Day: October 3, 2024

BAGUIO CITY: Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) gears to cut further the already single-digit systems loss of Baguio and Benguet’s sole electric distributor to benefit consumers through lower power costs. In a briefing Thursday, Beneco general manager Engr. Melchor Licoben said among the efforts to address the technical and non-technical systems losses were the implementation and advocacy of the anti-pilferage law and training of meter readers to avoid errors. By penalizing people involved in illegal connections, among others, power losses can be avoided, he said. Beneco is also increasing the size of its substation, its electric lines, and electric meters are

MANILA: Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will embark on a state visit to the Philippines from Oct. 6 to 7, the Korean Embassy in Manila announced Thursday. Korean Ambassador Lee Sang-hwa said this visit would be the first by a Korean president after more than a decade and is aimed at boosting the ‘already robust’ Philippine-Korea relations. ‘The visit marks a pivotal moment in the 75-year diplomatic relationship between Korea and the Philippines and symbolizes our strong bond and close connection of our leaders,’ he said in a statement. ‘President Yoon”s State Visit epitomizes not only a celebration of past

MANILA: As the country celebrates National Teachers’ Day, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday rallied the Department of Education (DepEd) and other concerned agencies to continue improving the quality of education in the country. Speaking at the ‘Together4Teachers: Appreciation. Admiration. Approval. Attention’ gathering at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Marcos directed DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara to lead the education sector to greater heights and make it more adaptive to the needs of the evolving academic landscape. ‘As we lay down the groundwork for a more resilient sector, I enjoin DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, along with our government agencies,

MANILA: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested USD7 million into First Circle to expand digital financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines. Aside from the IFC, the investments in First Circle were backed by other investors which included the Endeavor Catalyst, Fasanara Capital, Insignia Ventures Partners, and Accion. ‘We are proud to be a part of this funding round for First Circle and help the company expand its operations to support more Filipino businesses, especially those accessing credit for the first time,’ said IFC country manager for the Philippines Jean-Marc Arbogast said in a statement

MANILA: The new chief of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) vowed to introduce reforms of the agency”s existing policies. In a statement Thursday, Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said this includes a comprehensive review of procedures to identify inefficiencies and remove redundancies. He also reiterated his support for the passage of a new immigration law to replace the country’s 84-year-old Philippine Immigration Act, which he described as outdated and an obstacle to the agency’s modernization efforts. He said the new law would not only streamline immigration procedures but also strengthen border security and improve the governance of immigration policies. “The Bureau

MANILA: Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista clarified on Thursday that the recent hike in airport fees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was discussed during several Cabinet meetings and was not a unilateral decision by the Department of Transportation (DOTr). In a statement, Bautista said a recent report claiming that the airport fee hike was a unilateral decision by the agency was a ‘false statement.’ ‘Sinasabi dun na (It said) we approved the rates without approval from Cabinet. It passed through the Cabinet meetings. We had many Cabinet meetings to discuss this,’ he said. He added that President Ferdinand R.