Day: August 14, 2025

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will continue to prepare for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) despite the signing of the law postponing the polls for next year, its chairperson George Garcia said Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia stated that they are still anticipating a possible case to be filed before the Supreme Court (SC) that could question the legality of the law, which was recently signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. ‘Let’s wait for a possible case to be filed with the SC. Because it is premature at this point to make an IRR

Iloilo: The Department of Agriculture (DA) 6 (Western Visayas) has expanded its swine sentineling protocol in Iloilo to cover nine additional municipalities after the successful implementation in the town of Oton. Iloilo Provincial Veterinarian, Dr. Darel Tabuada, reported that almost all of the sentinel animals dispersed in Oton, the pilot site in Iloilo, survived. The department had previously distributed 72 sentinel piglets to selected farmers in Oton last year, indicating that the environment no longer showed traces of the African swine fever (ASF) virus. According to Philippines News Agency, the expansion will include 181 farmers from Zarraga, New Lucena, Mina,

Manila: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Thursday lauded the newly-launched revised protocol for the case management of child victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and discrimination (CANE+D). ‘This enhanced protocol is a bold statement that we are a strong, unified village working in collective resolve to foster a nation where every Filipino child is protected, respected, and nurtured,’ Gatchalian said in his message of support read by Undersecretary Monina Josefina Romualdez during the protocol’s national launch at the Department of Justice (DOJ) main office in Padre Faura, Manila. According to Philippines News Agency, the DSWD

Manila: Senators are urging regulatory bodies to intensify measures against online gambling, considering a comprehensive ban, due to its damaging effects on Filipino families and societal values. According to Philippines News Agency, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, who proposed Senate Bill No. 47, the ‘Anti-Online Gambling Act,’ argued that the allure of quick riches has led many individuals into financial distress and criminal activities. During a session of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement chaired by Senator Erwin Tulfo, Villanueva highlighted troubling instances, including a woman who sold her home due to gambling losses, a teenager burdened with PHP500,000

Western visayas: The headline inflation in Western Visayas for July remained at 0.6 percent, mirroring the rate from the previous month, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Thursday. This figure is notably lower than the 4.5 percent rate recorded in the same period in 2024. According to Philippines News Agency, PSA Western Visayas officer-in-charge Nelida Amolar identified the top three commodity groups contributing to the inflation rate as housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels with a 99.0 percent share. Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, along with furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance, each contributed 0.19 percentage