General

Vancouver: Concerned Philippine government agencies have pledged support and solidarity with the Filipino community in Vancouver, Canada, where a vehicle plowed into a crowd of attendees at the Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party on Saturday night (Sunday, Philippine time), leaving 11 dead and dozens injured. According to Philippines News Agency, in a statement on Monday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) expressed profound sorrow and sympathy for the victims. “As we await further details about the incident, we ask for prayers of healing, safety, comfort, solidarity, and justice for those affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac

Negros Island Region: Despite recent armed clashes, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Island Region (NIR) has assured the public that there are no indications that the New People’s Army (NPA) has the capability to disrupt the May 12 elections in Negros. Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano made the assurance following an encounter between government troops and suspected NPA members in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, where seven suspected ranking NPA members were killed by forces from the 11th, 15th, and 47th Infantry Battalions of the Philippine Army. According to Philippines News Agency, Castillano stated that assurances have been received

Vancouver: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday joined the Filipino community in mourning the loss of lives in a car-ramming incident at a Lapu-Lapu Day celebration in Vancouver, Canada over the weekend. ‘I just wanted to say how we deeply grieve with those affected, the victims of that really horrific act,’ DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo told reporters on the sidelines of the High-Level Conference of Middle-Income Countries in Makati City. According to Philippines News Agency, the DFA and the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Vancouver are closely monitoring the situation. Consul General Gina Jamoralin, in an interview with

Iloilo: The provincial government of Iloilo has earmarked a PHP19-million counterpart fund to implement the “Rice Para sa Bayan at 20 Pesos” (RPB@20) program, aiming to make rice more affordable for specific beneficiaries. This initiative is part of the larger SiPag at TiyaGa (Siguradong Pagkain, Tiyak na Kalusugan) MoRProGRes sa Bagong Pilipinas, a food and health security convergence program established under Executive Order No. 40. The program was officially launched by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. According to Philippines News Agency, Governor Defensor stated that the province is ready to deploy the RPB@20 program to support beneficiaries of its malnutrition initiatives

Manila: The Quezon City (QC) government called on residents to wear face masks following reports of “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” air quality levels in parts of the city. According to Philippines News Agency, in a Facebook post on Monday, the city government said that the latest Air Quality Index (AQI) readings showed that certain areas are experiencing harmful air pollution, which may pose health risks. The advisory warned those with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, to stay indoors. However, if leaving the house is unavoidable, it urged residents to wear masks. The city government assured it is closely monitoring the