The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Mindanao and Palawan will cause rains over most areas in the country, the weather bureau said Wednesday. Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms are forecast over the Visayas, Mindanao, Palawan, Sorsogon, Masbate and Romblon. “Be alert against possible floods and landslides,” Grace Castaňeda of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. Castaňeda added that because of the ITCZ, PAGASA is not discounting the possibility of a low-pressure area (LPA) developing inside the Philippine Area of Responsibility in the next few days. The LPA will likely bring rains over Palawan, the Visayas and

Local leaders in Northern Mindanao region have affirmed their support for the candidacy of presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and vice-presidential candidate Sara Z. Duterte of the UniTeam slate. Marcos and Duterte met with several local candidates around the region prior to the UniTeam grand rally held at the Pelaez Sports Center Tuesday evening. Lanao del Norte Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo, who is affiliated with the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), reiterated her provincial slate’s support for the Marcos-Duterte tandem. “Lanao del Norte is really for BBM (Bongbong Marcos). Even our local political opponents are also supporting (him). I told

The provincial government of Pangasinan temporarily prohibits the entry of chicken and poultry products from Cagayan Valley due to the threat of Avian influenza or bird flu. In Executive Order No. 0030 posted on Wednesday, Governor Amado Espino III said there is an urgent need to prevent the entry of all chickens from the Cagayan Valley in the province of Pangasinan to safeguard the poultry industry, as well as to protect the general public from the ill effects of the disease. “Department of Agriculture Regional Office 2 confirmed that around 200 chickens have died caused by the avian flu virus

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has opened a total of 156 Go Lokal! outlets nationwide since the program was launched in December 2016. In an advisory Wednesday, the DTI said the Go Lokal! program has 24 partner retailers, most of them are leading mall operators in the country as this initiative aims to bring micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) products in the mainstream market. The DTI said a total of 863 MSMEs were assisted through this program, with 412 enterprises were already mainstreamed and became regular suppliers of the big retailers. A total of PHP466 million has

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte denounced hazing and all forms of physical abuse in initiation rites anew, noting that killing “helpless” neophytes can never be acceptable. “You cannot be more of a man even to yourself if you kill another human being na helpless, hindi naman makaganti (who is helpless, cannot even fight back),” he said in a prerecorded Talk to the People aired Wednesday morning. Recounting his own experience, he said almost all fraternities have a history of deaths due to intense physical punishment. Duterte, a member of Lex Talionis Fraternitas Inc., recalled writing a letter to his fraternity to

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Central Luzon (RTWPB-3) is holding public hearings on minimum wage adjustments for workers in private establishments and “kasambahay” (domestic workers) in Central Luzon. Geraldine M. Panlilio, director of the Department of Labor and Employment-Region 3 (DOLE-3) and chairperson of RTWPB-3, said on Wednesday the wage board decided to hold public hearings in all the seven provinces in the region to determine the merit of the petitions and get the sentiments and positions of the workers, employers, and other stakeholders. “The wage board decided to conduct the public hearings in the region’s seven provinces. Kami