COTABATO CITY – Eleven barangays of the Maguindanao town of Salibo received subsidies from the internal revenue allotment (IRA) to support their operations, a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) official said Tuesday. Ministry of the Interior and Local Government chief Naguib Sinarimbo said the barangays have not received their IRA share since 2009 because these areas were created during the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the forerunner of BARMM. As such, these villages were excluded in the regular IRA budgeting, Sinarimbo said, adding that BARMM has 47 non-IRA villages. “Last year, we programmed in the 2022

MANILA – The Philippines has administered 144,781,087 doses of coronavirus vaccines, with 66,979,873 Filipinos already with the full primary series. Of the total, only 12,687,684 have booster shots as of Tuesday. The latest data of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 also showed that 72,010,262 individuals, or 80.01 percent of the country’s target for population protection, have received at least one dose. During President Rodrigo Duterte’s prerecorded “Talk to the People” aired late Monday night, NTF chief Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. acknowledged the country is still lagging in the administration of booster shots or third doses. Among the pediatric

MANILA – As the nation chooses a new leader in three weeks, former President Fidel V. Ramos said the next president should have a solid roadmap and a long-term vision for the country to fully recover and regain its status as “Asia’s Rising Tiger.” Ramos, whose six years in Malacañang brought solid socio-economic gains for the country, also said the next leader should work for inclusive sustained economic growth that will be felt by the grassroots. “You know, we can still attain that,” Ramos said in an interview which is contained in a new book on his presidency entitled “Behind

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Some two combatants of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) were killed in an encounter in Agusan del Norte, while one surrendered in Surigao del Sur, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (ID) said Tuesday. In a statement, 4ID said the April 17 clash between the Army’s 29th Infantry Battalion (IB) and about 15 rebels in the Agusan del Norte town of Kitcharao resulted in the deaths of Samuel Batican and a certain “Yawming.” Recovered from the encounter site were an AR15 rifle, an M14 rifle, assorted personal belongings, and food supplies, 4ID said. Prior to

MANILA – The Department of Energy (DOE) has sought the reconsideration of the suspended oil exploration activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Malacañang said on Tuesday. The statement came after oil and gas firm PXP Energy Corp. was directed to put on hold its exploration activities in its service contracts in WPS until it secures clearance from the Security, Justice, and Peace Coordinating Council (SJPCC), a government cluster overseeing political, diplomatic, and national security concerns. “The DOE is still waiting for the decision on its requests for reconsideration,” acting presidential spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in an

MANILA – Another round of special vaccination days in areas with low inoculation coverage is set in April and May, a health official said Tuesday. In an online media forum, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there would be social mobilization activities about Covid-19 vaccination in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The region has covered only 28 percent of its target population as of April 10. The special vaccination days will be held in: Soccsksargen, Negros Oriental, and Negros Occidental on April 20 to 22 Marawi City on May 5 to 7 Lamitan City and Sulu on