LEGAZPI CITY : With only less than two weeks to go before Christmas Day, the Department of Health in Bicol (DOH-5) has urged parents and others who will buy toys as gifts for children, to choose safe and appropriate ones for their age.   In a press conference on Monday, Dr. Monrey Isaiah Mancilla, DOH-5 non-communicable disease cluster chief, said many people buy toys based on their affordability, attractiveness, color and packaging, with the quality and safety features are often an afterthought.   He said a safe toy is defined by the DOH as “one that is suitable to the

MANILA: Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to “carefully” review a bill proposing the creation of a Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), warning him that he may eventually be blamed should the fund be abused.   In an interview over SMNI over the weekend, Enrile said he was unsure of the direction of the proposed sovereign wealth fund and whether it would receive funding even after Marcos’ six-year term.   “Kaya sabi ko sa ating Presidente, ‘Mr. Presidente, pag-aralan nating mabuti ‘yan’ dahil (That’s why I told the President, Mr. President, let’s study

MANILA: A Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) will soon be created as the bill proposing the new agency was approved on final reading at the House of Representatives.   During Monday’s plenary session, a total of 255 lawmakers voted to approve House Bill 6522 creating the CDC, which shall be an agency directly under the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH).   The bill is included in the list of priority legislation mentioned by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his first State of the Nation Address.   The CDC shall be vested

MANILA : Voting 248-3, the House of Representatives on Monday approved on final reading the proposed Free Legal Assistance for Military and Uniformed Personnel Act.   House Bill 6509 seeks to provide free legal assistance to officers and uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in all stages of criminal, civil or administrative proceedings arising from service-related incidents.   Under the measure, the free legal assistance shall include legal representation in all

DUMAGUETE CITY : Army and civilian officials on Monday lauded the local government unit (LGU) of Guihulngan City as the “best implementer” of the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) campaign in Negros Oriental province.   Maridel Gamo, local government operations officer of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Guihulngan, said the awarding is scheduled on Dec. 15 in this capital city.   She said the support of the LGU and other stakeholders to the local Task Force ELCAC has largely contributed to the government efforts against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

MANILA: A House leader on Monday assured that the proposed multi-billion peso Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) would contribute to a prudent and transparent management of government resources.   In sponsoring House Bill 6608 to the plenary, House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries chairperson Irwin Tieng said the establishment of an independent MIF shall adhere to principles of good governance, transparency and accountability.   “There are several safeguards embodied in the MIF to ensure its transparency and accountability,” Tieng said. “The MIF provides that it will comply with the guidelines that assign best practices for the operation of the sovereign