General

Iloilo City: The City Health Office (CHO) on Monday reported three more laboratory-confirmed mpox (formerly monkeypox) cases in this city, increasing the number of confirmed infections to four. At a media conference, CHO head Dr. Mary Ann Diaz said they are still waiting for the results of the tests regarding two suspected mpox cases from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). ‘In total, we have six cases reported in the city: four confirmed and two suspected. All patients are in stable condition, currently receiving medical treatment, and are under isolation,’ Diaz said. According to Philippines News Agency, the patients

Alimodian: A fire broke out early Monday morning in a school building in Alimodian town in Iloilo, leaving an estimated damage of PHP14 million, police said. Capt. Marrion Asparo, officer-in-charge of Alimodian Municipal Police Station, reported that the security guard of the Alimodian National Comprehensive High School discovered the fire at the stockroom at around 3:45 a.m. According to Philippines News Agency, the old building, which was scheduled for renovation, was partly used for classes and partly served as a stockroom for equipment and costumes of the rondalla. The fire resulted in 14 rooms, including a canteen and a clinic,

Manila: Oil firms are set to implement new pump price adjustments effective June 3. According to Philippines News Agency, Cleanfuel, Caltex, Petro Gazz, Seaoil, and Shell will increase gasoline prices by 40 centavos per liter and diesel prices by 30 centavos per liter. These adjustments mark the third consecutive week of gasoline price hikes. Meanwhile, kerosene prices will see a decrease of 10 centavos per liter, as announced by Caltex, Seaoil, and Shell, marking the second consecutive week of decline for kerosene. In a related development, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices have continued their downward trend in June, marking the

Negros Island: The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is urgently seeking emergency powers and inter-agency support to combat the fast-growing infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in Negros Island, home to over 60 percent of the Philippines’ sugar production. In a news release on Monday, the SRA said Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona announced the alarming state of RSSI in the “sugarlandia” during an inter-government agency meeting on Sunday, as he called for strict quarantine measures on the movement of canes and planting materials. According to Philippines News Agency, studies showed that the pest, which was earlier monitored in Luzon, might

Quezon City: The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) received an unmodified opinion from the Commission on Audit (COA) for its 2024 financial statements, signifying that these were presented fairly and following the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), the agency announced on Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, COA’s unmodified opinion is an affirmation of PhilSA’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and sound financial management. The report stated, “In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the PhilSA as at December 31, 2024, and its financial performance, cash flows, changes in net assets/equity,