A Philippine Airlines (PAL) plane bringing home 299 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia landed at the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) on Wednesday, marking the first time that a passenger flight again arrived here since 2011. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman and administrator Wilma T. Eisma, who welcomed the arriving workers at the Subic tarmac, said PAL’s OFW flight was “a momentous occasion, as it marked the first time that the Subic airport served as an alternate entry point for OFWs wanting to return to the Philippines.” “This is also the first time that a commercial

Mayor Sara Z. Duterte on Wednesday warned the public anew against individuals or groups soliciting and conducting fundraising activities for her supposed candidacy in the 2022 national elections. In a statement, she warned the public about government employees or private individuals asking contractors or businessmen to give money as contributions. Duterte also warned about individuals pretending to be employees of the city government of Davao calling contractors and businessmen for money contributions. “Please be warned that there is no fund-raising activity or campaign money solicitation for my benefit. All these activities are unauthorized and without my permission,” Mayor Sara clarified.

Although projects and programs under the Duterte administration may not all be completed by 2022, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Wednesday is hopeful that the next government will carry on these plans. He said all Cabinet clusters have set targets for different programs and projects so it is expected that the next administration will continue implementing them. “In each and every cluster, mayroong mga (there are) targets, may mga (there are) objectives, activities, plans, projects, and programs that we hope that the next administration can continue,” he said during the pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) virtual presser hosted by

The father of Pfc. Alzid Hawrani, one of the soldiers who died in the July 4 C-130 plane crash in Patikul, Sulu, said the family has accepted the fate of his son. Tullang Hawrani, 51, in an interview said on Wednesday that their only wish now is that his remains will be identified soon so that the soldier can be laid to rest immediately as Muslims should be interred within 24 hours after their death. Pfc. Hawrani, 24, was one of the two soldier residents of this city and who were aboard the ill-fated C-130 plane. The other one was

Progress on the funding of the various projects under the Barangay Development Program (BDP) is going smoothly with PHP16.4 billion already released by the Budget Department, a ranking official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Monday. “On the fund releases, the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or the JRTF-ELCAC has endorsed their request of 813 barangays to the DBM (Department of Budget Management) after a thorough review of documentary requirements,” DILG Localization of Executive Order 70 Project Management Office head Director Rene Valera said during the July 5 episode of “Tagged:

q The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday clarified that local government units (LGUs) can still require fully-vaccinated travelers a negative swab test result as requirement for entry into their jurisdictions. In an advisory, the health department said the previous resolution allowing LGUs to require travelers to present a negative reverse transmission polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result as entry requirement remains in effect, as they iron out the pandemic task force’s new protocol. Last week, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) approved IATF Resolution No. 124-B allowing vaccination cards as sufficient alternatives to