Category: General

Iloilo City: Former Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Thursday proposed the creation of a Presidential Drug Enforcement Authority to unify and strengthen the country’s fight against illegal drugs. Speaking at the Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas proclamation rally in Iloilo City, Sotto stressed the need to consolidate the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) under a single authority that would be in charge of enforcement, prosecution, and rehabilitation. According to Philippines News Agency, Sotto, who was instrumental in the passage of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, said

Calbayog City: Governors in Samar Island met on Tuesday to push for funding of 11 key road projects meant to fast-track Samar’s development through enhanced connectivity between three provinces. The follow-up coordination meeting held at Northwest Samar State University in Calbayog City focused on progress reports for major road projects crossing the island’s three provinces. According to Philippines News Agency, Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan highlighted the meeting as an opportunity to address issues among development partners. She emphasized the need for funding while considering the insurgency challenges in the region. Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan expressed gratitude for the

Negros Oriental: Two persons were arrested in Negros Oriental for violation of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) gun ban this week, a police official said on Tuesday. Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), stated that the suspects were apprehended on separate occasions on Monday evening. According to Philippines News Agency, one arrest occurred at a checkpoint while the other took place following a request for police assistance after the suspect allegedly fired a gun. These arrests increase the total number of apprehended gun ban violators in Negros Oriental to five since the start of

Manila: A House leader on Tuesday urged the House Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the Commission on Audit’s (COA) findings on PHP12.3 billion in alleged unsettled financial transactions at the Department of Education (DepEd) during Vice President Sara Duterte’s tenure as secretary. According to Philippines News Agency, House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun stated that the COA’s findings would strengthen the impeachment case against Duterte. Khonghun referred to COA’s 2023 audit report, which flagged DepEd’s alleged failure to resolve notices of suspension, disallowance, and charge, increasing from PHP11.4 billion in 2022 to PHP12.3 billion by

Manila: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) launched a campaign that aims to help taxpayers understand their tax obligations to encourage voluntary compliance. According to Philippines News Agency, the Friendly Tax Compliance Verification Drive (TCVD), which runs from February 10 to 14, focuses on helping taxpayers understand their tax obligations, identify common issues, and guide them in correcting these to ensure proper compliance with tax laws. The initiative aims to build lasting awareness and improve cooperation between the BIR and the business community. “The BIR will conduct a tax education campaign through a nationwide TCVD. The purpose of this TCVD