Day: November 18, 2025

Tiwi: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited the town of Tiwi in Albay to evaluate the situation of residents displaced by Super Typhoon Uwan. The President inspected damaged classrooms at Cacarayan-Naga Elementary School and held a briefing with Cabinet secretaries and local officials, including Albay Governor Noel Rosal. According to Philippines News Agency, many homes in Tiwi suffered damage, livelihoods were disrupted, and essential services were affected. President Marcos directed the acceleration of relief efforts to ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable residents promptly. He also emphasized the importance of enforcing a price freeze on goods across the Bicol Region

Alabang: At least 60 exhibitors from different provinces in the Cordillera are joining the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-initiated IMPAKABSAT fair from Nov. 28 to Dec. 7 at the Corousel Court in Festival Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. According to Philippines News Agency, Lawyer Samuel Gallardo, assistant regional director of the DTI in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), mentioned that they are targeting a total of PHP24 million in sales this year, which is similar to last year’s. Sales in 2024 totaled PHP23 million, with furniture being the top grosser. “We hope to achieve more sales, which will benefit the

Benguet: The dean of the Benguet State University (BSU) College of Agriculture said the number of students enrolling in the course is showing an uptrend. Dr. Constantino Sudaypan, dean of the college, said in a media interview on Tuesday that, ‘As compared to other universities who has one section per year level, we continue to have two sections each, and the trend of enrollment is showing a minimal increase.’ According to Philippines News Agency, this shows agriculture remains in the heart of the “Igorots”, or the people of Benguet. The province produces at least 85 percent of the highland vegetable

Iloilo city: The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) continues to campaign for members to avail of its enhanced primary care benefit program, as data showed the top illnesses and procedures it has paid for in Western Visayas are preventable diseases. In a media forum on Tuesday, PhilHealth Western Visayas public affairs unit head Janimhe Jalbuna reported that as of Oct. 31, 2025, the state health insurance has paid over PHP790.64 million for moderate risk pneumonia and more than PHP203.97 million for hypertension. According to Philippines News Agency, chronic kidney disease is also included with PHP153.09 million in claims. Jalbuna said

Manila: Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno is urging the House of Representatives to investigate reports that business process outsourcing (BPO) firms have been requiring their employees to work during severe weather events and calamities. House Resolution No. 491, filed on Tuesday, calls for the committee on labor and employment, committee on disaster resilience, and other relevant committees to conduct a joint inquiry into these alleged unsafe work practices affecting more than 1.8 million Filipino BPO workers across the nation. According to Philippines News Agency, Diokno highlighted credible reports of BPO companies compelling employees to physically report to work-or forcing them