Day: February 17, 2025

Manila: The Philippine Army is calling for more volunteers to sign up for its Ready Reserve Battalion (RRB) in Negros Oriental to serve during national emergencies and to support regular forces during national security threats. Col. William Pesase, who heads the 703rd Community Defense Center of the 7th Regional Community Defense Group, Reserve Command of the Philippine Army, said on Monday that the current strength of the battalion in the province is not fully complemented yet. According to Philippines News Agency, Pesase hopes that more volunteers will understand the role of Army reservists who will be mobilized to respond to

Manila: The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has reduced the bookkeeping course requirements for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) treasurers. They are now only required to complete a two-day online Basic Bookkeeping course instead of the more extensive Bookkeeping NC III, which took approximately 292 hours over a year. According to Philippines News Agency, TESDA’s Public Information Office (PIO) announced this change on Monday, noting that the removal of the Bookkeeping NC III requirement began on January 24. The new basic course is available year-round via the TESDA Online Program (TOP). TESDA stated in a news release that the course

La Union: The province of La Union and the municipality of Bacnotan are preparing to host the Region 1 (Ilocos) Athletic Association (R1AA) Meet from March 10 to 15, which will see the participation of 10,000 student-athletes from the region’s four provinces. According to Philippines News Agency, Darius Nieto, Project Development Officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) Ilocos Region’s Education Support Services Division, announced during a forum on Monday that the main competitions will be conducted at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in San Fernando City, Bacnotan, and Dagupan City, Pangasinan. The towns of Bangar, Luna, Balaoan, and

Manila: The Philippine and Japan’s National Security Advisers on Monday reiterated their commitment to “freedom of navigation and international law in the South China Sea and East China Sea”. According to Philippines News Agency, Philippines’ NSA Eduardo A±o spoke over the phone with his Japanese counterpart, Okano Masataka, on Monday, as stated by the National Security Council (NSC) in a statement. “They reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation and international law in the South China Sea and East China Sea, as well as the importance of upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific, and international rules-based order,” the statement highlighted.

Negros Island Region: The Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Negros Island Region (NIR) is actively monitoring rice prices across its three provinces in response to the implementation of the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) in the National Capital Region (NCR). According to Philippines News Agency, Engineer Albert Barogo, DA-NIR regional director, stated in an interview that although the MSRP is limited to the NCR, the department has been instructed to observe rice prices at both regional and provincial levels. The local government units (LGUs) have been tasked with submitting weekly reports on rice prices to identify any price adjustments.