General

Tacloban: The Department of Tourism (DOT) is strengthening its initiatives to promote Eastern Visayas’ food through the mainstreaming of local flavors in tour packages. DOT Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes emphasized the importance of integrating local dishes into the visitor experience as part of a broader strategy to enhance food tourism, which is increasingly recognized as a global travel motivator. According to Philippines News Agency, food has been identified by the United Nations World Tourism Organization as a vital component of the tourism experience, accounting for one-third of a tourist’s expenses. Tiopes noted that while food tourism currently

Manila: The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported that hazy skies observed in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday were likely due to two separate fire incidents in Quezon City and the neighboring Rizal province. According to Philippines News Agency, the fires occurred at a sanitary landfill in Montalban town and a warehouse along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, as stated by the agency’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). Real-time air quality monitoring by the DENR-EMB indicated that concentrations of particulate matter, specifically PM10 and PM2.5, reached their peak between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. However, by around

Davao City: The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) announced the confiscation of illegal drugs valued at over PHP1.9 million during operations conducted over a week, from April 20 to 26. The operations were part of a concerted effort to curb illegal activities in the city. According to Philippines News Agency, DCPO acting Director Colonel Hansel Marantan reported that their units carried out 29 anti-drug operations throughout the week. These efforts led to the arrest of 37 individuals involved in illegal drug activities. The operations successfully seized 292.4 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride, commonly known as shabu, which had an estimated street

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is targeting an 88-percent turnout in the local absentee voting (LAV) for the upcoming May 2025 midterm elections, similar to the turnout achieved during the 2022 presidential elections. According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia expressed optimism about reaching this target during an interview marking the commencement of the three-day LAV period. This period is designated for government employees in the military and police, as well as members of the media. Garcia noted that participation in midterm elections traditionally lags behind presidential elections. However, given the relatively small pool of 57,000 approved

Quezon City: The government will start offering the PHP20 per kilogram rice at the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) Kadiwa Center along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City on May 2. According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced in a press briefing in Malaca±ang on Monday that the initiative follows the Department of Agriculture’s previous announcement regarding the initial rollout of the PHP20/kg rice in Cebu on May 1. This program is one of the campaign promises of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and aims to provide affordable rice to the public. Under the program,