Some four communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels surrendered along with their firearms to authorities in Barangay Tugatog, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija on Sept. 13. Lt. Col. Reandrew Rubio, commander of the Philippine Army’s 91st Infantry Battalion, confirmed the surrender on Tuesday, saying it is the result of the continuous encouragement of the local government unit and security forces for rebels to start anew with government assistance. The surrenderers were identified as Ariel Tumenez, alias Ka Smith, a former member of the New People’s Army (NPA) who yielded his improvised .45-caliber rifle, improvised 12-gauge shotgun, and a hand grenade; Meraljane Vigilia,
The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved on final reading a measure mandating the construction of Quezon-Bicol Expressway (QUBEX) as an “integrated transport and economic development strategy” for the Bicol Region. With 238 affirmative votes, the chamber passed on third reading House Bill 9988, which mandates the construction of the expressway that will have an indicative length of approximately 220 kilometers and will be an alternative option of travel between Quezon and the Bicol provinces. The project will start at Pagbilao, Quezon, and will end at existing Maharlika Highway in San Fernando, Camarines Sur. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, one
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it is taking seriously all received or disseminated reports of possible terrorism-related activities. This came after Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Monday issued an alert cautioning its citizens in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar, against possible terror attacks. “As of now, we have not received any report. We constantly validate all reports on security matters and it is a continuous process. As per last review our threat level is moderate,” AFP spokesperson, Col. Ramon Zagala said in a statement. Zagala said the AFP is
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Tuesday ordered the force’s Maritime Group to strengthen coordination and interoperability with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to fight illegal drug activities within the country’s territorial waters. In a statement, Eleazar said this is to curb activities of international and local syndicates where illegal drugs are being unloaded in international waters and are later picked up by their local contacts and eventually smuggled into the country. “In our relentless campaign against illegal drugs as ordered by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, I have already directed our Maritime
Typhoon Kiko’s damage to agriculture, livestock, and infrastructure has reached PHP54.167 million in Cagayan, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said in its post-typhoon assessment and validation report on Tuesday. Validators said the agriculture sector incurred a setback of at least PHP33.087 million; infrastructure — PHP20.93-million; and livestock — PHP150,000. Agriculture reports showed a total of PHP32.27-million damage to some 515 hectares of palay farms, affecting 818 farmers. There were also 112 hectares of damaged corn farms worth some PHP619,980, with 93 farmers affected. Likewise, 11 fishers lost PHP125,896 due to damaged equipment and fish stock losses.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has released over PHP19 million to seven local government units (LGUs) in Zamboanga del Norte to provide emergency employment to informal sector workers amid the health pandemic. Lawyer Roy Buenafe, DOLE regional director, said Tuesday the emergency employment scheme, known as the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program, will benefit some 3,664 informal sector workers who are mostly farmers and fisherfolk. “The informal sector workers are directly vulnerable to the economic fallout as a consequence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, thus, we want to assist them through Serbisyong
