July 2, 2025

Legazpi city: The Department of Health in Bicol (DOH-5) has initiated a call to ban the sale of junk food near schools while promoting healthier food options. Dr. Gladys Escote, the chief of the local health support division of DOH-5, emphasized the role of barangay councils in implementing policies to restrict the sale of junk food, carbonated drinks, and sweetened juices in proximity to educational institutions. According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Escote highlighted the importance of community involvement, urging barangay councils to support the health advocacy by creating resolutions to enforce this policy. She suggested that with the assistance

Bulacan: A renewed wave of anti-drug operations in Bulacan has yielded nearly PHP1 million worth of suspected shabu and six arrests – including a high-value target, police said Wednesday. In two separate buy-bust operations on July 1 and 2, Bulacan police units executed precise intelligence-driven raids in San Jose Del Monte City and Meycauayan City, arresting six suspects known to operate in the local drug trade. According to Philippines News Agency, the first operation was led by the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) of San Jose Del Monte City Police Station. It took place at around 2 a.m. on July

Tacloban city: Product distributors in Eastern Visayas have managed to alter their logistics strategies to ensure stable supply of basic commodities in the region amid the San Juanico Bridge crisis, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional office said Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, some distributors have set up new warehouses, established transloading and cross-docking systems, resorted to source shifting, and are now shipping goods directly to ports in Samar, DTI Eastern Visayas regional information officer Anthea Aivi Ancheta said in a phone interview. ‘In our meeting with top distributors in the region, they informed us that companies

Caraga: The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) announced the successful disbursement of PHP533.6 million in stipends for 177,863 indigent senior citizens during the second quarter of 2025. According to Philippines News Agency, the DSWD-13 reported that 96.3 percent of the target beneficiaries have claimed their stipends for the period from April to June. Each beneficiary received a PHP3,000 stipend, which was released via the local government units (LGUs) using a localized payout scheme. The DSWD-13 explained that this approach allows LGUs to manage the payout process directly. This method facilitates faster distribution, provides more

Bicol: More than 2,000 parents of learners who are beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom program have started receiving learning kits from the Tara, Basa! Tutoring program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Bicol. According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD-5 Director Norman Laurio stated that the beneficiaries are parents with children currently in grade two, in areas where the program is implemented, including Daraga, Albay; Bulan, Sorsogon; and Libmanan, Camarines Sur. “Aside from reducing costs as classes have resumed, this initiative also motivates other DSWD program beneficiaries to focus not only on family nutrition but also on