The chair of the House Committee on Creative Industry and Performing Arts on Thursday appealed to the local government units (LGUs) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to temporarily suspend the collection of the taxes from the local movies for at least 12 months. Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia made the appeal as he welcomed the reopening of cinemas at a limited capacity following the de-escalation of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) restrictions to Alert Level 3 in Metro Manila from October 16 to 31. De Venecia said taxes are a “big dent” in the earnings and viability of local

A drug personality in this city yielded PHP346,800 worth of suspected shabu during a police buy-bust at his residence in Purok Bayanihan, Barangay Banago on Thursday afternoon. Suspect Willy “Toto Wing-wing” Aliguin, 36, has been tagged as a high-value individual by the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO). Shortly before 2 p.m., Aliguin sold a sachet of suspected shabu worth PHP500 to an undercover policeman. In a radio interview, Lt. Edward Bolivar, head of the CDEU, said they have been monitoring the suspect’s activities in the past two weeks after learning that he returned

The Japanese Embassy in Manila on Thursday announced the opening of application for the 2022 Young Leaders’ Program (YLP). The one-year-long academic program launched by the Japanese government aims to help youth leaders from various countries, including the Philippines in their professional growth and development. “The idea is for these participants to become future leaders and work together in contributing significantly to the economic, social, and political development of their home countries,” the Embassy said in a statement. Successful Filipino applicants may choose any of the courses offered, such as business administration, law, public administration, and local governance. The program

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistant Secretary Glenda Relova on Thursday said only StarPay and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) have the capability to deliver cash aid under the social amelioration program (SAP) to beneficiaries who have no smartphones. Relova made this comment after several senators questioned the DSWD’s move to award to StarPay a contract to distribute some PHP50 billion worth of financial assistance to indigents affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. She said StarPay, RCBC and DSWD’s four other partners — Land Bank of the Philippines, GCash, Robinson’s Bank, and PayMay– were originally given

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has confirmed that 19 people were killed due to the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Maring. In an update on Thursday, the agency said it is also validating reports of an additional 11 deaths. The confirmed fatalities include 14 from Ilocos Sur; one from Pangasinan; and four from Palawan. Meanwhile, the 11 reported deaths still undergoing validation include two from Cagayan and nine from Benguet. Most of the deaths are attributed to drowning and landslides. Meanwhile, still undergoing confirmation are reports of three injured in Benguet. The number of confirmed missing

Senator Christopher Lawrence Go turned over on Thursday a check worth PHP25 million to the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) for the establishment of an oxygen refilling station at the hospital. Go, who visited here during the distribution of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), underscored the importance of constructing the facility in the province as it continues to battle with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). He said the facility can help address any shortage of oxygen should a surge of Covid-19 cases occur in the province. “My only condition to DRMC is (to) please help the poor