Day: January 22, 2025

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that a series of trainings for its personnel, in preparation for the upcoming national and local elections (NLE), is set to begin early next week. These trainings are crucial to ensure the smooth execution of the electoral process scheduled for May 12. According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia confirmed on Wednesday that the NLE trainings will commence this month and continue until days before the elections. “On Monday next week (Jan. 27) is the start of our NLE trainings. It will last until May,” Garcia stated in a Viber message.

Seoul: The number of babies born in South Korea rose at the fastest rate in 14 years in November, driven partly by an increase in marriages in the post-pandemic era and shifting perceptions toward marriage and parenthood, the statistics agency said Wednesday. A total of 20,095 babies were born in November 2024, up 14.6 percent from the 17,530 newborns during the same period a year earlier, marking the largest on-year increase since November 2010, when childbirths grew by 17.5 percent. According to Philippines News Agency, the number of couples getting married soared 11.3 percent on-year to 18,581 in November. For

Iloilo City: The city health office has issued a warning on suspected cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), urging the public to observe proper hygiene. Data from the Iloilo City Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit recorded nine cases during the Jan. 1-18 period, higher than the seven cases recorded during the same period last year. “We want to stop the spread. For us, it’s cause for alarm because the most affected are children,” city health officer Dr. Annabelle Tang said in a media interview Tuesday. According to Philippines News Agency, the infection primarily affects children under one year old.

Seoul: South Korea was suffocated by thick ultrafine dust for the second day in a row Wednesday, prompting authorities to regulate the operations of government-owned vehicles, coal power plants, and other large-scale dust emission facilities. According to Philippines News Agency, due to the continued influx of fine dust from abroad, the density of ultrafine dust particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, known as PM 2.5, is forecast to remain at “bad” levels nationwide throughout the day, excluding the southern Jeju Island and east coastal regions, the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said. In particular, the PM 2.5 density is expected

Manila: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has revised the guidelines on the issuance of alien employment permit (AEP) to foreigners working in the country. Under the new guidelines, the conduct of labor market test is simplified and integrated in one publication in a newspaper of general circulation, which effectively reduces cost and waiting period for employers and foreign nationals. According to Philippines News Agency, PhilJobNet, the government’s official job-matching portal, has also been tapped to post the rules making the process more efficient and transparent for both employers and jobseekers. Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said the revised AEP