Day: March 20, 2025

Butuan City: The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Caraga Region (DSWD-13) has launched the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program (TBTP), a flagship initiative of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. aimed at addressing foundational literacy gaps among struggling learners. The program, which began Tuesday and will run until Friday, targets barangay captains, school heads, parents, and other stakeholders in Butuan City and Surigao del Norte. According to Philippines News Agency, as of Thursday, over 400 participants have joined the program’s activities in Butuan City and Siargao Island. In a statement Thursday, DSWD-13 said the simultaneous launch events were held at

Davao City: The Police Regional Office in Davao Region (PRO-11) confiscated illegal drugs worth PHP3.2 million during operations from March 10 to 16, an official said Thursday. Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, PRO-11 Director, reported that 63 police operations led to the arrest of 68 individuals, which included nine high-value targets and 59 street-level suspects. According to Philippines News Agency, authorities seized 465.7441 grams of shabu, valued at PHP3.16 million, and 624.850 grams of marijuana worth PHP74,982. Brig. Gen. Rosete highlighted this achievement as a testament to the dedication of PRO-11 in maintaining peace and order and safeguarding the community

Manila: The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has eliminated the 45-day benefit limit to ensure its services remain unhampered. PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin Mercado stated that the 45-day benefit limit was an outdated cost-containment strategy. He emphasized that medical needs cannot always be predicted or scheduled, noting that many services require more than just 45 days of coverage. According to Philippines News Agency, PhilHealth has already extended the number of sessions covered by its hemodialysis benefit packages from 90 to 156 sessions. The state insurer reminds members that benefits must be availed based on proper medical indication,

Eastern Visayas: Flooding and a landslide led to the closure on Thursday of some road sections in parts of Samar and Leyte provinces, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported. According to Philippines News Agency, the affected roads are in the villages of Malinao, San Pablo, and Mabuhay in Taft, Eastern Samar. These sections are impassable to all vehicles due to floods estimated to be around 100 centimeters deep as of Thursday noon. Additionally, a landslide occurred along the same road in Binaloan village in Taft town, resulting in the closure of half of the road. These road

Manila: The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center (CICC) have taken a significant step to combat fake news and scam activities by signing a memorandum of agreement (MOA). This initiative is aimed at enhancing the government’s efforts against misinformation and scam operations. According to Philippines News Agency, the MOA outlines collaboration between the PCO and the CICC to establish the Inter-Agency Response Center (I-ARC) Hotline 1326 as the national anti-scam hotline. It also promotes the eGOVPH application’s e-Report function for reporting scams, as stated by PCO Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during a press