Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI), the operator of Ceres buses, will continue its scheduled trips in Negros Occidental during the two-day transport strike of various jeepney drivers and operators’ groups here on March 21 and 22. Jesideth Marquez-Seballos, legal and media relations manager of VTI, said on Monday as long as there are people coming to the terminals, they will not stop transporting passengers. “We will not join the transport strike. We are a member of the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines, we will support the decision of those at the top. We will continue with our operations,” she

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has named Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Robert Borje as the new vice chairperson and commissioner of the Climate Change Commission. Photos released by the Palace on Sunday show Duterte administering Borje’s oath at the Malacañang Golf (Malago) Clubhouse in Malacañang Park. He will serve for a term of six years. In November 2021, Borje was conferred with the Gawad Mabini with the Rank of Dakilang Kamanong (Grand Cross) which is given to Filipinos who have rendered distinguished foreign service or helped promote the interests and prestige of the Philippines

The Laoag International Airport (LIA) looks forward to welcoming bigger aircraft this year as the airport has been upgraded to Level 9 from its existing Level 7 category. In a phone interview on Monday, LIA manager Ronald Estabillo said a category Level 9 airport permits wide-body Airbus A330 to land at the newly upgraded runway. “This is in preparation for the planned direct international flights that we hope to be catering in the future,” said Estabillo, as he reported a market demand for direct international flights to Laoag from Hong Kong, China, and Honolulu, Hawaii, and vice versa. Ilocos Norte

A leader of the House of Representatives on Monday said it is high time to raise the daily minimum wage to provide Filipinos a “lifeline” as they suffer the “dual shock” of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and the unabated oil price hikes. Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera made the statement as she lauded the move of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to order a review of the minimum wages across the country amid soaring fuel prices. “We fully support Secretary Bello’s directive to all regional wage boards to expedite the review of minimum wages to help workers and their families

Upland farmers in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija can now easily transport their products from their agroforestry farm to the nearest market through a newly-completed access road extension project. Paquito Moreno Jr., executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon, said on Monday the more than 1 kilometer access road extension in Barangay Bunga-Dilaing Bato was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the amount of PHP17.9 million. He said it is intended as an “agroforestry support facility” under the 10-year Forestland Management Project (FMP) in the 44,000-hectare Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed (PCW). Moreno said the