Day: August 21, 2024

MANILA: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Wednesday the agency is ready to help persons who need assistance even if they do not have referral letters from public officials. Gatchalian made this remark in response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim during a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday that there were instances when the DSWD declined to extend financial aid to individuals endorsed by the Office of the Vice President. ‘Mayroon kasi tayong policy sa DSWD na lahat ng pupunta sa aming tanggapan, whether may referral o walang referral, basta nangangailangan at tumuntong sa aming

LEGAZPI CITY: The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 5 (Bicol) is calling on local government units (LGUs) and hog raisers to strengthen the implementation of the ‘Bantay ASF (African swine fever) sa Barangay’ (BABay ASF) program to prevent and contain the reported increase of ASF in the region. In an interview on Wednesday, Lovella Guarin, DA Bicol information office chief, said a recurrence of ASF cases was recorded in 12 municipalities in Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Masbate. “To immediately control the recurrence of ASF in the affected towns, depopulation of hogs within the 500-meter radius of ground zero was

ILOILO CITY: The distribution utility in this city has released PHP2.8 million in refunds to 685 eligible customers since it started returning bill deposits in May 2023. ‘As of the latest count, 685 customers have successfully processed and received their bill deposit refunds,’ the More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) said in a statement on Wednesday. It said that between May 2023 and August 2024, the power utility accounted for 1,307 customer accounts, reaching the 36-month mark since their connection with MORE Power, making them potentially eligible for the refund. However, only 996 met the criteria of consistently paying

MANILA: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday asked the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to justify its approval of an electricity rate hike starting in October this year. “We need to ensure that any pass-through charges are justified so that any increase in electricity prices does not unduly burden consumers,’ Gatchalian said in a statement. ‘Importante na masiguro natin na lahat ng pinapasang bayarin sa mga consumers ay nasa katwiran at hindi pwedeng pasa lang nang pasa ang ERC (It is important that we ensure that all fees charged to consumers are reasonable and that the ERC should not just keep passing

MANILA: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is hopeful that the PHP5,000 minimum wage for domestic workers (kasambahay) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will encourage them to stay in the country. In a phone interview Wednesday, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the move recognizes the need to address the well-being of domestic workers in the region. “It could provide those who are thinking of working abroad as household helpers the impetus to stay and work here, thereby avoiding and minimizing the social costs of overseas employment,” Laguesma added. The Bangsamoro Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board

TACLOBAN CITY: A fisheries expert has recommended measures to curb postharvest fish losses after environmental group Oceana disclosed these have reached 38.39 percent in some coastal areas in Northern Samar from harvesting to marketing stages. Based on the report shared by the Northern Samar provincial planning and development office on Wednesday, these losses have been noted in the mainland towns of Allen, Victoria, and San Isidro, as well as the island towns of Capul, San Antonio, and San Vicente. These areas are members of the San Bernardino Local Government Alliance of Northern Samar (SABELANS), the site of the study by