At least 144 women workers here who were displaced from their jobs were provided with a means of livelihood through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program, a community-based package of assistance that provides emergency employment. TUPAD is a project of the national government through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Each beneficiary will receive PHP3,100 for working four hours every day for 10 days in their communities. In an orientation early this week in Barangay Bagumbayan here, the beneficiaries were selected among members of different women’s organizations coming from 29 barangays. In a statement on

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office is eyeing to complete drafting the post-Typhoon Odette recovery plan for Southern Leyte and some parts of Leyte province before the end of this month. NEDA Eastern Visayas Regional Director Bonifacio Uy on Wednesday said teams from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) deployed in Southern Leyte last week are finalizing the post-disaster needs assessment as a major input to the recovery roadmap. “There will be workshop on the preparation of recovery plan in the coming days. The timetable is that by this month, the recovery plan will be

Mayor Michael Rama on Wednesday said telecommunication companies should fast-track the repair of their damaged lines to restore their services amid mounting calls to put back connectivity. In a radio interview, Rama said there are sectors in Cebu’s industry that are reliant on the internet connectivity as well as transactions that may have stalled due to poor signal even it has been more than a month had passed since Typhoon Odette ravaged Cebu City and other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao on December last year. Rama said he wants the representatives from the telecommunication companies to regularly attend the

The maritime sector of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has pledged to work together to resolve congestion and delay problems at the Matnog, Sorsogon-Allen, Northern Samar maritime route. In a joint statement on Wednesday, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said additional measures are being rolled out to lessen the inconvenience experienced by travelers, cargo owners, and other port stakeholders following the damage caused by Typhoon Odette last December. The PPA, it said, will accelerate the repairs on facilities damaged by the typhoon at the Port of Matnog “in order

China’s digital yuan transactions hit nearly 87.57 billion yuan (13.78 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2021, as the country ramped up research and pilot use of the central bank’s digital currency. A total of 261 million personal wallets for the digital yuan had been opened, and the number of pilot scenarios had exceeded 8.08 million, Zou Lan, an official with the People’s Bank of China, said at a press conference Tuesday. He said the central bank would continue promoting research and development of the digital fiat currency, or the e-CNY, and further deepen the pilot use of e-CNY

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is in the process of validating 71 new tourism circuits in 13 regions across the country, Tourism Undersecretary Woodrow Maquiling Jr. said Tuesday. The circuits are being developed in coordination with local government units and tourism stakeholders and will feature activities based on travelers’ preferences in the new normal. In a virtual presser, Maquiling said these circuits would reintroduce the best travel products and experiences a region offers, including but not limited to culinary, history, nature, wellness, farm, and faith-based tourism. As of posting, 44 tourism circuits have been validated in Metro Manila, the Ilocos