General

Occidental Mindoro: The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) announced plans to ramp up socio-economic interventions in Occidental Mindoro, following the province’s progress in freeing several towns from communist influence, now classified under “Stable Internal Peace and Security” (SIPS) status. According to Philippines News Agency, the Occidental Mindoro Police Provincial Office reported that seven out of the province’s 15 towns have been officially declared insurgency-free. This announcement was made during an orientation on localized peace engagements and transformation programs held on March 28. With this development, these municipalities are now set to receive government-led socio-economic

Lanao del Norte: The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Monday commended law enforcement teams in Lanao del Norte for capturing a suspect who had eluded authorities for 20 years in connection to the murder of radio broadcaster Robert Ramos. According to Philippines News Agency, PTFoMS identified the suspect by the alias “Jalal,” and highlighted his arrest as a crucial advancement in the pursuit of justice for Ramos, a broadcaster from Cabuyao in Laguna province. The task force emphasized their commitment to investigating violence against media workers and holding perpetrators accountable. Jalal was captured on April 4 at

MANILA: The head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)’s Special Operations Group-Strike Force (SOG-SF) will remain with the agency but was ordered to undergo a five-day ‘training, mentorship, and coaching’ program. According to Philippines News Agency, Gabriel Go will stay as the SOG-SF head and was instructed by MMDA Chair Don Artes to undergo a program on traffic management, leadership, courtesy, and discipline “with special attention on stress and anger management.” The MMDA emphasized that this decision is aimed at Go’s self-improvement rather than being a form of punishment. The five-day training will be conducted by Edison Nebrija from

Manila: The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino best-of-three title series is set to commence on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with Creamline aiming to uphold its legacy while Petro Gazz seeks to make its mark in history. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. According to Philippines News Agency, the Cool Smashers, led by stalwarts such as Bernadeth Pons, Tots Carlos, Alyssa Valdez, Jema Galanza, Bea de Leon, Pangs Panaga, and Kyle Negrito, are resolute in their quest to maintain their dominance. Despite a setback against Petro Gazz in the semifinals, where they lost 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 16-25, Creamline

Manila: Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Monday condemned the ‘reckless and dangerous’ actions of a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel that nearly collided with a Philippine patrol ship in contested waters off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Sunday, calling it a blatant violation of international law and an affront to Philippine sovereignty. According to Philippines News Agency, Tolentino emphasized in a statement that Panatag Shoal is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as upheld by the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. He also invoked the newly enacted Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic