General

SURIGAO CITY: Nestled within the heart of Surigao City lies a natural wonder waiting to be visited and explored by eco-tourists and nature enthusiasts alike. Barangay Day-asan’s century-old mangroves have long been a well-kept secret. Still, thanks to the visionary efforts of the city government, this ecological gem is set to take center stage in Surigao’s burgeoning tourism scene. As part of the city’s ambitious tourism program, the recent launch of the weeklong Suroy Surigao Plus initiative has shone a spotlight on the diverse array of attractions that Surigao City, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands have to offer. ‘The

TACLOBAN CITY: The Northern Samar provincial government is eyeing investments from Gokongwei Group in a bid to advance the industrial and agricultural sectors in the province. In a statement Wednesday, the provincial government said Governor Edwin Ongchuan had a meeting on July 5 with some officials of Gokongwei Group at Crowne Plaza Galleria in Quezon City to discuss investment potential. ‘The provincial government’s economic team articulated plans, highlighting Northern Samar’s strategic advantages, including its newly implemented Green Lane, designed to streamline business permits and licensing processes and remove the bureaucratic burden from the Gokongwei Group should they decide to proceed

KUALA LUMPUR, The International Union of Muslim Scholars president Prof Dr Sheikh Ali Muhyiddin Al-Qaradaghi has stressed that a zakat institution should be transparently managed to solve poverty issue among Muslims in a country. Sheikh Ali Muhyiddin said global zakat collections are estimated to reach US$4 billion annually, which should be sufficient to eradicate poverty within at least 10 years. ‘But with such huge funds, why couldn’t we solve the poverty issue? I can draw two conclusions: zakat collection and distribution are not being done properly,’ he said during his visit to the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) headquarters

KUALA LUMPUR, Two reservoirs, one in Kedah and another in Perak, have seen a decrease in their current raw water reserves to critical levels. According to a brief weather status report by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) today, citing the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), the affected reservoirs are the Muda Dam in Kedah, recording a raw water reserve of 18.37 per cent, and the Bukit Merah Dam in Perak, with 19.97 per cent. The report also notes that five other reservoirs showed current raw water reserves at warning levels. They include the Malut and Pedu Dams in Kedah,

KUCHING, Sarawak’s plan to improve its health facilities will not only benefit its people but will also lessen the burden of people in Sabah and neighbouring countries to seek medical treatment, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. He said Sarawak’s health facilities will be further improved over the next five years following plans to expand its hospital bed capacity, as well as investments from two foreign groups. He said the state-owned Normah Medical Centre would have an additional 300 beds through its expansion plan, while a Singapore-based company had committed to building another private hospital with about