City Council OKs P50M financial aid for quake-hit Abra province
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Members of the 16th Cebu City Council approved during a special session on Friday, August 12, 2022, the P50 million financial aid that Mayor Michael Rama promised to Abra province, which was hit by a strong earthquake last July 27. This was even after members of the minority council, particularly, Minority […] The post City Council OKs P50M financial aid for quake-hit Abra province appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Boxing trainer Domingo is confident Jerusalem will upset Shigeoka
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Veteran boxing trainer, Michael Domingo of ZIP Sanman Boxing Team, is confident that his prized ward Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem will make a repeat of the latter’s January 2023 world title victory in Japan. The Cebu-based Jerusalem will face the defending World Boxing Council (WBC) world minimumweight champion, Yudai Shigeoka, in Nagoya,.....»»
One more city in Philippines declares pertussis outbreak
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The government of Iloilo, a city in central Philippines, on Monday declared an outbreak of pertussis after it confirmed seven out of 15 reported cases, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Iloilo is the third city to declare an outbreak of pertussis, or whopping cough, after Quezon and Pasig, two cities in the capital region, announced last week that they hav.....»»
Davao Media-Citizen Council elects officers
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) – The Davao Media-Citizen Council (DMCC) on Saturday elected its officers from representatives of various fields — media, business, law and academe. MindaNews’ Special Reports Editor Carolyn O. Arguillas was elected chair while Antonio Peralta representing the business sector was elected vice chair. Peralta chairs the Southern Mindanao Business […].....»»
Davao City Council moves hearing on traffic-causing road construction works
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews – 26 March) – The Davao City Council rescheduled to Tuesday, April 2, the second hearing on the suspended road construction works in the locality after key officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Davao region failed to show up Friday. The DPWH-Davao key officials are reportedly in […].....»»
One more city in Philippines declares pertussis outbreak
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The government of Iloilo, a city in central Philippines, on Monday declared an outbreak of pertussis after it confirmed seven out of 15 reported cases, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Iloilo is the third city to declare an outbreak of pertussis, or whopping cough, after Quezon and Pasig, two cities in the capital region, announced last week that they hav.....»»
Samal residents rally vs power woes
Electricity consumers in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte province joined an interfaith prayer rally over the weekend to protest the continued power woes in their area......»»
Taal Volcano back to spewing high-volume of toxic gas
LUCENA CITY, Philippines – After spewing lower volumes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) for the past five days, Taal Volcano in Batangas province again emitted a high level of toxic gas on Saturday, March 23. A total of 14,287 metric tons (MT) of SO2 from Taal’s main crater was measured over the past 24 hours and.....»»
Businesswoman shot dead in Kidapawan City
Two men riding a motorcycle together shot dead a businesswoman along a busy street in Kidapawan City in Cotabato province on Saturday morning......»»
5-day forecast: Fair weather expected in Cebu
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The weather in Metro Cebu and the rest of the province is forecast to be generally fair and pleasant over the next five days, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. The Pagasa Visayas Regional Services Division has forecast that the Visayas, including the whole of Cebu, will.....»»
Rama: No need to rush RPT revision
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said revising the Real Property Tax (RPT) wasn’t yet necessary, showing a sudden change in his position. At first, Rama said the RPT revision had to be done this month. Later, he told the council that imposing the RPT suddenly wasn’t necessary, showing a change in.....»»
Gealon: Probe companies with colorum vehicles
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A citywide crackdown is being implemented against colorum vehicles or illegally operating public utility vehicles (PUVs). This after Cebu City Councilor Rey Gealon’s proposed a resolution was approved during the council’s regular session on March 20, requesting the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to conduct operations against colorum trucks operating in the.....»»
Mac Tallo hopes for better things with MPBL return
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Time to move on. Cebuano hotshot Mac Tallo is hoping for better things with the Abra Weavers in his return to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). The talented point guard signed with the Weavers late February, but didn’t make an announcement until earlier this week. For Tallo, it’s a new.....»»
Shining Inheritance stars naki-fiesta sa Abra
RATED Rni Rommel Gonzales LALONG naging makulay at fun-filled ang selebrasyon ng Dapil Festival sa Abra City, special thanks to GMA Regional TV na nag-organisa ng masayang Kapuso Fiesta with Shining Inheritance stars Kyline Alcantara, Paul Salas, Michael Sager, at Roxie Smith. Idinaos noong Sabado (February 17) ang Dapil Festival sa Bangued Town Plaza, at hosted by Kapuso artist, Jayson ….....»»
‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ launched
BAGUIO CITY — At least 150 schools in different areas of the Cordillera region were boosted by the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera’s “Gulayan sa Paaralan” project under the High-Value Crops Development Program. The project — which is a collaboration with the Department of Education-Cordillera — aims to provide the optimal supply of nutrition through the consumption of vegetables and fruits minimizing malnutrition of students. It also allows for a learning experience for students, increasing their knowledge and skills in fundamental agriculture and implying a more scientific view of the consumption of securely produced food. HVCDP coordinator for GPP Albert Jay Lab-oyan said the schools underwent the screening process of the DepEd based on their guidelines which were forwarded to the regional agriculture department for the allocation of P1.8 million worth of agriculture inputs for 2023. The provisions include upland and lowland seeds, cultivating tools, garden hoses and wheelbarrows. Of the 8 School Division Offices in the region, 20 schools were identified in Abra, 20 schools in Apayao, 16 schools in Benguet, 15 schools in Baguio City, 20 schools in Ifugao, 20 schools in Kalinga, 19 schools in Tabuk City and 20 schools in Mountain Province. The post ‘Gulayan sa Paaralan’ launched appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bucay town poll violence spills in metro
BAGUIO CITY — Hours before the shooting of a barangay kagawad candidate took place in Bucay town, Abra province, the wife of a candidate for village chief in the same town was confirmed abducted by unknown suspects in Parañaque City. Reports from the Parañaque City Police Station disclosed that the victim — identified as Bliss Progreso Loy, a teacher of Col. E de Leon Elementary School in Barangay Moonwalk, Parañaque City — was abducted in the morning of 18 October 2023. Initial investigations revealed that the teacher, together with her siblings, were on board a motorcycle at Matthew Street, Barangay Moonwalk, Parañaque City when two male persons on board a motorcycle blocked their way. The suspects grabbed the teacher and forced her inside a black van with plate number ABR-5730. The alleged kidnap victim is the wife of Benjamin Loy, a candidate for captain of Barangay Abang in Bucay town, Abra. Days before the alleged abduction, their house in the said barangay was ransacked by unknown assailants. The police are reviewing the CCTV footages to identify the suspects and the direction where the black van headed. At past 7 a.m. on 18 October, a candidate for barangay kagawad was shot two times by unidentified gunmen at Sitio Nagpasinan, Barangay Bangbangcag, Bucay, Abra. The victim was identified as Catalino Turalba Sr., a resident of Barangay Bangbangcag. Police reported that Turalba was on board his motorcycle with his son and was said to be heading to Barangay Palaquio of the same town. On their way, a riding on tandem followed him and one of the suspects shot him two times with a pistol of unidentified caliber. The victim was rushed to the St. Therese Hospital in Talogtog, Dolores, Abra by personnel of the 1504th Regional Mobile Force Battalion. He was later transferred to the Abra Provincial Hospital in Bangued where he expired. On 9 October 2023, an encounter ensued between the Bucay police and armed men where one of the suspects died. Series of events which led to the latest incident involving Turalba have brought “fear” among the people in the province and a sense of “helplessness” as reports of armed men continue to roam around. Abra officials appealed for the deployment of more government troops in the province especially in Bucay because of the election-related violence happening in the area. While the sight of uniformed personnel helps, a number of Abrenios clamor for further intervention of various groups and stakeholders to call out presence of violence in the province. The post Bucay town poll violence spills in metro appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Batanes still under Signal No. 2 as ‘Jenny’ moves over Phl Sea
The state weather bureau on Tuesday said Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal or TCWS No. 2 is still hoisted over Batanes as Typhoon Jenny moves north-northwestward over the Philippine Sea. In its latest weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, said typhoon Jenny was last tracked 325 kilometers east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes. The weather disturbance maintained its strength, packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour near the center, and gustiness of up to 190 kph. Gale-force winds will prevail in Batanes. Meanwhile, strong winds will prevail in areas where TCWS No. 1 remains hoisted: Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela (Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan, Santa Maria, San Pablo, Tumauini, Cabagan, Ilagan City, San Mariano, Santo Tomas, Dinapigue, Benito Soliven, Naguilian, Gamu, Quirino, Delfin Albano, Quezon, Mallig), Apayao, the northeastern portion of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Malibcong), the northern portion of Kalinga (Balbalan, Pinukpuk, Rizal, City of Tabuk), and Ilocos Norte. Typhoon Jenny will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon, causing occasional rains over the western portions of Central and Southern Luzon, and the Visayas in the next three days. Gusty conditions due to the enhanced southwest monsoon continue to prevail in Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, and most of Mimaropa and Western Visayas. Rough to very rough seas are forecast over the coastal waters along the seaboards of Northern Luzon. PAGASA said moderate to rough seas will prevail over the coastal waters of northern Aurora due to the Typhoon. Mariners of motor bancas and similarly-sized vessels are advised to take precautionary measures while venturing to the sea. Typhoon Jenny is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday. The post Batanes still under Signal No. 2 as ‘Jenny’ moves over Phl Sea appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Typhoon Jenny maintains strength over Phl Sea
Typhoon Jenny maintains strength as it moves north-northwestward over the Philippine Sea, the state weather bureau said Tuesday. In its latest weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, said Typhoon Jenny, as it continues to enhance Southwest Monsoon or habagat, will bring significant rains over the western portions of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Visayas in the next three days. PAGASA said the enhancement of the Southwest Monsoon by Jenny will bring gusty conditions for the next 3 days over the following areas not under any Wind Signal, especially in coastal and upland/mountainous areas exposed to winds including Bataan, the southern portion of Aurora, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Romblon, and most of Bicol Region. Gale Warning is hoisted in the coastal waters along the seaboards of Northern Luzon. The typhoon will also bring moderate to rough seas (1.5 to 3.5 m) over the coastal waters of northern Aurora. PAGASA advised mariners of motor bancas and similarly-sized vessels to take precautionary measures while venturing out to sea. If possible, navigating in these conditions, especially if inexperienced or operating ill-equipped vessels, shall be avoided. Typhoon Jenny is forecast to move northwestward or west-northwestward until tomorrow before turning generally westward thereafter. On the track forecast, Jenny will make landfall over the southern portion of Taiwan between late Wednesday evening, or Thursday morning, then exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility between Thursday morning and afternoon. When outside the PAR region, Jenny will continue moving westward slowly over the Taiwan Strait towards the coastal waters of southern China. PAGASA said the weakening trend continues due to the increasing dry air entrainment and vertical wind shear. “Land interaction during its passage over the rugged terrain of southern Taiwan will further weaken the tropical cyclone. Once over the Taiwan Strait, additional cool dry air from the north will entrain into JENNY, resulting in further weakening,” it added. Typhoon Jenny was last tracked over the 325 km East Northeast of Basco, Batanes as it moves North Northwestward at 10 kilometers per hour. It packs maximum sustained winds of 155 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 190 kph. Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal PAGASA said the Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 is hoisted in Batanes with winds of greater than 62 kph and up to 88 kph may be expected in at least 24 hours. TCWS No. 1 is raised over the Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela (Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan, Santa Maria, San Pablo, Tumauini, Cabagan, Ilagan City, San Mariano, Santo Tomas, Dinapigue, Benito Soliven, Naguilian, Gamu, Quirino, Delfin Albano, Quezon, Mallig), Apayao, the northeastern portion of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Malibcong), the northern portion of Kalinga (Balbalan, Pinukpuk, Rizal, City of Tabuk), and Ilocos Norte. Winds of 39-61 kph may be expected in the above-mentioned areas for at least 36 hours or intermittent rains may be expected within 36 hours. At least seven towns in Pangasinan have suspended classes due to the inclement weather brought by Jenny while monsoon rains continue to dump in the province. Classes in all levels were suspended in the towns of San Manuel, Pozorrubio, and San Jacinto, while classes from pre-school to high school were canceled in the towns of Asingan, Mangaldan, and San Fabian. Only classes from pre-school to elementary were suspended in the town of Manaoag. The post Typhoon Jenny maintains strength over Phl Sea appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Lady lawyer shot to death
BAGUIO CITY — Authorities reported on Friday that a lady lawyer was shot to death by still unidentified gunmen on Thursday afternoon at Bangued, Abra. Initial reports disclosed that the victim — identified as Atty. Maria Saniata Liwliwa Gonzales Alzate — was inside her car when a man in a polo shirt and a black cap approach the vehicle and shot her at close range. After shooting the lawyer, the gunman approached his waiting companion, who was wearing a blue jacket and a black cap. Before fleeing the scene, the gunmen opened fire again at the lady lawyer and went towards Barangay Consiliman, Zone 2, Bangued, Abra onboard a motorcycle. The incident was captured by a CCTV camera. The footage of the shooting went viral together with the screenshot of the CVTV footage where the gunmen’s faces were visible. The victim was rushed to the Seares Memorial Hospital in Bangued. The medical staff treated her but later she succumbed to her gunshot wounds. Police units are now conducting hot pursuit operations against the assassins. The Integrated Bar of the Philippines in a statement condemned the killing of Alzate. The post Lady lawyer shot to death appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Managers: Phl remains on track
Despite the lackluster 4.3 percent in the second quarter, growth this year is expected to reach the target range of 6 percent to 7 percent gross domestic product expansion, according to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. “To do this, we will expedite the implementation of government programs and projects, to provide fiscal stimulus to increase the productive capacity of the public and private sectors and address the adverse recent impacts of typhoons.” Diokno added. Economic managers gathered in Fort Ilocandia in Laoag City to hold the Post-State of the Nation Economic Briefing that discussed the country’s economic situation and plans on 14 August. Diokno said in 2022, GDP increased 7.6 percent from 5.7 a year ago and a 9.5 percent contraction in 2020. Diokno said the economic team is determined to pick up government expenditure in the third and fourth quarters. Revenue collections remain robust from January to June as these totaled P1.9 trillion up 7.7 percent or P132.6 billion year-on-year which is also higher than the mid-year program by 2.7 percent. Hence, Diokno said they have already pipelined 194 infrastructure flagship projects worth P8.3 trillion of which 132 are located in Luzon that will address irrigation, water supply, flood management, agriculture, digital connectivity, physical connectivity, health, and power and energy. Diokno also highlighted some of the projects like the Laoag International Airport Development Project, the EDSA Greenways, the TPLEX Expressway Expansion Project, the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project, the Ilocos Norte-Sur-Abra Irrigation Project, and the Naga Airport Development Project. “The Philippines is determined to be a world leader in the race to net zero and the Ilocos Region will be a strategic partner in this mission. Dubbed to be the renewable energy capital of South East Asia, Ilocos Norte is emerging to be a promising player in the clean energy arena. Being home to the first and largest wind farms in the country,” Diokno stressed. In his address, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr., said from a peak of 8.7 percent in January, headline inflation slowed to 4.7 percent in July due to improving domestic food supply conditions and lower global oil prices. However, he also admitted that core inflation remains high at 6.7 percent although it has already started to decline due to the monetary tightening. The BSP has responded to inflation by aggressively raising its policy rate, as of today, the BSP has raised policy rates by 425 basis points. Prices reined in “The good news is that inflation expectations are still well anchored. The markets continue to believe that we will hit our target range by 2024 and stay there in 2025,” Remolona said. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman also gave an update on the use pf the budget for 2023. Pangandaman said at the end of July, the total amount of the national budget that has been released already is around 93 percent. “And we expect all our government agencies including all the cabinet members present here, to spend your budget so we can help grow the economy,” Pangandaman said. While for next year, the government budget will amount to 5.768 trillion and it is 21.7 percent of the GDP it has already been submitted to Congress last August 2 and the budget is expected to be passed earlier than expected. The National Economic Development Authority said it wanted to lower the poverty level to single digit. For Socioeconomic Planning Undersecretary Carlos Bernardo Abad Santos, the government has effective regional development plans. In the Ilocos Regional Development Plan from 2023-2028, the NEDA expects the Ilocos region to have a 7 percent to 7.5 percent growth while lowering the poverty incidence by 7.3 percent. ‘Build, Better, More’ under BBM;s watch Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the “Build, Better, More” program of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is very much aligned with the medium-term development plan for 2023 to 2028 and is consistent with the 8-point economic agenda of the president. Bonoan said that from July 2022 to May 2023, the DPWH has built, maintained, rehabilitated, widened, and upgraded 4,082 kilometer of roads, 497 bridges, built 2,103 flood control projects, 55 evacuation centers, 216 kms farm to market roads, 8 kilometers of farm to mill roads, 138 kilometers tourism roads, 18 kilometers of roads to seaports, railway stations, and airports, 4,038 classrooms, and 6,002 rainwater collector system. “Because of climate change, we have to address and be building and developing resilient and sustainable communities in the 18 major river basins in the country,” Bonoan said. Some of the major projects that the department would like to continue are converting the Daang Maharlika which is actually now Asian Highway 26 which starts in Laoag City and will go around Cagayan Valley and has extended all the way to Zamboanga City. Bonoan says that they want to convert this backbone of the national highway into seamless travel. “In other words, there should be no major stops along the way, along this Maharlika highway,” Bonoan said. Bonoan said they’re going to build 12 major bridges, and the first bridge is the Cavite-Bataan Interlink bridge with a span of more than 32 km. Should it be completed, this will be the second-longest bay bridge in the world. The department also plans to start the Luzon Spine Expressway which will run from Laoag City to Bicol, Bonoan says that this will be 1,073 kms more. As for Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, major Department of Transportation projects like the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, Metro Manila Subway, EDSA Greenway Projects, EDSA Busway, MRT-3 Rehabilitation, LRT-1 Cavite, LRT-2 West Extension, MRT-7, and the modernization and capacity expansion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are proceeding. For the Department of Information and Communications Technology Ivan John Uy, there is already a cybersecurity plan for 2023 to 2028 which is a consolidated output of all the stakeholders in designing which includes the best practices all over the world. “We’ve ramped up in our cybercrime detection, we are busting cybercrime syndicates all over the country especially those that are dealing with scammers,” Uy said. Uy said agency is also enhancing cybersecurity status by designing courses to upgrade cybersecurity professionals. He admits that worldwide, there is a 3 million job vacancies on cyber security. DICT said by the end of the year, the department will have Two Terabits of capacity from Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan all the way to Manila and we should expect very good Internet connectivity by the start of next year especially on the Luzon area. These structures also open opportunities to data centers and BPOs along the places mentioned which produces employment. DICT expects that foreign investment opportunities and interest in those areas will boom. The post Managers: Phl remains on track appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bontoc town bans pigs, pork products entry
BAGUIO CITY — The local government of Bontoc town in Mountain Province announced that it is temporarily banning the entry of hogs and pork products from the lowland municipalities amid reported cases of the African swine fever in other areas, particular in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. In a public advisory, Bontoc Mayor Jerome Tudlong Jr. warned residents of the town to be aware of ASF cases logged in backyard farms of Cervantes and is said to be fast spreading in nearby areas. “To prevent further spread of this disease and to help protect the livelihood of our swine raisers against the re-infection of ASF in our municipality, the entry of live swine/pigs, pork, locally processed pork products and by-products from the said area is hereby temporarily suspended,” Tudlong said. To recall, the hog disease was earlier detected in a barangay in Cervantes last July this year, which prompted other towns of Ilocos Sur to safeguard their borders to ensure that no pigs or pork products can enter their areas of responsibility. On 24 July 2023, the provincial government of Benguet issued a temporary ban of entries of hogs and swine products from Cervantes. In the first week of August, Abra Province and Bauko, Mountain Province did the same. Checkpoints were setup in the boundaries of Ilocos Sur and nearby provinces. On 12 August, three hog traders were intercepted transporting 11 pigs from Cervantes. The post Bontoc town bans pigs, pork products entry appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»