Day: September 11, 2024

MANILA – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is adopting a “positive peace” framework, signifying a paradigm shift in its peacebuilding efforts amid the declining threat of communist insurgency. NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said there is a need to acquire “new lenses” in the pursuit of peace, noting that it should not be seen as merely the absence of conflict or violence. ‘Peace encompasses the integrity of the social, political, and cultural superstructure; and the economic base of a society,” he said in a news release Wednesday. Torres, who spoke before participants

DUMAGUETE CITY – Police officers have arrested a ‘high-value’ drug suspect and seized some PHP7.3 million worth of shabu in Negros Oriental province on Tuesday. Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday that the 45-year-old suspect identified as alias ‘Opaw’ was nabbed during a buy-bust operation in Purok Sebastian, Barangay Buntis in Bacong town at 3 p.m. The suspect was apprehended after he sold some 1.09 kg of shabu to a poseur buyer of the police. ‘We are looking into reports that outside sources of shabu shipped to

DUMAGUETE CITY – Hundreds of residents in critical villages near Mt. Kanlaon in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental have evacuated as the volcano continues to pose an imminent threat with its increased seismic activity. Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon City information officer-designate, said that as of Wednesday morning, 92 families, totaling 301 individuals, are now at evacuation centers with some of them staying with relatives. The evacuees are from Barangay Masulog, Barangay Pula, Barangay Malaiba, and Barangay Lumapao, all situated in the 4-kilometer radius permanent danger zone of Mt. Kanlaon. Masicampo said the local government unit (LGU) has provided food packs, kitchen

LEGAZPI CITY – More than 2,000 local and overseas job vacancies will be available to applicants on Thursday in the Bagong Pilipinas Job Fair spearheaded by the Department of Labor and Employment-Bicol (DOLE-5). In a phone interview on Wednesday, DOLE Bicol spokesperson Johana Vi Gasga said the job fair with the theme “Handog ng Pangulo; Serbisyong Sapat para sa Lahat” will be simultaneously conducted in designated areas in five provinces of the region. “For all job seekers, update their resume and be ready for potential on-the-spot hiring. In Camarines Sur, they will have the job fair on a separate schedule

MANILA – Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) chairman and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco said the privatization of PAGCOR casinos will begin next year instead of mid-2025. “As to the privatization of PAGCOR casinos, we intend to start the process by early 2026,” Tengco said during the recent Inside Asian Gaming Academy Summit held at Hilton Manila in Pasay City on Tuesday. “Since day one, we have been very vocal about our plans to focus solely on PAGCOR’s role as a regulator to provide a level playing field for all our stakeholders,” he added. Tengco said PAGCOR expects to