Category: General

BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP) already has 104,000 registered members as of Tuesday. Of the total, almost 5,000 cardholders have already availed of hospitalization services since the flagship health program began in May 2023. Under the BacCHP ordinance, the city government guarantees PHP15,000 for the hospital bills of each cardholder and their dependents. In an interview, BacCHP focal person Mae Cuaycong said the city government spends PHP9 million to PHP10 million each month for patient admission payments in all partner-hospitals. ‘Our funds are getting low so the last instruction of the mayor (Alfredo Abelardo Benitez)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Four provinces and four local government units in the Northern Mindanao Region have been included in the PHP1.055 billion allocation for the Green, Green, Green Program (GGGP). The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced on Tuesday that the covered areas are the provinces of Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte. The LGUs included are Baloi in Lanao del Norte, Lugait and Claveria in Misamis Oriental, and this city. In a statement, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that the GGGP funding will be released to 80 LGUs nationwide, including 38 provinces, cities

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – The Batangas police presented to the media on Tuesday a cache of firearms and ammunition belonging to a private armed group seized over the weekend in Barangay Bagbag, Tanauan City. Batangas Provincial Police Office (BPPO) Director Col. Jacinto Malinao Jr. said the operation on Sunday also led to the arrest of an alias “Jad.” The seized arsenal included five Glock pistols of various serial numbers, 10 pistols of assorted calibers, multiple magazines and ammunition, holsters and ammunition storage containers. Malinao said the Batangas police’s intensified efforts in curbing the proliferation of loose firearms need community collaboration.

MANILA: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help boost the capacity of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in earthquake and tsunami analysis and monitoring. The record of discussions between the two agencies was signed at the Phivolcs’ auditorium in Quezon City on Tuesday. Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said the project aims to capacitate their technical staff in delivering timely and accurate information concerning earthquake and tsunamis. “This is Japan’s commitment and contribution to the promotion of international cooperation, especially towards developing countries,” he told the Philippine News Agency. Phivolcs will send employees for short term training

DUMAGUETE CITY – Agriculture technicians are scrambling to curb a potential heavy fall armyworm infestation that threatens to wipe out corn fields in Negros Oriental, an official said Tuesday. Emmanuel Caduyac, Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) chief, told the Philippine News Agency that as of July 16, some 1,683 hectares of corn fields were already destroyed by fall armyworms in at least eight municipalities. These are Manjuyod, Bindoy, La Libertad, Vallehermoso, Tayasan, Ayungon, Jimalalud and San Jose. Vallehermoso suffered the most damage with a total infestation, destroying 168 hectares planted with corn, the PAO official said. The other towns reported at