Category: General

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported Wednesday the opening of a new quarantine office of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) at the Subic Freeport Zone, which is expected to enhance the country’s agricultural biosecurity and address potential risks posed by plant pests and diseases. ‘The establishment of this new office holds significant importance due to its position as a prominent center for trade and logistics,” DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement, referring to the completion of the BPI’s PHP2-million project. He said the Subic Freeport office is also crucial to achieving the administration’s food

MANILA: The new procurement law is key to stopping corrupt practices in the government, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said Wednesday. During the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Pangandaman said the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) or Republic Act (RA) 12009 would enhance government efficiency and ensure high-quality outcomes. Pangandaman also guaranteed that there would be no repeat of the so-called Pharmally scandal or the controversial awarding of the multi-billion-peso contracts to the Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corp. by the past administration. ‘While we made it a little flexible in doing the procurement process, there are still safeguards,’ she said, noting that development partners

LEGAZPI CITY: The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 5 (Bicol) is calling on local government units (LGUs) and hog raisers to strengthen the implementation of the ‘Bantay ASF (African swine fever) sa Barangay’ (BABay ASF) program to prevent and contain the reported increase of ASF in the region. In an interview on Wednesday, Lovella Guarin, DA Bicol information office chief, said a recurrence of ASF cases was recorded in 12 municipalities in Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Masbate. “To immediately control the recurrence of ASF in the affected towns, depopulation of hogs within the 500-meter radius of ground zero was

MANILA: Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Wednesday the agency is ready to help persons who need assistance even if they do not have referral letters from public officials. Gatchalian made this remark in response to Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim during a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday that there were instances when the DSWD declined to extend financial aid to individuals endorsed by the Office of the Vice President. ‘Mayroon kasi tayong policy sa DSWD na lahat ng pupunta sa aming tanggapan, whether may referral o walang referral, basta nangangailangan at tumuntong sa aming

MANILA: Choco Mucho seeks to secure the last quarterfinal berth in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference when it battles PLDT at the FilOil EcoOil Center in San Juan City on Thursday. The Flying Titans take on the High Speed Hitters at 3 p.m. Choco Mucho is in ninth place with a 2-5 slate and seven points, half a game behind Farm Fresh (3-5) with eight points. A victory will send Choco Mucho to the knockout stage, setting up a duel with top seed Akari (8-0). If PLDT wins in five sets, Choco Mucho will get one point and