family members and relatives sustained some injuries as a result of the incident.

The fire officer said they were able to respond to the fire after receiving the call but it spread q…

DAVAO CITY – Over 200 cops in Davao Region cast votes as of 12 noon on Tuesday during the conduct of the local absentee voting at Camp Sgt. Quintin Merecido here.

Among those who cast their votes were Police Regional Office (PRO)-11 Director, Brig. General Marcelo Morales.

Police Major Jason Baria, PRO-11 spokesperson, said that out of 598 police personnel in Region 11 who applied for absentee voting, only 485 were approved because some of them have not voted for three consecutive years.

As of 11:45 a. m today, Baria said, a total of 228 personnel have already cast their votes.

Morales said he has encouraged police personnel to avail of the absentee voting to exercise their right of suffrage.

“Our country deserves good leaders and we will be able to attain this if we will vote wisely," Morales said.

Absentee voting is provided under Comelec Resolution No. 10443 allowing government officials and employees, including members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Phil…

MANILA -- The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is pushing through with the closure of bus terminals along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) despite the petition of Ako Bicol party-list at the Supreme Court to stop its implementation.“That is part of the democratic process they can file a TRO [temporary restraining order] but I hope that they see the merit of the policy,” MMDA traffic head for Edsa Edison "Bong" Nebrija told reporters on Tuesday.Nebrija said local government units in Metro Manila have committed to support the closure of the bus terminals.“I personally believe in the wisdom of the mayors to implement this. The LGUs will be the ones that will close the terminals,” he said.He challenged critics questioning the policy to offer alternative measures to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.Earlier, Ako Bicol partylist group sought for a TRO against MMDA Regulation No. 19-002, revoking the issuance of business permits to all public utility bus t…

ILOILO CITY -- The Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) warned illegal drug personalities that they will "suffer the same fate" as Leoner Jalandoon, a drug lord who was killed in an encounter with the police, if they also try to go against government operatives."They (illegal drug personalities) may suffer the same fate if they ought to fight it out with the government. So, if that will be the case, it will still be a bloody fight," Police Brig. Gen. John Bulalacao, PRO 6 director, said in a press conference Monday.Jalandoon, leader of the Jalandoon Drug Group, was killed after he fired at the police during a drug buy-bust operation on Sunday morning at Barangay 6, Victorias City, Negros Occidental.The PRO 6 classified Jalandoon as a High Value Target (HVT) Level 3. Previously arrested drug personalities identified Jalandoon as the source of illegal drugs sold in Negros Occidental and Panay area, Bulalacao said.With the PHP2.7 million worth of shabu re…

DAVAO CITY – Christian Betonio proved to be the lone survivor among the Davao Eagles boxers during the first day of action in the 2019 Palarong Pambansa at the Davao City Recreation Center (Almendras Gym) here on Monday.

Betonio beat Bryan Miguel Ortiala of Region 4A in the Youth Boys flyweight (52kg). Two members of the Davao Eagles boxing team, however, suffered defeats.

Raymund Albupera was stopped in the first round by Mark Jeson Solano of Region 12 in the Youth Boys light flyweight (46-49kg).

Alexis Dagaang lost to Jehssam Anthony Lagutap of National Capital Region in the School Boys light flyweight (48kg).

Meanwhile, Regions 10 and 6 both had two wins. Aaron Jude Bado and Mark Lester Durens scored for Region 10 while Adrian Braulio and Joenel Francisco starred for Region 6.

Bado beat Nathaniel Dorona (Region 9) in the schoolboys light flyweight (48k) while Durens outpunched Ar Jay Bagro (National Capital Region) in the Youth Boys light flyweight (46-49kg).

On the other hand, Bra…

CEBU CITY -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) has given more than PHP800,000 worth of financial assistance to rebel returnees in the region.Deanna Alila, Local Government Operations Officer IV of the Monitoring and Evaluation Division, said Tuesday that the DILG has provided a total of PHP600,000 financial aid to some 30 former rebels in Bohol and PHP65,000 each to four surrenderers in Negros Oriental.Alila said the 34 former rebels surrendered last year and received financial benefits from the government through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).Some 20 inactive members of the Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front/New People’s Army (CPP/NDF/NPA) in Bohol have also recently expressed their intention to surrender and avail of the E-CLIP benefits, she said.“The government is ready to provide benefits and financial assistance to CPP/NDF/NPA members if they are truly sincere in their desire t…

TACLOBAN CITY -- The provincial government of Leyte and the Korea Medium and Small Industry Managers Association (KOMSIMA) have inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on hiring of workers from three towns in the province.Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said in an interview Monday that the MOU signing happened during the visit of KOMSIMA Vice Chairman Yangkyu Choi and Col. Chulwon Lee from April 24 to 27.
The deal aims to curb human resource shortage of small and medium firms in Korea and help solve unemployment in three Leyte towns.
The cooperation covers the neighboring towns of Palo, Tanauan, and Tolosa, the same areas where Korean soldiers worked on debris clearing and immediate repair of public buildings after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).Lee was the commander of the Araw Contingent from the Korean military deployed in 2014 to work on the immediate recovery of Leyte province.Petilla said the partnership would open opportunities for Leyte’s residents.“I think it will …

ZAMBOANGA CITY, April 30 (PIA) --The Department of Labor and Employment IX (DOLE IX) gears for the celebration of Labor Day 2019 in Zamboanga City. The highlight of the activities will be held at the Zamboanga City Special Economic Zone Authority on Wednesday (May 1).The event will kick-off with a motorcade with 5,000 employees from different companies. There will be a livelihood and diskwento fairs and one-stop-shop services to offer to the labourers. The services include entertaining the workers with work-related contingencies and inform them on workers’ benefits.The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will be giving free manicure, haircut and massage services. There will also be free medical and dental services. Labor sector Vice-chair Jose Suan said services are ways to give tribute to the laborers as “this day is their special day..”Aside from the services, programs will also be conducted to give entertainment to the workers. These are Sports Fest, Talent…

MANILA -- As China would open a new international airport in Beijing this year, AirAsia Philippines is now eyeing to service the route, an executive told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday."We'd like to fly there, but we still need to get slots from Beijing and Manila," said Dexter Comendador, AirAsia chief executive officer.The AirAsia Group has routes to Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen. Earlier this year, meanwhile, AirAsia Philippines has launched routes between Kalibo, Aklan and three Chinese destinations -- Macau, Kunming, and Chengdu.He also bared his plan to increase AirAsia Philippines' flight frequencies to China this year.Comendador earlier told the PNA that next to China Airlines, the AirAsia Group is the second largest airline in terms of passengers being carried to China.However, AirAsia Philippines could not offer flights to Beijing, since the Beijing International Airport (PEK) is already congested, he said.The ex…

CEBU CITY -- The Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) will activate its 24-hour poll hotline, two days before the May 13 elections.Kym Albrando, Local Government Operations Officer, said Tuesday the DILG-7 will actually start receiving election-related complaints and incidents on May 4."We will activate our hotline this weekend, but our 24-hour operation will begin May 11 up to 12 noon of May 14," Albrando said during the regular Association of Government Information Officers-Philippine Information Agency (AGIO-PIA) 7 forum.Albrando said anonymous complaints will be entertained but these reports have to be verified before the DILG can take appropriate actions."We need to validate reports from anonymous complainants because we have to make sure that they are not prank calls," she said.She encouraged the public to report any election-related incident through their (032) 255-7330 hotline or report personally to the DILG-7 office or t…

LEGAZPI CITY -- At least 15,000 local and overseas vacancies await applicants in Bicol (Region 5) for the Labor Day celebration dubbed “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan at Kasanayan (TNKK)” job and business opportunities fair on May 1.Lawyer Alvin Villamor, regional director of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here, said on Tuesday that 67 local and eight overseas employers will participate in the job fair at the Pacific Mall in this city.“We have prepared various activities for our Bicolano workers and job applicants. Our job fair has four components including Job Opportunities, Business Fair, Livelihood Fair and Skills Training Opportunities,” said Villamor.Among the local job vacancies to be offered are posts for management trainee, assistant restaurant manager, IT personnel, supply staff, HR supervisor, company nurse, accounting staff, selling supervisor, anchor/broadcaster, warehouse supervisor, operations manager, branch manager and logistic officer.“This is a timely opportu…

CAMP GEN ALEJO S SANTOS, Bulacan --Four drug peddlers were killed and eight other drug suspects were arrested during the simultaneous operations conducted by Bulacan police on Monday and early Tuesday morning.Col. Chito G. Bersaluna, director of the Bulacan Police Provincial Office, identified the slain drug suspects as Renato Piano alias Intoy, 33, of Barangay San Rafael V, City of San Jose Del Monte; Renato Gonzales alias Totoy, 31, a resident of Barangay Guyong, Sta. Maria; Rommel Candule and Glen Paguntalan, both included in the drug watch list of San Rafael Municipal Police Station.Bersaluna said Piano and his unidentified cohort engaged the police officers in a shootout to elude arrest after the consummated drug transaction in Barangay San Rafael V, City of San Jose Del Monte around 11:30 p.m. Monday.This prompted the operatives to retaliate that resulted in the neutralization of Piano while his cohort managed to escape, he said.Likewise, he said the two other slain suspects Gon…

MANILA -- The Intramuros Administration (IA) on Tuesday opened the doors of the Museo de Intramuros at the San Ignacio Church, housing the country's largest collection of ecclesiastical artifacts."This is the only state collection that is ecclesiastic in nature. This is the biggest collection in the Philippines," said Dino Carlos Santos, a Museo de Intramuros docent, during a media tour.The IA has more than 7,000 art pieces, collected from 1979 to the latter part of 1980s, Santos said, noting this only stopped in the 1990s.The oldest artifact in the collection is the 17th century sculpture of the Baptism of Christ.But the oldest on display is the wooden carving of a crucifixion bearing the image of Jesus that resembles the Bulul figure of the Ifugao, cased in glass at the exhibit's "Indio Response" component.
Explaining the resemblance, Santos said the carving dates back to 17th century, a time when Filipinos were starting to convert their beliefs from anit…

MANILA -- To widen its reach and maximize e-commerce in the region, AirAsia's RedCargo Logistics has signed an interline agreement with Oman's flag carrier, Oman Air. RedCargo Logistics chief executive office Pete Chareonwongsak told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday that the interline agreement was signed on April 29.Under the agreement, RedCargo's customers would be provided access to Oman Air's cargo network to United Kingdom, Europe and Africa.Oman Air's customers, on the other hand, could book cargo space on AirAsia."RedCargo Logistics utilizes the belly space of more than 5,000 weekly passenger flights (of AirAsia) across Asia Pacific," Chareonwongsak remarked.He added that RedCargo is the sole cargo provider for the whole AirAsia Group, including its long-haul affiliate, the AirAsia X.Meanwhile, in a statement, Oman Air vice president for commercial cargo, Mohammed Al Musafir, said the partnership would enable Oman Air to offer a wider ch…

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga -- Central Luzon police is ready for the celebration of Labor Day on Wednesday including the expected mass actions to be staged by labor and political organizations in the region.Brig. General Joel Napoleon Coronel, director of the Police Regional Office 3 (Central Luzon), said that a security plan has been laid out.“As in the past, there would be deployment for crime prevention and control. Likewise, full alert status is in effect starting midnight of May 1,” Coronel said.He said that a total of 215 police personnel from the different provincial/city police offices, including the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 3, will be dispatched for civil disturbance management activities at the National Capital Region, if the need arises during the event.Coronel pointed out that all police contingents are reminded to observe "maximum tolerance," the Philippine National Police’s standing policy when it comes to handling mass action on the protesters.“We respect pea…

BAGUIO CITY-- The Police Regional Office Cordillera (ProCor) chief, Brig. Gen. Israel Ephraim Dickson, visited the Commission on Elections (Comelec) hub during the Holy Week to assure that all security measures are in place for the arrival of the voting counting machines for the May 13 mid-term polls, a Comelec official said Tuesday.“There was a coordination because Monday pa lang nag-uusap na kami about the security of the VCMs and other personnel at alam na rin nila kung ano ang deployment plan at kelan darating (There was coordination because as early as Monday we were already talking about the security of the VCMs and other personnel and they already know the deployment plan, when [the VCMs] will arrive),” Maria Juana Valesa, Regional Election Director of Comelec Cordillera, told a press briefing.She said the warehouse is the provincial hub and Comelec Benguet has control over it.Valesa said lawyer Nick Jacob, the provincial election supervisor of Benguet, coordinated with the Ben…

MANILA -- Malacañang on Tuesday said that it will support Senator Richard Gordon’s call to investigate the influx of foreign doctors working in the Philippines without permits.Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo pointed out that this probe will also determine whether there is a lack of Filipino doctors in the country.“Ang daming mga doktor na nagpupunta sa ibang bansa, baka kulang na tayo kaya nakakapasok sila (There are many Filipino doctors going abroad to work, maybe there is a lack of Filipino doctors that’s why these illegal foreign doctors can enter the country),” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.“Tama iyon (That’s right), he should really investigate the whys and the wherefores of this influx of foreign doctors in the country para malaman natin (so that we find out),” he added.On Saturday, Gordon, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, called for an inquiry into illegal foreign doctors following reports on the presence of Pakistani or Nepalese doctors working as medic…

TACLOBAN CITY, Apr. 30 (PIA) – Around 8,000 jobs will be available for job applicants during the Labor Day jobs and livelihood fairs on Wednesday, May 1 which will be held at the Tacloban Convention Center in this city.In a press briefing Monday, Regional Director Yahya Centi of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Eastern Visayas said the jobs fair, which will offer around 1,200 local jobs and over 6,000 overseas jobs, will feature "Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan (TNK)" and business opportunities.Centi added that available jobs will be offered by 44 employers, 32 of which are local and 12 are overseas.“A separate jobs fair will be held simultaneously in Ormoc City in coordination with the city government,” he said.DOLE-8 conducted on April 22-26 a pre-registration at their regional office in Tacloban to make it easier to match a qualified applicant with an employer and facilitate entry to the jobs fair and the search for a skills-fit job.Jobseekers may also register…

LAOAG CITY, April 30 (PIA) --  During the Holy Week season, over 600,000 tourists and visitors arrived north to spend their long weekend, which is up by more than 20 percent compared to the same period last year of almost half million, based on the data provided by the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO).Ilocos Norte continues to become a tourism magnet as INTO record showed that 483,778 of the total registered tourist arrivals stayed in hotels, making several major hotels and inns fully booked in the province during Semana Santa.According to the consolidated reports from the local government units and tourism ambassadors deployed in the various tourist destinations, the Bangui Windmills reached the greatest number of visitors followed by the St. Augustine Church in Paoay, Blue Lagoon Resort in Pagudpud, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation in Burgos, and Suba Sand Dunes in Paoay, respectively.Aside from the usual sites, INTO owes the significant rise of tourist influx to the newly-opened touri…

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna -- The city government and over 100 tourism-related establishments (TREs) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that promotes gender equality and women empowerment to create more job opportunities in the tourism sector.    City Cultural Affairs, Tourism and Sports Development Department (CATSDD) head Larissa Malinao and supervising tourism officer Liza Estolano inked the pact with enterprise owners, chief executives and operations officers following the two-day seminar workshop on women empowerment in the tourism sector.  Lilibeth Calderon, Gender and Development (GAD) workshop facilitator from Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba, said the agreement on gender mainstreaming explores mechanisms towards gender equality and equity in the labor force and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector. “It (MOA) serves to promote tourism that integrates gender equality and provides a framework for the parties to empower women in order to achieve ge…

NUEVA ERA, Ilocos Norte -- To sustain “Oggayam”, the chanting tradition of the Tingguians, students in Nueva Era National High School are taught and made to recite the tradition in their classrooms. The teaching of the skills to the students here is part of the schools’ curriculum to help preserve the culture of its students, who are made up of about 80 percent Tingguians, a group of indigenous people (IP) in this town. To further develop the oral skills of the students, Geralyn Nabaysa, a research adviser from the Senior High School Department, conducted a study, together with her student, which was presented during the 1st SIMP-AAG Multidisciplinary Research Festival. “Our study aims to develop the oral skills of the Tingguian youth, as well as revitalizing their connection into their Tingguian oral tradition through simulation trainings assisted by the local chanters in the community,” Nabaysa said in an interview. Out of more than 150 papers submitted, their research paper titled “Eff…

LAOAG CITY, April 30 (PIA) -- Continuing the promotion of entrepreneurial spirit among Ilocano youth, a non-government youth organization in the province extends its anniversary bazaar until May 2.The Sirib Ilokano Association (SIKA) recently launched the said bazaar on April 26 in time for the celebration of its 5th year founding anniversary.Around 300 exhibitors, composed of young entrepreneurs and small business operators, are enjoined to take part of the shopping fair. This is an avenue for them to sell their products to a wider market.Shoppers are offered with a wide array of local food, clothing apparels, fashion accessories, and other personal essentials can be found at the Dap-ayan Center in Laoag City.“We enjoin everyone to check on the interesting products and be of help to our young entrepreneurs,” Weenter Ventura, one of the SIKA pioneers and the present Executive Director of the Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office, said.Since its humble beginnings in 2014, youth volunte…

SAN FERNANDO CITY, April 30 (PIA) -- La Union residents joined the Earth Day celebration by planting some 500 mangroves in one of the new tourist spots in the province.On April 26, the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) of the provincial government of La Union, in partnership with the local government of Balaoan, led the Earth Day activity at Immuki Island in Paraoir village.According to Grace L. Libong, community development assistant of ENRO, some 116 individuals to include local officials, community members, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries and fisherfolks participated in the event.“Immuki Island, which is considered as one of the developing tourism hotspots in La Union, is a biodiversity-rich area, so it was chosen as a venue for the protection and preservation effort in celebration of Earth Day,” said Libong.She added that mangroves were planted as those have ecological value especially in protecting shorelines from damaging storm and strong winds, w…

MANILA -- Higher domestic fuel and electricity prices are seen as upside risks to the country's April 2019 inflation, which is projected to stay between 2.7-3.5 percent.“However, these pressures may be partly offset by the continued decline in rice prices and by the peso appreciation,” the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a statement Tuesday.“Moving forward, the BSP will continue to closely monitor evolving price trends and will undertake necessary measures towards its commitment to price stability,” it added.The rate of price increases has been on the downtrend after peaking at 6.7 percent in September to October 2018.Last March, it decelerated to 3.3 percent from month-ago’s 3.8 percent, bringing the average rate in the first quarter this year to 3.8 percent.Monetary officials forecast this year’s inflation to average at 3 percent, the middle of the 2 to 4 percent target band until 2022.Meanwhile, ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa forecasts inflation this m…

MANILA -- It is up to the wage boards to decide whether they will act on petitions to increase the daily minimum wage of private sector workers in Metro Manila and other regions, Malacañang said on Tuesday.Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) sought for a PHP710 increase in daily minimum wage for workers amid increasing costs of goods and services and the tax reform program.“Whatever petitions they will have to file have to go through the wage board,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing, a day before Labor Day (May 1).Asked if the Palace will support a salary hike, Panelo said the it will not interfere with the decision of the wage boards.“Ang wage board ang magde-determine niyan eh, kung kailangan o kung hindi depende sa (The wage board will determine it, if it is necessary or if it will depend on) circumstances surrounding whatever petition they have in mind,” Panelo said.“They know their jobs,” he a…

ROSALES, Pangasinan -- A severe thunderstorm accompanied by hailstorm was experienced in some parts of this town on Monday, which is a normal weather system this month and not related to the solar halo seen all over the province, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. Jose Estrada Jr., PAGASA Dagupan's chief meteorological officer, said the thunderstorms, including hailstorm or tornado, are part of the natural weather system from March to May. "The sudden change in the temperature with the accumulation of clouds would possibly result in a hailstorm or even tornado, which happened last year in Camiling (Tarlac)," he said. Estrada noted that local thunderstorms are expected to be frequent since it is under the prevailing weather system. He added the solar halo seen all over the province on Sunday is a phenomenon when the sun's ray is reflected in the clouds high above the atmosphere and has nothing to do with the thu…

MANILA -- As the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vows to make change happen, the military is encouraging Filipinos who have fallen prey to harassments and deceptive schemes of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) to seek justice.In a social media post, the Philippine Army laid out the legal process of claiming justice through the help of the authorities.First, victims must put into writing their sworn statement against the members of the terrorist group. The date and time of the incident, as well as other pertinent details, shall also be included in the letter.Next, report the incident to the local police.It would be the police’s job to prepare the judicial affidavit, incident report/police blotter, photo and/or video evidence, report from scenes of crime operation (SOCO), and medical certificate.The victims are also encouraged to file a case before the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Justice.The members of the terrorist group may face charges for violating the Republi…

MANILA -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now investigating the supposed inspection of vote counting machine (VCMs) and other election paraphernalia by a policeman at the poll body's warehouse in Baguio City last week.In a press briefing, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said he has started asking local poll body personnel about the incident.“Nagtatanong pa lang ako doon sa Baguio City because ang pagkakaintindi ko dyan was delivery ‘yun ng VCM dun sa (I already asked the people in Baguio City because my understanding was that the VCM was being delivered in the) regional hub. This is just preliminary information. Ang alam ko, ‘yung delivery may kasamang security. So na-picturean ‘yung pulis na tinitingnan ‘yung proseso (What I know is the delivery comes with security. What was caught in the picture was the police officer who is looking at the process). The picture shows a stack of VCMs, a representative of the forwarder and the policeman,” the poll body official said.Ji…

ALABEL, Sarangani, Apr. 30-- “We are now about 80 percent,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Arvin Alejandro said, as he gave an update on the province’s implementation on Zero Open Defecation (ZOD). Already “a total of 72 out of 141 barangays are declared as ZOD in Sarangani before the end of 2018. And additional four more were validated this January,” he said. Alejandro also reported that Alabel, which is technically ZOD at 90%, is the next to be declared as ZOD town and expectedly to be followed by Maasim within the next six months. Dr. Maria Fe Viviane Sespeῂe, Department of Health (DOH) Region 12 program officer on Environmental and Occupational Health, said she was “pleased to take note of the progress of Zero Open Defecation Program in provinces like Sarangani and North Cotabato.” The campaign for ZOD in Sarangani took off when Alejandro opened the minds of the provincial leadership on cases of admissions on acute gastroenteritis in 2014. He showed Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon …

GENERAL TRIAS CITY, Cavite – The city government directed on Tuesday its engineering, fire and general services offices (GSO) to immediately inspect all private and public buildings, including vital infrastructure projects under its jurisdiction after the 6.1 quake that jolted Luzon last April 22.In an interview, city Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) head Romel Olimpo said the directive, issued through a memorandum signed by Mayor Antonio A. Ferrer, is in response to the call of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año’s to all local government units (LGUs) to inspect all buildings in their areas of responsibility to ensure public safety.Año, in a press briefing last week, urged all LGUs to immediately inspect all buildings following the 6.1-magniture earthquake on April 22 which jolted parts of Luzon, including Cavite’s Tagaytay City (intensity IV), and the cities of Dasmariñas, General Trias, Cavite and the town of Indang (intensity III).“Although the city’s…

LAOAG CITY -- The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is advising consumers to conserve energy after it declared a ‘yellow alert’ status for the Luzon grid on Tuesday. In a statement, NGCP said the yellow alert is up because of thin power reserves brought about by the unexpected shutdown of some power plants. A yellow alert notice means operating reserves have dropped below the required 647 megawatts contingency in Luzon, or equivalent to the largest unit in Luzon, which is the 647-MW coal-fired power plant in Sual, Pangasinan. On April 29, the Luzon grid was again affected by manual load dropping to maintain the integrity of the power system. As of this posting, electricity peak demand was recorded at 10, 482 megawatts against available capacity of 11,405 megawatts. Lilibeth Gaydowen, Regional Communications and Public Affairs Officer of NGCP, said “manual load dropping or rotating power interruptions, may or may not be implemented depending on the condition of the system.…

MANILA – The Tan-led Philippine National Bank (PNB) targets to acquire a bank to further strengthen its consumer finance.In a briefing Tuesday, PNB president and chief executive officer Jose Arnulfo Veloso said they are on the lookout for a bank that “can bring PNB to the next level”, noting that this is the trend among other financial institutions in the country.He said PNB has a large customer base in the commercial banking space and local corporate space and most of about two-thirds of their branches are in the provinces.“We would like to be able to have a good consumer finance business which currently is lower than industry…so if we are going to find a bank that we will be able to acquire, our focus will be a financial institution that would complement that business opportunity that we would like to develop,” he said.Veloso said this decision was made since “the top end and large corporates are overbanked.”He said foreign banks are now additional competitors for the large corporat…

MANILA -- As the cheapest and fastest means to keep blood glucose level normal, the Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development (CHD) in Region IV-A (Calabarzon) conducted training on diabetes management using insulin among doctors and nurses in the region.In an interview Tuesday, Dr. Marilou R. Espiritu, DOH-Calabarzon Medical Officer III and head of the Non-Communicable Disease Cluster, said the training was conducted in Pasay City in support of the DOH's Insulin Access Program (IAP) which falls under the Medicine Access Program (MAP) aimed at making medicine accessible for diabetic patients.The IAP program is in line with Millennium Development Goal No. 8 which aims to develop a global partnership for development, where partner pharmaceutical companies participate by providing access to affordable insulin products through the consignment system, the implementation of which was started in 2009.The two-day training included "self-injection" where participan…

MANILA -- A petition before the Supreme Court (SC) Tuesday seeks to stop publicly-listed Manila Electric Company (Meralco) from imposing and collecting bill deposit from its customers, which have reached PHP29 billion as of last year.In its 36-page petition, the petitioners said the imposition of bill deposit by Meralco, being a public utility, is illegal.The petitioners said the Court should declare as illegal and void the Bill Deposit provisions in the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumers and promulgated by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on June 17, 2004, which became the basis of Meralco to collect the fees from its customers.The suit also urged the Court to order the ERC to implement a refund of the bill deposits to the consumers. (PNA)
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COTABATO CITY – Local officials in Kidapawan City have called on residents to remain alert and always perform the “Duck, Cover and Hold” procedure during an earthquake.

The appeal was separately made Monday by Kidapawan Mayor Joseph Evangelista and Vice Mayor Bernardo Piñol Jr. following tremors that hit Central Luzon last week.

Evangelista said residents should always remain on guard and alert to avoid getting hurt whenever a “shaking” occurs in the city.

Kidapawan City sits near an active volcano, Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak.

Evangelista appealed to residents to check on the strength of their respective homes, especially those made of concrete materials.

Aside from the “duck, cover and hold” method, Evangelista said everyone must also consider gathering in an open space to avoid being hit by falling debris in a building or structure.

Piñol, on the other hand, called on the public to remain vigilant because earthquakes may come "anytime and anywhere".

Piñol reminded…

SYUDAD SANG ILOILO, Abril 30 (PIA) - -Pagapangunahan sang Department of Health ang profiling sang Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) sa Western Visasyas sumugod sini nga Mayo.Ang GIDA mga komunidad nga may vulnerable population physically kag socio-economically nga separado gikan sa mainstream.Suno kay Kristine Solas, GIDA/IP Focal Person sang DOH 6, nga ang GIDA Information System gin-develop nga i-profile ang mga GIDA barangay sa Western Visayas.Nagahatag ini, suno sa iya,  sang impormasyon natuhoy sa pisikal kag economic nga kinagawi sang komunidad ilabi ang ordinary kag makalalaton nga mga balatian kag mga pasilidad sa ikaayong lawas nga ara sa lugar.Subong man, ang Information System nagaserbe nga gamit sa monitoring kag evaluation sa mga research-based planning kag sa pag-implementar sang programa.Suno kay Solas nga ang profiling nga magasugod sa Mayo tubtob sa Agosto 2019, pagapatigayunon sang mga health professional nga kabahin sang Human Resources for Heal…

MANILA -- Senatorial candidates endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte himself dominated the latest Pulse Asia Survey conducted just a month before the May 13 mid-term elections.The survey, conducted from April 10 to 14 this year, showed that there were eight administration-backed bets included in the so-called winning circle or top 14 candidates with a statistical chance of winning if the elections were held during the survey period.Of the eight administration-backed bets, three belong to the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party, which the President chairs, and five are guest candidates.The three PDP-Laban candidates are former Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Go (40.8 percent) who is ranked 4th to 8th places; former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Ronald dela Rosa (36.7 percent), ranked 5th to 9th places; and reelectionist Senator Aquilino Pimentel III (31.8 percent), ranked 10th to 14th places.Guest candidates endorsed by the P…

ILOILO CITY, April 30 (PIA) - -The Department of Health (DOH) is spearheading a profiling of Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) in Western Visayas starting this May.GIDA are communities with vulnerable population physically and socio-economically separated from the mainstream.Kristine Solas, GIDA/IP Focal Person of DOH 6, said the GIDA Information System was developed to profile GIDA barangays in Western Visayas. It provides information on the physical and economic characteristics of the community specifically the common and endemic diseases, and health facilities present in the area.Also, the Information System serves as a monitoring and evaluation tool for research-based planning and program implementation.Solas said the profiling, which will start on May until August 2019, will be conducted by health professionals who are part of their Human Resources for Health (HRH) program in coordination with the provincial, city/municipal health offices in the local governm…

ALABEL, Sarangani, Apr. 30 - The construction of a halfway house in Alabel for former New People’s Army rebels (FRs) has started. This facility is where FRs were to be accommodated while still on the process of reintegration to mainstream society. The Provincial Local Government Unit of Sarangani (PLGU Sarangani) awarded financial assistance to 12 former NPA rebels under E-CLIP on July 12, 2018. Each of them received cheques worth P65,000 (P50,000 for livelihood assistance and P15,000 for immediate assistance). Upon surrendering, the FRs also gave up their firearms and in return, they were given specific cash amount. In addition, four FRs were also awarded P25,000 each on September 4, 2018 at the Capitol Gym during the Peace Partners Summit, for surrendering their firearms. Throughout 2018, 40 former rebels have already surrendered to the PLGU Sarangani. They were also able to avail of the E-CLIP benefits. E-CLIP or the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program is a comprehensi…