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. Molina, Scarlet, and Russet Streets; and the 2.64-kilometer Park Creek,

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 of 2021, Salary Standardization Law of 2019, and Good Manners

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 and an individual decision,” she said. She also urged complainants

A total of 55 former guerrillas of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) have withdrawn their support for the communist movement and pledged their allegiance to the national government.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 New People’s Army (NPA) and 25 former members of the

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 that 95,233 local jobs are to be offered by 958

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, the Geneva Call said the DoC anniversary “highlighted the success