The Philippines has made steady progress this year in the upgrade of military equipment and skills of the personnel tasked to operate it, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday. “As we look back to the past year, it is likewise heartening to note that the Department continues its steady progress towards achieving the goals we set in 2016. We have not only continued to upgrade the equipment of the Armed Forces and the other Bureaus but also developed and raised their skills, expertise, and knowledge,” Lorenzana said in a message to reporters. Aside from this, Lorenzana said the defense and

The government further enhanced its efforts this year to build climate resilience among communities nationwide and address climate change to better protect the environment, lives and property. In April, the government finally submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat the Philippines’ first nationally determined contribution (NDC) which covers planned reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country. This signified the commitment of the Philippines, a UNFCCC party, to help meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise through GHG emission reduction worldwide so Earth can avoid dangerous climate change. At the UN’s

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Pangasinan and the Mangaldan police have seized PHP356,533 worth of suspected shabu from a high-value target (HVT) in a buy-bust. In an interview on Friday, PDEA Pangasinan provincial officer Rechie Camacho identified the suspect as Ryan Christopher Lee, 37, of Barangay Anolid here. Also arrested was his companion Mark Carlo Serrano, 33, of Baguio City. “We’ve been monitoring the suspect (Lee) since July and finally we were able to conduct the buy-bust operation against him at Barangay Guilig Mangaldan town on Thursday,” Camacho said. He added that there was almost an encounter between the