Manila: The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Thursday said major ports in the National Capital Region (NCR) are operating efficiently with no signs of congestion despite an increase in cargo volumes. According to Philippines News Agency, PPA General Manager Jay Santiago reported that the Manila South Harbor (MSH) and the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) have a yard utilization rate of 59 percent and 71 percent, respectively. Santiago highlighted the growth in container traffic, with MSH handling 1.29 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2024, marking a 6.92 percent increase from the previous year’s 1.21 million TEUs. Similarly, MICT’s throughput
Paranas: Two combatants of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed and war materiel was seized during a series of encounters in upland Sto. Ni±o village in Paranas town, Samar province, the Philippine Army reported Thursday. According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippine Army’s 801st Infantry Brigade (IB) stated that the first clash broke out at about 5 a.m. on Wednesday when troops of the 33rd Special Forces Company and the 87th IB encountered an undetermined number of armed rebels belonging to the Yakal platoon, sub-regional committee browser of the NPA’s Eastern Visayas regional party committee. Three hours later, other
Negros Occidental: The provincial government of Negros Occidental is taking significant steps to empower women farmers by providing capital to their associations for marketing agricultural products. According to Philippines News Agency, data from the provincial government revealed that in February, two beneficiary associations received financial assistance worth PHP250,000 each under the Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP), a crucial initiative within the province’s Gender and Development (GAD) Program. “We turned over the financial grant to the beneficiaries to help them improve their capital and businesses,” stated OIC Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola. The AMIA Village Organic Farmers Association (AVOFA), situated in Barangay San
Manila: The defense chiefs of the Philippines and the United States discussed the importance of “reestablishing deterrence in the South China Sea” by working with allies and partners. This took place during the introductory call between Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his counterpart, US Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth on February 5 (US time). The call also discussed defense cooperation in the US-Philippines alliance, the statement posted at the DOD website said. Also tackled were how the “capability and capacity” of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are to be enhanced. According to
Manila: A senator on Thursday emphasized that building climate-resilient school facilities is no longer a choice but a necessity, as the Philippines continues to face frequent natural disasters that threaten students’ safety and disrupt learning. According to Philippines News Agency, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, in a statement, also called for innovative and collaborative solutions to address the country’s classroom shortage, particularly in disaster-affected areas, urging the government to explore multiple funding sources beyond the national budget. “As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, constructing climate-resilient school buildings is no longer an option but a necessity,” he said. In
Bicol: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 5 has announced the distribution of food assistance to nearly 6,000 families and cash and livelihood aid to over 1,000 individuals in the Bicol region over the past two months. According to Philippines News Agency, DSWD-5 Director Norman Laurio reported that the aid was provided with assistance from local government through various programs, including the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), the Disaster Response and Management Division (DRMD), and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). For the SLP, a total of PHP13.4 million in livelihood grants were distributed in December last year to