Day: March 18, 2025

Ligao City: A farmers group in Albay received a PHP1.5-million four-wheel farm tractor from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to help boost agricultural productivity and improve the earning capacity of agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs). The machinery was turned over to the Samahan ng mga Agraryong Magsasaka sa Pag-Unlad, Inc. (SAMPI) during a ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement in Ligao City Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, Warren Sambajon, DAR-Albay Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project (CRFPSP) point person, stated that the tractor would increase both the cooperative’s productivity and income by 10 percent. “This project directly

Bicol: The Department of Health (DOH) 5 is enhancing efforts for the early detection and identification of potential tuberculosis (TB) patients in the region. In an interview on Tuesday, DOH-5 infectious disease cluster head Dr. Jannish Alcala-Arellano emphasized the importance of early detection in managing TB cases. According to Philippines News Agency, the DOH-5 conducted a regionwide active case-finding activity on March 15 in celebration of World Tuberculosis Day, screening 981 individuals for the disease. The individuals screened are currently awaiting test results. Participants included contacts of TB patients, high-risk groups, vulnerable populations, and those with known exposure histories, who

Baguio: The city government here resumed the retraining of disaster risk reduction management councils (DRRMC) in the 128 villages to further enhance their capabilities ahead of the wet season. Baguio DRRM officer Charles Carame said in a media interview on Tuesday that the initial training sessions on March 5, 6, and 10 involved the reorientation of DRRM coordinators on communication, resilience scorecard, community risk assessment, and quality assessment tools. According to Philippines News Agency, the participants were also briefed about the Philippine DRRM system, barangay DRRM process, DRRM thematic areas, as well as concepts on training and persuading volunteers. The

Pasay City: The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) issued a warning Tuesday on the dangers of generative artificial intelligence (AI), calling it a double-edged sword that can strengthen cybersecurity but can also be exploited for cybercrime. At the GovX.0 Summit in Pasay City, Robert Sanchez Paguia, CICC Data Protection Officer, highlighted that while generative AI is a breakthrough technology, it poses significant risks to privacy, security, and public trust. According to Philippines News Agency, Paguia defined generative AI as a subset of artificial intelligence focused on creating new content such as text, images, audio, and code. Unlike traditional forms

Manila: Human rights lawyer Dino de Leon on Tuesday described the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a “long overdue” step in holding him accountable for his war on illegal drugs. In an interview at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program, De Leon, an alumnus of The Hague Academy of International Law and Georgetown University Law Center, said Duterte’s arrest will give him a chance to defend himself. According to Philippines News Agency, De Leon emphasized that the ICC provides the proper venue for Duterte to justify his actions. He mentioned that if Duterte’s