Month: April 2022

President Rodrigo R. Duterte will lead on Sunday the inspection and inauguration of the newly constructed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital that will cater to OFWs and their legal dependents. Partial operations will begin Monday and full operations by the end of June, according to a news release on Saturday. Built on a 1.5-hectare property in the City of San Fernando, donated by the Pampanga provincial government, the hospital was established through the joint efforts of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as manager, Bloomberry Cultural Foundation for the…

Read More

National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson and Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy on Saturday shrugged off the petition of a group of health workers to revoke her physician’s license. Badoy said she is standing by her previous pronouncement that the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) is a legal front of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the petition was just another attempt to silence the NTF-ELCAC. “The Alliance of Health Workers is a front of the CPP-NPA-NDF (New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) and…

Read More

The Misamis Oriental Police Provincial Office (MORPPO) arrested 41 wanted persons in a series of operations on Friday. MORPPO chief, Col. Raniel Valcones, said in an interview Saturday that their Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations netted 15 suspects facing various cases like frustrated murder, rape, homicide, and reckless imprudence resulting in injuries and damage to properties. The other 26 were arrested due to violations of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. On the same day, MORPPO confiscated 43.9741 grams of alleged shabu, with an estimated market…

Read More

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday categorically denied “unfounded rumors” that it will report a coronavirus surge days before the May 9 elections and pin the blame on campaign rallies. A tweet posted on April 28 about a supposed DOH-declared surge garnered over 11,000 “likes” and 2,213 retweets. It alleged that two days before the election, the DOH will release a report indicating a hike in Covid-19 cases and that some of the positive individuals will be ordered to say that they went to a rally of a certain…

Read More

The Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Western Visayas (RTF6-ELCAC) has praised President Rodrigo Duterte for his strong commitment to put an end to the 53-year-old insurgency perpetrated by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army -National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, RTF6-ELCAC spokesperson, on Saturday said the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) under Executive Order No. 70, serves as the “crowning glory of the Duterte Administration.” “The NTF-ELCAC stands on the platform of good…

Read More

The office of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur is targeting to implement a full operation of face-to-face classes beginning September. In a statement Friday, Marawi City Schools Division (MCSD) Superintendent, Dr. Anna Zenaida Unte-Alonto, said the plan was aligned with the targets set by the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) of the Bangsamoro region. “(The) MBHTE wanted a hundred percent opening of our classes because the last two years brought learning losses to our children who were affected by the two-year…

Read More

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Saturday reported the completion and improvement of the 66.10-kilometer South and East Metro Manila Bike Lane Network covering the cities of Marikina, Parañaque, Muntinlupa, and Las Piñas. In a statement, DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado said the new protected bike lanes will provide the cyclists with safe, available, shared road space. The project consists of the East or Marikina Bike Lane Network with an overall length of 17.20 kilometers, covering the 8.72-kilometer General Ordoñez Avenue; the 1.90-kilometer Liwasang Kalayaan; the 3.92-kilometer J.…

Read More

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Saturday led the House of Representatives in mourning the death of Camarines Norte Representative Marisol Panotes. On Friday, Panotes’ daughter, Rosemarie, confirmed her passing in a Facebook post but did not indicate the cause of death of the lawmaker who represented the province’s Second District since 2016. Rosemarie will replace her mother in the May 9 elections. Velasco said Panotes principally authored and co-authored important pieces of legislation which have “great impact on the lives of Filipinos”. The laws include the Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act…

Read More

Ending vote-buying depends on one’s personal conviction as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it cannot catch violators all the time. During Friday’s livestream of “Let’s talk MisOcc (Misamis Occidental)” organized by the Philippine Information Agency, Comelec-Region 10 officer, lawyer Gina Zayas-Sabio said it is up to the voters themselves to not accept bribe money. “At the end of the day, it can only be prevented and stopped when those who buy and those who will vote will stop receiving or entertaining the seller because it is a personal conviction…

Read More

A total of 55 former guerrillas of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) have withdrawn their support for the communist movement and pledged their allegiance to the national government. The withdrawal of support was made after the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) Region 3 Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM) conducted a local peace and community consultation in Barangay Marikit, Casiguran town, this province on Friday. During the event, the former CPP-NPA rebels, composed of 30 former members of the…

Read More

Over 141,000 local and overseas jobs are available at the face-to-face “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan Job and Business Fairs” to be held nationwide in celebration of the 120th observance of Labor Day on Sunday (May 1), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Saturday. According to DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III, some 141,487 employment opportunities are up for grabs offered by 1,063 employers during the nationwide celebration. Most of the vacancies in the 26 job fair sites are in the manufacturing, business process outsourcing, and retail/sales industries. He added…

Read More

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) renewed its pledge to ensure the protection of all civilians from armed conflict and respect the international humanitarian law under the signed Deed of Commitment (DoC) for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-Personnel Mines (APMs). The commitment follows a dialogue with Geneva Call Philippines, a neutral and impartial non-governmental organization that engages in with Armed Non-State Actors (ANSA), to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the DoC signing with the MILF on April 25. In an email to the Philippine News Agency on Saturday,…

Read More

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) inspected on Saturday one of the media servers where the results of the voting on May 9 polls will be electronically transmitted. According to Comelec Commissioner Marlon Casquejo, the server which is located at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila will be the area where members of the media, and other election stakeholders such as political parties, and accredited citizens arm will be able to get the results of the votes that have been counted. He said the media server will be connected to…

Read More

Former chief presidential legal counsel and now senatorial aspirant Salvador Panelo on Saturday urged presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo to end her links with left-leaning groups. He lamented that Robredo has opted to “sleep with the enemy” of the state, referring to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). “How can a candidate in the national elections, a presidential one for that matter, without admitting, [accept] to collaborate with the extreme left who has been waging a war against the government to wrest power with an obsolete ideology,”…

Read More

A total of 301 railway personnel have completed two training courses at the Philippine Railways Institute (PRI) and were recognized in a graduation ceremony aired online. The graduates, consisting of 260 railway operations and maintenance (O&M) personnel who completed the refresher training (RT) training course and 41 who completed the fundamental (FT) training course, were awarded certificates during the blended graduation ceremony aired on Facebook Friday. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the RT course provided training to existing railway O&M personnel on passenger management, fare and ticketing management, commercial…

Read More

Some 6,702 eligible immunocompromised individuals have received their fourth Covid-19 dose or the second booster shot during the first-week rollout, the National Vaccination Operations Center (NVOC) reported on Saturday. Overall, NVOC chairperson and Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said 146.7 million doses have been administered nationwide. Of the total, 67.8 million Filipinos have complete primary series of Covid-19 jabs but only 13.2 million of them have first booster shots. Cabotaje said the recommendation of the Health Technology Assessment Council for the administration of the second booster shots to…

Read More

The Philippine Space Agency’s (PhilSA’s) office will soon rise in the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) in Pampanga province. The cost of the design of the initial buildings and grounds for the 30-hectare complex of PhilSA is over PHP52 million, PhilSA Deputy Director-General Gay Jane Perez told the Philippine News Agency on Saturday. PhilSA recently signed a contract with the T.A.M. Planners Company, PhilKoei Int’l, Inc., and Nippon Koei, LTD. for the site’s comprehensive and sustainable master development plan. “PhilSA started only two years ago when I moved from DOST-ASTI…

Read More

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reiterated that coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients are not allowed to go outside while still in isolation and this would apply even on election day. In a Laging Handa briefing on Saturday, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje cited Republic Act No. 11332 which penalizes non-cooperation of people who had been identified as having the disease. “They are not allowed to go out of their areas ‘pag sila ay positive, so hindi sila puwedeng lumabas sa isolation facilities (if they are positive, which means they…

Read More

Units under the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) were directed to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the May 9 national and local elections in their areas of jurisdiction. The units under Westmincom are the Army’s 1st, 11th, and 6th Infantry Divisions that have jurisdiction over the Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao del Norte, parts of Lanao del Sur, Central Mindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. Westmincom also has a naval component — Naval Forces Western Mindanao — and an Air Force component —Tactical Operations Wing-Western Mindanao. Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander…

Read More

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described United States (US) President Joe Biden’s suggestion to transfer frozen Russian assets to Ukraine as “outrageous” and a “violation of all legal norms”. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said by expropriating private property, the US authorities are creating “a dangerous precedent”. “This, of course, is a very dangerous precedent, it is an outrageous distortion of any legal norms, a violation of all legal concepts in general. This is nothing but a simple expropriation of private property…

Read More

Presidential aspirant, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao has declared that he is not withdrawing from the presidential race with more than a week remaining before the May 9 elections. “I will not withdraw my candidacy. When did I retreat in a fight?” Pacquiao emphasized this after a campaign caravan and dialogue with his supporters at the Southern City Colleges gymnasium here on Saturday. The People’s Champ declared that there is no turning back even if he is trailing behind other candidates in recent presidential surveys. Unfazed by the surveys, Pacquiao is…

Read More

The chair of the House Ways and Means Committee on Saturday stressed the need for the country to move towards nuclear energy generation amid “thinning power reserves” as baseload coal power plants continue to experience shutdowns. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said there is no fuel cleaner than nuclear, which is also a more stable energy source run by a predictable fuel supply. Salceda said President Rodrigo Duterte is on the right path with the issuance of Executive Order 164, which aims to introduce nuclear energy into the country’s energy mix,…

Read More

More than 4,000 members of the Philippine National Police and the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) of the Philippine Army in Western Visayas have voted ahead of the May 9 national and local elections by availing of the local absentee voting (LAV). “They were able to exercise their rights to suffrage, which is the right of every Filipino. This will now allow them to focus (on) their duty, during the actual Election Day – that is, to have a safe and peaceful election,” 3ID spokesperson, Capt. Kim Apitong, said in an…

Read More

The city government’s Integrated Bus Terminal (IBT) has installed an electronic parking barrier and system at the arrival building parking area to enhance and improve the collection of parking fees at the terminal complex. The use of the electronic parking barrier and system will start Sunday (May 1), according to IBT-Supervising Transportation Regulation Officer Rafael Derick Evangelista III. “The parking area is a good source of income for the terminal,” Evangelista said in an interview on Saturday. “All vehicles coming inside the parking area will have to pay the actual…

Read More

More than 1,000 Filipinos voiced their support for the Philippine Consulate General in New York, which was criticized over the delayed mailing of election materials. Filipino community leader Dr. Crispin Fernandez, who was among those who initiated a manifesto, said they lament the attempt by other Filipinos to “put into doubt the impartiality” of the Consulate and the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Prior to the start of overseas absentee voting on April 10, some Filipinos expressed concern over the delays and “general lack of timely information on the voting process”,…

Read More

The top official of the Police Regional Office in Central Luzon (PRO-3) has ordered a thorough investigation into the killing of a village chief, who was ambushed by two suspects in Barangay Magliman here on Saturday morning. Based on the investigation, Alvin Mendoza, chairperson of Barangay Alasas and seeking a city council seat, was driving his vehicle when shot by still unidentified suspects riding in tandem on board a motorcycle around 6:30 a.m. The 52-year-old Mendoza was on his way to meet fellow candidates and supporters at King’s Royale here.…

Read More

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday assured the public it is continuously monitoring the Covid-19 case trends nationwide. In a statement, the DOH said the incremental increase in reproduction number from 0.82 at the start of March 2022 to 1.03 last April 22 “was small and not sustained”, referring to a report by OCTA Research Group that there was an increase in reproduction number in the National Capital Region. Reproduction number is just one of the metrics used by the department to monitor and assess the Covid-19 situation in…

Read More

Dinagat Islands recorded at least 81 cases of dengue from January until April this year, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported Friday. In a statement, PHO said cleanup drives are being conducted in the different local government units in the province, particularly those identified with dengue cases, to control the spread of the mosquito-borne disease. PHP data showed that most of the cases were recorded in the town of Tubajon with 19 cases, 17 in San Jose, 14 in Basilisa, and 11 in the municipality of Dinagat. Single-digit cases were…

Read More

The provincial government of Aklan has denied breaching the daily threshold on the carrying capacity of Boracay Island during the Holy Week and assured that it will stick to the recommended 19,215 capacity at any given time. “Technically we did not breach the carrying capacity of the island. We have agreed with the (Malay) mayor (Frolibar S. Bautista) already that we have to synchronize our numbers because we are basing our numbers on the actual tourists that pay the terminal fees in the Jetty port in Caticlan and Cagban,” said…

Read More

The Department of Justice said Friday it will direct a prosecution panel to look into murder and perjury cases filed against the Cordillera police arising from a checkpoint shooting in Abra nearly two months ago that resulted in one death. Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento made the announcement as agencies seek to resolve the complaint filed before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) by Pilar town Vice Mayor Jaja Josefina Disono and relatives of her slain supporter, Sandee Boy Bermudo. “The respondents will be given the opportunity to respond to the…

Read More

Mayor Evelio Leonardia is reminding residents here to continue adhering to minimum public health standards as the city enters its third month under Alert Level 1 status. “We still should not underestimate Covid-19. In other countries, it is still (a) big problem,” Leonardia said on Friday, when the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) announced that Bacolod will remain in the lowest category of Covid-19 alert level system until May 15. He added that being under Alert Level 1 until the middle of next month…

Read More

Mayor Sara Z. Duterte has ordered political candidates here to create their own teams tasked with retrieving and recycling election materials after the May 9 elections. In an executive order on April 27, Duterte required all local candidates to participate in a three-day removal and recycling activity on May 10, 11, and 12. “The city government urges local and national candidates to be responsible for ensuring that their campaign materials will be disposed of and properly managed after Election Day as these will no longer serve their purpose,” the City…

Read More

At least 85.84 percent of the total population of Bataan are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), or 597,095 of the 689,786 target population, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported on Friday. The latest directive of the Department of Health (DOH) asked for 80 percent full vaccination of the target population. The total number of vaccine doses against Covid–19 administered in Bataan reached 1,389,416, or 90.54 percent of the target population. Some 629,786 individuals already received their first dose while those with their first booster shot reached 162,535.…

Read More

The camp of presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday rejected Vice President Leni Robredo’s challenge to a debate, saying it will never happen. “Sa debate na hamon kay presidential frontrunner Bongbong Marcos ay hindi ito kailanman mangyayari sa ilang kadahilanan. At batid ni Ginang Robredo ang mga kadahilanang ‘yan (The challenge against presidential frontrunner Bongbong Marcos will never happen for a number of reasons. And Mrs. Robredo knows these reasons),” Marcos Jr’s spokesman Vic Rodriguez said in a statement. Rodriguez said that the two presidential hopefuls have differing…

Read More

The retraction of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa has no impact on the pending drug-related charges against detained Senator Leila de Lima, Malacañang said on Friday. “While Kerwin Espinosa appears to have recanted his allegations against Senator Leila de Lima, his recantation will not have any effect on the pending criminal cases against the lady senator,” acting Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a press statement. Andanar issued the statement, after Espinosa recanted all his allegations against de Lima. In a counter-affidavit filed before the Department of…

Read More

Prices of oil and its impact on power rates and some commodities are seen to push the domestic inflation rate for April 2022 between 4.2 to 5 percent. Another source of price pressure during the past month is the positive base effect, referring to the 4.5 percent inflation rate in April last year. “Higher electricity rates in Meralco-serviced areas, increased domestic petroleum prices, as well as higher meat and fish prices, are the primary sources of inflationary pressures during the month,” the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said in a…

Read More

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday thanked the public for the government’s high approval rating of 83 percent in the OCTA Research’s Tugon ng Masa Survey on the government’s response to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country as it reaffirms its commitment to continue to do its part in bringing the pandemic to its end. “Masaya kami na naramdaman ng mga tao na may gobyernong nagmamalasakit sa gitna ng pandemya. Dahil dito, lalo pa naming paiigtingin ang aming mga programa…

Read More

Some nine combatants of the New People’s Army (NPA) have surrendered to state troopers in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, the military here announced Friday. Lt. Col. Allen Van Estrera, Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion commander, said the surrenderers used to operate under the NPAs Far South Mindanao Region. They turned over two AK-47 rifles, an M16 rifle, a Carbine, a 9mm submachine gun, two .345-caliber pistols, and an MK2 hand grenade. Estrera attributed the success of the surrender program to the intensified intelligence operations of the 37IB. He said the rebels cited…

Read More

The Antique provincial government is urging immunocompromised residents who received the first booster shot three months ago to submit for the second one, currently being rolled out in the province. “Those who had their first booster shots for an interval of three months could already go to the different vaccination sites in their municipalities to avail of their second shot,” said Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) Infectious Diseases Cluster head Sheree Vego in an interview Friday. The giving of the second booster shot started on Thursday here but no…

Read More

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said six presidential aspirants and four vice presidential candidates in the May 9 polls are joining the “PiliPinas Forum 2022” interview series to be aired next week. According to Comelec Commissioner George Garcia, those who confirmed attendance at the event are presidentiables Ernesto Abella, Leody de Guzman, Norberto Gonzales, Faisal Mangondato, Jose Montemayor, and Senator Manny Pacquiao. The vice-presidential bets who are also set to participate in the forum are Rizalito David, Manny Lopez, Senate President Tito Sotto, and Carlos Serapio. “It’s the…

Read More

The Local Toll Regulatory Council (LTRC) has authorized the implementation of the toll rates approved by the LGU-grantors based on the concession agreement for the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), the firm managing the iconic bridge said in a statement on Friday. The approved rates for the CCLEX are: PHP90 for Class I vehicles such as cars, jeepneys, pick-ups, vans, and motorcycles. The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), however, is still looking into how much of a discount to give for motorcycles. PHP180 for Class I vehicles above 7ft in height…

Read More