Category: General

Maguindanao del Norte: Civilians surrendered 20 firearms to the military in Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte as part of the ongoing campaign against loose firearms, the Army reported Monday. ‘Our campaign through the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) management program continues to gain support from the local community,’ Lt. Col. Robert Betita, commander of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Battalion, said. According to Philippines News Agency, the firearms, surrendered Sunday at the Talitay municipal hall, included two .50-caliber Barrett sniper rifles, seven M16 and M14 rifles, three Garand rifles, three grenade launchers, one 12-gauge shotgun, two .38-caliber revolvers, one .22-caliber revolver,

Manila: The Philippines’ local palay (unhusked rice) production may hit as high as 20.4 million metric tons (MMT) this year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Monday. “We’re now hopeful we could do better than 2023,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stated following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to “restore” the PHP10 billion budget cut for rice production. According to Philippines News Agency, the country registered a record-high 20.06 MMT palay production in 2023, before being affected by the El Ni±o phenomenon, successive weather disturbances, and La Ni±a, which negatively impacted the rice production in 2024. “Ang target

Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday announced that numerous markets in Metro Manila are complying with the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of PHP58 per kilogram for imported rice on the first day of its implementation. According to Philippines News Agency, the MSRP initiative aims to curb profiteering and stabilize rising rice prices, specifically targeting 5 percent broken imported rice. DA spokesperson Arnel De Mesa expressed satisfaction with the compliance observed in many Metro Manila markets during a morning inspection. He noted that most markets are selling 5 percent broken rice at or below the MSRP, with prices

Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering pushing to an earlier schedule the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2028 elections. In an interview on Monday, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia stated that instead of the usual October 2027 timeframe, they are planning to conduct the filing period in July of that year. According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia explained that holding the COC filing in July would allow sufficient time to resolve potential cases. He emphasized that candidates are only officially recognized during the campaign period. By filing in July, there would be ample time to

Caraga: The Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) has successfully arrested 15 of the most wanted individuals linked to gender-based crimes through a series of manhunt operations conducted last week. According to Philippines News Agency, the arrests comprised seven regional-level most wanted persons (MWPs), one provincial-level MWP, and seven municipal-level MWPs. The operations were executed through arrest warrants issued by local courts, underscoring the collaborative efforts between law enforcement and judicial authorities. Among those apprehended was a suspect identified as ‘Jef’, aged 39, who is ranked third on the regional MWP list. He is facing charges for allegedly raping a