Day: July 16, 2024

LEGAZPI CITY – A total of 239 students from Albay province received on Tuesday a financial grant under the Student Monetary Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). In an interview during the payout at Embarcedero de Legazpi, Jean Cardiño, CHED Bicol chief administrative officer, said each beneficiary received PHP25,000 in one-time assistance, totaling PHP5.97 million. “The SMART Grant Program is a project of the commission being given a one-time fixed financial grant to qualified students for as long as they are enrolled in an undergraduate program for the school year 2023-2024,” she

MANILA: Nine women are among the ten examinees with the highest marks in the 2024 Shari’ah bar examinations (SBE), the Supreme Court said Tuesday. Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, chairperson of the 2024 SBE, announced that a total of 183 out of 853 examinees, or 21.45 percent, passed the first digitalized and regionalized special exams for the Shari’ah courts. The top ten passers are Punginagina, Nurhaifah Hadji Said (86.75%); Gubat, Sittie Nasriyyah Gani (86.10%); Alonto, Sittie Fairoza Yahya (86.02%); Suwalawan-Hadjinoor, Jonaina Diamla (85.57%); Mambuay, Ayesha Aminah Alonto (85.35%); Usodan, Fatimah Sohra Lucman (85.10%); Acmad, Aznairah Orpilla (84.87%);

MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted boarding exercises on Monday as part of the ‘Vessel Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS)’ course in Port Area, Manila. In a statement on Tuesday, course director Lieutenant Commander Mark Jefferson Mangoyob said the course includes a simulation and a series of lectures on conducting boarding operations on vessels suspected of illegal activities. ‘By simulating real-life scenarios, they become adept in handling various situations at sea, thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of maritime security and safety,’ Mangoyob said. Boarding vessels, he said, are also conducted by PCG personnel to ensure a ship’s

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The ‘Kadiwa on Wheels’ program has generated some PHP14-million in sales for Pangasinan farmers and fisherfolk groups, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) since September 2022. Data from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist as of Tuesday showed 58 Kadiwa activities were initiated by the provincial government for nearly two years now. Kadiwa is the government program under the Department of Agriculture that serves as venue for sellers to directly bring their produce or food products to consumers without the need for intermediaries. ‘The project seeks to empower the farming communities by providing direct and effective

DAVAO CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Davao Region (DENR-11) said Tuesday a thorough investigation is being conducted into the death of a Philippine eagle last week. On July 8, Philippine Eagle ‘Mangayon’ died from severe blood loss due to a wound from an improvised air gun called ‘jolen’ (marble). During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas episode, DENR-11 Director Maria Mercedes Dumagan said DENR personnel, in close coordination with the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), are still looking for the culprit responsible for the killing of Mangayon. ‘Within the week, they (PEF) will coordinate with the National