Category: General

MANILA – At least 97 persons were reported dead in the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name Trami), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Monday. The disaster response body’s latest situation report said of the figure, only 10 have been validated –nine in Bicol and one in Northern Mindanao. The remaining 87 deaths are still undergoing validation –54 in Calabarzon, 30 in Bicol, two in Zamboanga Peninsula and one in Central Visayas. Of the 30 reported missing persons, only one has been confirmed and this was recorded in Central Luzon. The remaining 29

MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to augment the resources of local government units (LGUs) that are still reeling from the impact of Several Tropical Storm Kristine (international name Trami). Special Assistant to the Secretary (SAS) for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and concurrent officer in charge of the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau (NRLMB) Leo Quintilla said the augmentation of resources was upon the directive of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian. Quintilla said the DSWD still has sufficient stockpiles prepositioned in the agency’s hubs, spokes, and last mile warehouses in all field offices (FOs)

MANILA – Women are underrepresented in peace processes, making up only 26.6 percent of the signatories in global peace agreements, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Monday. Data collected by the United Nations (UN) Women in 2023 also showed that women comprised only 9.6 percent of negotiators and 13.7 percent of mediators worldwide. “These figures are far too low. We must do more. It is possible,” Manalo said at the opening of the three-day International Conference on Women, Peace and Security on Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. “And necessary, in light of evidence that when

MANILA – The Philippines, Japan and the United States convened an informal trilateral discussion on countering economic coercion and promoting economic resilience. In a news release on Monday, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the discussion last Oct. 25 intended to strengthen close coordination, based on the Joint Vision Statement from the leaders of the three nations issued at the historic first Japan-US-Philippines Summit last April. The three nations would cooperate to raise awareness of the issue among the international community and to enhance their resilience and ability to respond to potential economic coercion. The discussion was co-chaired by Board

MANILA – Malacañang on Monday refuted the claim of former President Rodrigo Duterte that crime remains rampant in the Philippines, stressing that the country and Filipinos are safer under the Marcos administration. In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said there has been a ‘widespread decline in crime across the board’, citing data from the Philippine National Police. ‘Moreover, we have achieved stability and maintained peace and order in our country without foregoing due process nor setting aside the basic human rights of any Filipino,’ Bersamin stressed. Duterte attended on Monday the Senate hearing on his administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.