BACOLOD CITY – This highly-urbanized city and several other local government units in Negros Occidental suspended face-to-face classes on Monday and Tuesday due to inclement weather brought by Tropical Depression Kristine. Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez here issued an executive order to cancel classes from pre-school to senior high school for two days. “The safety and welfare of the students in Bacolod City is of utmost importance, as such there is a need to declare the suspension of classes,” Benitez said. He added both private and public schools can shift to alternative modes of learning. “The cancellation of classes at the

Manila: Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Monday said Vice President Sara Duterte possibly needs “professional intervention’ after watching her recent press conference. In a press briefing on Monday, Pimentel said Duterte should share her thoughts to a professional or close friends and family, and not to the public. “Kailangan na may kausap siyang mas madunong pa sa akin kasi abogado naman ako. Baka ibang field ang kailangang kausap ni VP (She needs to talk to someone who has more wisdom than me because I am a lawyer. Maybe the VP needs someone who is from other fields),”

COTABATO CITY – Fifty indigent Moro families in Maguindanao del Norte now have homes of their own, thanks to a housing project spearheaded by the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MHSD-BARMM). The housing units, which include solar power and water systems, were turned over on Sunday in Barangay Nabalawag, Barira. Each unit, valued at PHP406,254, is part of a project that cost over PHP20.3 million. Recipients of the homes expressed gratitude for the development, a first for their community. One beneficiary, Hassana Balitoc, shared the emotional reaction of fellow recipients, saying the initiative has

Manila: Two foreign nationals have been arrested in a Taytay, Rizal suburb for human trafficking, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Monday. In a statement, the NBI said Chinese nationals Wang Kun and Liu Xiao Xiao were arrested while a third person, named by complainants as Ma Shang Lai, remains at large and was not in the premises when the raid was conducted at a residential house in Greenwoods Village last Oct. 16. NBI Director Jaime Santiago said the two are charged for violation of RA 9208 (Anti Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003). The NBI Criminal Intelligence Division

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has suspended sea travel in some parts of Northern Samar and Eastern Samar provinces as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 in some areas due to Tropical Depression Kristine. In a notice to mariners issued Monday, PCG stations in two Samar provinces said all sea vessels plying the route within the northeastern portions of Northern Samar and Eastern Samar are prohibited from leaving ports. These towns are Laoang, Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay, Catubig, and Lapinig in Northern Samar; Jipapad, Arteche, San Policarpio, and

BUTUAN CITY – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) station in Surigao del Norte temporarily suspended sea travel on Monday due to the threat of Tropical Depression Kristine. The suspension, issued just after noon on Oct. 21, followed the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)’s announcement of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 for Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, and the Siargao and Bucas Grande islands. The order covers vessels traveling from mainland Surigao del Norte to Dinagat, Siargao, and Bucas Grande. As of 11 a.m. Monday, PAGASA reported that Tropical Depression Kristine was located 870 kilometers east of