Category: General

MANILA: A senior official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Thursday assured that the agency will also assist Typhoon Carina-affected families during the recovery phase. ‘From the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA), we could determine kung ano pa yung mga maaari natin i-infuse na mga karagdagang interventions because after the response phase, tutungo tayo sa recovery phase na kung saan ay ia-assess natin itong mga naapektuhan ng disaster para maka-recover, masuportahan yung pag-improve ng kanilang well-being after na sila ay maapektuhan ng isang disaster (what additional interventions we can infuse because after the response

PALO: At least 720,595 learners in Eastern Visayas have signed up for this new school year as the Department of Education (DepEd) steps up its preparation for the opening of classes on July 29. The DepEd regional office reported that the partial enrollment as of Thursday morning only represented 57.43 percent of the actual number of learners logged in the last academic year. DepEd Eastern Visayas assistant regional director Ronelo Firmo said they expect the figure to go up until the first few weeks of the new school year. ‘The recent trend is decreasing annually, especially for kindergarten and elementary,

TACLOBAN CITY: A top leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) died in a clash between government forces and rebels in the upland Osmeña village in General MacArthur, Eastern Samar on Thursday. The Philippine Army’s 78th Infantry Battalion (78IB) identified the slain rebel as Joel Guarino alias Duran, the squad leader of squad 2 of the recently dismantled Apoy Platoon of the NPA. Lt. Col. Joseph Bugaoan said in a statement that government forces had an armed encounter with a band of seven NPA combatants early Thursday while troops were conducting development and security operations in the upland village of

MANILA: The F. Manalo Bridge in Pasig City was temporarily closed after it was hit by barges swept by the strong current of the Marikina River on Wednesday at the height of bad weather caused by Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon. ‘This bridge is scheduled to be rehabilitated or reconstructed because masyadong mababa ‘yung freeboard niya (the freeboard is too low). It’s not really designed for the barges to pass through,’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan told President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in a situation briefing on the effects of the inclement weather,

MANILA: The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) on Thursday said it is targeting to cut in half the number of customers experiencing power interruptions amid the impacts of Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon. In a press briefing, Meralco vice president and head of corporate communications Joe Zaldarriaga said as of 10 a.m. Thursday, 330,246 customers within its franchise areas are still experiencing power interruptions. The night before, affected Meralco customers were twice as many, with 640,000 as of 6.pm. Wednesday. In Barangay Pantoc in Meycauayan City, Bulacan, some of the households had no power service for eight hours. Zaldarriaga