The seaman’s book is now free for new applicants while the renewal fee will have a 50 percent discount, Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said. During the Talk to the People on Monday evening, Tugade said Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has approved the new pricing of the seaman’s book—also known as the seafarer’s identification and record book—and will remain valid for the rest of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in office. “Ito ‘ho ang tulong natin sa seafarers, ito ‘ho ang isang tulong natin sa ating mga bayani habang may pandemya (This is our help to seafarers, this is our assistance

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Antique provincial office will hold free online lectures on entrepreneurship for women and the youth through its Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) program. KMME program in-charge Wilson Alian said in an interview Tuesday that the first of the two batches of the KMME participants will join the twice weekly lectures from February 18 to May 2. “There will be 10 modules on entrepreneurship that will be discussed,” he said. Among the topics are Entrepreneurial Mind-setting and Values Formation, Marketing Mindset, Business Model Canvass, Operations Management, Digitalization, Supply and Value Chain Management, and Entrepreneurial Accounting

The Qatar government is providing USD450,000 (approximately PHP23 million) to help the Philippines procure 50,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine, the Qatar Embassy in Manila announced Tuesday. “The aim of the support is to provide additional 50,000 doses of Sinovac anti-Covid-19 vaccine for the cost of USD450,000, to the people of Philippines. The support comes as a continuation of Qatar’s response to provide wider access to Covid-19 vaccine,” it said in a statement. “This assistance is an extension of Qatar’s commitment to stand with the brotherly and friendly countries affected by the pandemic, by providing appropriate medical supplies to cope with

The poverty incidence in the city and province of Iloilo has increased during the first semester of 2021 as compared to the same period three years ago, results of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) survey show. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey, in a special release on poverty statistics Tuesday, showed that the poverty incidence or the proportion of families living below the poverty threshold or the minimum income required to meet their basic food and non-food requirements is up by 20.3 percent in Iloilo province. “This equates to 102,900 families with an income less than the poverty