Cebuano beneficiaries of various government assistance programs have shared stories of how a number of projects have benefitted them and improved their standard of living. Some residents spoke during the Cebu leg of the “Duterte Legacy: Barangayanihan Caravan Towards National Recovery” at the Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. here on Thursday. Officials of different regional government agencies gathered at the Police Regional Office-7’s headquarters to participate in the caravan of programs and services organized by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine National

The agriculture sector can now develop, innovate, and generate various products or crops that will enhance the competitiveness of Philippine agriculture with the unveiling of the Crop Biotechnology Center (CBC) at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Nueva Ecija on Thursday. The CBC, one of the three biotechnology centers under the Department of Agriculture (DA), aims to advance biotechnology research for development and innovation, and generate various products that will also push for food security and climate change resiliency. “Biotechnology is coming around just now in the consciousness of the general public, despite its long-term application and benefits. In

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) officially partnered on Thursday to improve the performance of the Philippine fisheries sector. Under the new partnership, formalized through a memorandum of understanding, USAID and the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will work together to support the conservation and rehabilitation of habitats for fishery resources; institute reforms to address overfishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and incentivize conservation through private-sector engagement. “Our two countries share an enduring partnership in the areas of sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation. I am proud to say

The Office of the President (OP) is studying the proposal to defer the increase in the monthly contributions of Social Security System (SSS) members, Malacañang said on Thursday. This, after business and labor groups have asked President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an executive order (EO) postponing the SSS contribution hike. “Pinag-aaralan po ngayon iyan ng Office of the President. Meron na pong sinubmit na rekomendasyon ang SSS (The Office of the President is already studying that (proposal). The SSS has already submitted a recommendation),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser. Roque said the OP would decide in

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday has protested China’s “incessant and unlawful” restriction imposed on Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal or the Bajo de Masinloc. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. instructed the DFA to file the government’s diplomatic protest, noting that China has illegally restricted Filipino fishermen from conducting legitimate fishing activities in the area. Scarborough Shoal, located 124 nautical miles off the coast of Masinloc, Zambales, is a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos and other nationals. In a series of tweets, Locsin also ordered the filing of two protests on Chinese radio challenges “unlawfully issued against

A total of 285 families in three towns in Tarlac province have received assistance under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Livelihood Assistance Grants (LAG) program. The financial aid is granted to families affected by the implementation of community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. DSWD 3 (Central Luzon) Director Marites Maristela said the program beneficiaries, who mostly came from marginalized informal sectors, received the assistance in separate payout rites this week. “Ang LAG ay isa sa mga recovery and rehabilitation programs ng pamahalaan na may pangunahing layunin na magsilbing tugon para sa mga pamilyang