General

Central Luzon: The Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-3) has reported that seven individuals lost their lives in Central Luzon during the Holy Week. According to Philippines News Agency, PRO-3 documented nine drowning incidents involving 12 individuals in Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Zambales over the Holy Week period. Out of these incidents, seven fatalities were confirmed. Additionally, PRO-3 reported three vehicular accidents in Nueva Ecija, Zambales, and Bataan, which resulted in multiple injuries. Investigations into all these cases are currently underway. Despite these unfortunate events, Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, director of PRO-3, described the Holy Week observance in the

Manila: Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete called on the Catholic faithful to offer prayers for Pope Francis, who passed away due to a lingering illness at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning (local time). Cortes delivered his message during a Holy Mass on Easter Monday at his residence, paying tribute to the late Holy Father. According to Philippines News Agency, Cortes remarked that Pope Francis, as the successor of Peter and Shepherd of the Universal Church, was a witness to the Gospel, urging mercy, compassion, and synodality. He emphasized the Pope’s leadership marked by humility,

Antique: The observance of Holy Week in Antique was generally peaceful despite several incidents monitored from April 17 to 20. The Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported one death by drowning, one fire, and four vehicular accidents. According to Philippines News Agency, the drowning incident occurred in the Municipality of Sebaste. A 40-year-old male, reportedly intoxicated, went swimming with friends at Aras-asan Dam in Barangay Aras-asan on April 17. His friends found his body submerged in a deeper portion of the dam and attempted to rescue him. Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead on arrival at Sebaste

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has reported that approximately 80,000 Filipinos residing overseas have enrolled for online voting in anticipation of the midterm elections scheduled for May. This enrollment is part of the ongoing efforts to ensure participation from the 1.241 million registered overseas voters. According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia expressed the hope that there would be a 50-percent voter turnout, equating to about 600,000 overseas voters. He noted that some voters have already cast their votes using automated counting machines in 16 different posts. “We can’t say the exact number but the results are

Manila: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Monday reminded Filipinos anew of the in-patient benefits for heat-related illnesses in accredited hospitals nationwide. According to Philippines News Agency, PhilHealth emphasized that Filipinos are at risk for heat-related illnesses as summer officially started on April 16, as per the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. The Department of Health (DOH) reported 77 cases of such illnesses from January 1 to April 29, 2024, with seven resulting in fatalities. The benefit packages for common summer illnesses include coverage amounts such as PHP12,675 for conditions like heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat collapse,