Day: April 22, 2025

Rosario: Some 15,000 Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Rosario, Agusan del Sur will directly benefit from the approved PHP54.5 million farm-to-market road (FMR) project, officials said Tuesday. This development follows the signing of the implementation of the management agreement (IMA) on Monday between the Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) and the local government unit. According to Philippines News Agency, the signing of the IMA marks the commencement of the procurement, bidding, and subsequent implementation phases of this vital project, as explained by Vernon Jio Viajar, head of the Media Production Office for the Mindanao Inclusive

Negros Oriental: The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Negros Oriental has intensified its efforts to crack down on loose firearms in the province following a series of shooting incidents involving undocumented guns. According to Philippines News Agency, Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), reported that since January this year, there have been 10 shooting incidents, as of April 22. Out of these incidents, eight cases have been filed against the suspects, while two remain under investigation. Lt. Polinar urged the community to assist authorities by reporting individuals who may possess unregistered firearms. He emphasized

Manila: A lawyers’ group on Tuesday denounced the plan of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) host Jeffrey Celiz to seek political asylum in Canada over alleged safety concerns. In a statement, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) pointed out that Celiz is not a dissident seeking refuge from political persecution. According to Philippines News Agency, the NUPL criticized Celiz, describing him as a military asset and paid propagandist attempting to evade accountability for years of systematic red-tagging, disinformation, and public vilification of activists and rights defenders. Celiz, a self-confessed former New People’s Army rebel and known supporter of former

Tacloban: The Eastern Visayas economy demonstrated resilience with a 6.2 percent growth in 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday. According to Philippines News Agency, during a press briefing held at the Summit Hotel, PSA-Eastern Visayas Regional chief statistical specialist Mae Almonte attributed the growth primarily to the positive contributions of the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors; the industry sector; and the services sector. While slightly below the previous year’s performance, this marks the fourth consecutive year the region has maintained an economic growth rate of 6 percent or higher. Last year’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth

Manila: Over 800,000 inbound and outbound passengers were recorded during the Holy Week, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Tuesday. There were 371,092 arrivals and 432,763 departures in the country’s international airports during the period, according to a news release. According to Philippines News Agency, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) alone, daily arrivals peaked at 51,000 while daily departures reached 61,000. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the smooth flow of passengers was due to the deployment of more than 40 additional immigration officers at the NAIA, ensuring that all counters remained fully manned throughout the holiday period.