Category: General

Eastern Visayas: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office here is expanding the implementation of Tara, Basa! (let’s read) tutoring program to cover more areas in 2025. According to Philippines News Agency, from serving 1,981 struggling learners in 2024, the program served 5,040 non-readers in Samar and the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc, according to the DSWD. The number of tutors will increase to 1,508 this year from just 375 in 2024. Some 5,040 parents will participate in the program, up from 1,977 who took part last year. ‘The DSWD field office has been working closely with

Manila: Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have affirmed the strength of the Philippines-US alliance during a conversation Wednesday night. In a statement, Manalo highlighted their discussion on the “importance of the alliance for the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific,” as well as the strength of the two states’ bilateral political, economic, and people-to-people ties. Manalo expressed optimism about working with Rubio and his team to address challenges and sustain the positive trajectory in bilateral relations. According to Philippines News Agency, the State Department noted that the two foreign secretaries also discussed China’s

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that a series of trainings for its personnel, in preparation for the upcoming national and local elections (NLE), is set to begin early next week. These trainings are crucial to ensure the smooth execution of the electoral process scheduled for May 12. According to Philippines News Agency, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia confirmed on Wednesday that the NLE trainings will commence this month and continue until days before the elections. “On Monday next week (Jan. 27) is the start of our NLE trainings. It will last until May,” Garcia stated in a Viber message.

Manila: Phreatic eruption is normal but entry into the permanent danger zone of all active volcanoes, even under Alert Level 0, should remain prohibited, the head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Wednesday. According to Philippines News Agency, a two-minute minor phreatic eruption occurred in Taal Volcano at 2:22 a.m. Wednesday, generating a 500-meter plume. The volcano is under Alert Level 1. The eruption was triggered by the interaction between water and hot volcanic materials, such as volcanic rocks or gases, Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said. “A phreatic eruption is normal as long as water and

Manila: The Singaporean government has announced that it is now accepting applications for its ASEAN scholarship, targeting Filipino students who are currently in Grade 9 or above. This initiative is aimed at providing educational opportunities for students to study in Singapore. According to Philippines News Agency, the scholarship offered by the Singapore Ministry of Education is valid for four years, covering Singapore’s ‘Secondary 3 to Pre-University 2’. This scholarship leads to the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A-Level) certificate or an equivalent qualification. It will be renewed annually based on the scholar’s academic performance in school. Singaporean