From being outlaws, 16 members of the communist terrorist group (CTG) who abandoned the armed struggle have pledged allegiance to the government and vowed to help end insurgency. In a statement on Wednesday, Capt. John Paul Belleza, 9th Infantry Division (9ID) spokesperson, said the new batch of surrenderers was presented to the Aroroy Local Peace Engagement Team headed by Mayor Arturo Virtucio in a ceremony held at the Tico Maristela Sports and Cultural Center of the town. “Seeing the hopeless and useless cause of the terrorist group that has endangered the lives of innocent civilians including their own families, the

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will soon hold voter registration in malls nationwide. This as the poll body is set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Robinsons Land Corporation on July 12, for the setting up of voter registration booths in selected Robinsons malls nationwide. “Our aim is to give the public an accessible and efficient registration experience and provide alternative satellite registration sites by opening registration booths in malls. We are glad to once again partner with Robinsons Land Corporation in delivering effective public service ahead of the 2022 National and Local Elections,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Antique provincial office on Wednesday assured assistance to the local government unit (LGU) of Belison in the operation of its skills training center. TESDA Antique provincial director Glenn Murphy said in an interview Wednesday that the provincial board, on its regular session last July 1, 2021, gave Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao the authority to enter into a tripartite agreement with their office and Belison town. Murphy said that once the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) is signed, the center could already be used in training residents. “TESDA will provide the capability training for

Spanish striker Bienvenido Morejon Marañon has been granted Filipino citizenship in a new law signed by President Rodrigo Duterte. Republic Act No. 11570, signed by Duterte on July 2, grants Marañon “citizenship with all the rights, privileges, and prerogatives, as well as the duties and obligations appurtenant thereto under the Constitution and the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.” The law was signed after naturalization bills were approved concurrently by the House of Representatives last February 16, and the Senate on March 15. Marañon is set to take the Oath of Allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines before

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista on Wednesday said the government’s experiences in the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) proved helpful to come up with faster and more efficient assistance distribution. “So sa tingin as a whole iyong magandang natutunan natin dito sa (So I think as a whole, the good thing here in) special financial assistance that we trust our local government units, we trust our local chief executives in the distribution of the ayuda (assistance),” Bautista said in pre-State of the Nation Address virtual presser on Wednesday. He said the DSWD initially

To conduct a thorough inspection of farm, fishery, and meat products, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) have agreed to establish a border control facility at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales. The DA on Wednesday bared that this development has been agreed “in principle” by both parties. However, the SBMA Board is yet to release its approval. The facility, which the DA declared to be identified as Cold Examination Facility in Agriculture (CEFA), will be the first of the five structures planned to be put up nationwide. The DA proposes to use