General

Baguio: Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Monday warned that the city government will crack down on illegal vape sales to protect residents from the health risks of smoking and vaping. ‘No illegal activity will thrive without being apprehended. We will stop them because we know Baguio residents support a healthy city,’ Magalong said during the Cordillera Migrants’ Day celebration. The mayor stressed that the city’s anti-smoking and anti-vaping stance remains uncompromising. According to Philippines News Agency, on June 5, the Smoke-Free Task Force, working with the Baguio City Police Office Intelligence Unit and the Health Services Office’s Environmental Health and Sanitation

Catubig: The Philippine Army has identified three of the five members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) who died during recent armed clashes with government troops in Catubig, Northern Samar. The Army’s 8th Infantry Division (8ID) announced that the remains of the slain NPA rebels were turned over to their respective families through direct coordination with local government units. According to Philippines News Agency, those identified among the fatalities are Noel Lebico Sr. of Roxas village in Catubig town, Arnel Aquino of Osme±a village in Palapag town, and Nonoy Norcio of Luneta village in Gamay town. Their identities were

Silay City: Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia expressed his hope that the fatal Election Day shooting incident in Silay City, Negros Occidental serves as a significant lesson, not only for the barangay involved but for the entire Negros Island Region. According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia emphasized during a press conference at Seda Capitol Central, held on the sidelines of Comelec’s post-election evaluation in Negros Occidental, that the case stemming from the Silay City incident will be handled properly and resolved promptly. Garcia asserted that despite the violence in Silay City during the last national and local

Manila: The kickoff of the 2025 ‘Brigada Eskwela’ in Antique gathered the commitment of stakeholders for over 400 armchairs, which are most needed by schools in the province for Academic Year 2025-2026. According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Education-School Division (DepEd-SDO) of Antique has been calling for armchair donors through its Building Achievement Nurturing Greatness for Knowledge and Opportunities project. It needs around 500 this school year. Nine multipurpose cooperatives and one hotel pledged over 400 armchairs, a teacher’s table, and other forms of support for schools under SDO Antique. The San Jose multipurpose held a ceremonial turnover

Manila: The final public hearing of the House Quad Committee on Monday ended with a searing indictment of Chinese criminal infiltration into the Philippines and the complicity of Filipino officials who enabled it. ‘The Chinese raped us but we helped them rape us,’ Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said as he opened the 15th hearing of the Quad Comm, composed of four House panels — Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts. According to Philippines News Agency, the joint investigation focused on the links between Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), human trafficking,