The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is aggressively expanding its aquaculture sites to raise production. In an interview with Philippine News Agency on Friday, DA Undersecretary for Agri-industrialization and Fisheries Cheryl Caballero said the DA-BFAR will be launching several legislated hatcheries to complement the need for quality fry to produce more fingerlings and distribute to aquaculture farmers. Among their priority was that of shrimp hatcheries for vannamei (whiteleg shrimp). “It is highly technical operations and we will have to assess its performance (before determining the number of sites we are going to launch for

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has assisted the formation of four livelihood projects in Iloilo province with a total project cost of PHP6.58 million. In an interview on Friday, regional information officer John Mandario said the projects were approved during the second quarter of this year under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, with the department shelling out PHP4.95 million and PHP1.63 million as equity from accredited co-partners. “The program has two purposes, which are formation and enhancement. Formation refers to newly-formed projects while the enhancement is for the development of existing projects,” Mandario said. Two

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) sustained its rally on Friday after the widely expected no change rate decision of the Federal Reserve but the peso depreciated against the US dollar. The main stocks index rose by 0.52 percent, or 36.25 points, to 6,951.53 points. All Shares followed with a jump of 0.49 percent, or 21.14 points, to 4,323.64 points. Most of the sectoral indexes also tracked the main gauge – Property, 1.14 percent; Financials, 0.98 percent; Services, 0.84 percent; Mining and Oil, 0.82 percent; and Industrial, 0.23 percent. Only the Holding Firms index ended the week in the red

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is encouraging consumers to patronize businesses that are promoting sustainability like reduced use of plastic products for packaging. In a webinar on Friday, Consumer Policy and Advocacy Bureau Director Melquiades Marcus Valdez II said consumers must take action and demand for more sustainable alternatives from businesses and government. “The consumers can re-evaluate their consumption habits to minimize plastic use (and) refuse unnecessary plastic whenever possible,” Valdez said. “We must reduce plastic waste towards sustainability consumption and production.” Private sector stakeholders have partnered with DTI in promoting sustainable products and businesses among consumers. One

Local hog raisers in the province of Ilocos Norte continue to feel the brunt of the African swine fever (ASF) as the estimated cost of damage has already reached over PHP50 million, according to local officials. Mildred Lamoste, a hog raiser and breeder from Navotas village here, said their family’s 31 hogs which include a breeder and under fattening and ready to be sold were culled by authorities to prevent the spread of ASF. Lamoste’s piggery has been exposed within the 500-meter radius where a confirmed positive case was recorded. This resulted in mandatory culling and depopulation of hogs as

Philippine Identification (PhilID) card registrants who have completed Steps 1 (demographic) and 2 (biometrics) of the application may track the status of delivery through the website of the Philippine Post (PHLPost). The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) posted recently that it has been receiving queries regarding the delivery of their PhilID cards. Registrants must check the link http://tracking.phlpost.gov.ph/, enter the transaction number in the transaction slip that was provided in Step 2, and click on “Track”. “If there is no result, it means your National ID is still in process,” the PSA posted on September 15. PHLPost will deliver the National