Day: May 3, 2023

The Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Davao Region (DSWD-11) have signed a memorandum of understanding to join forces in providing immediate support to disaster-affected areas in the region. Maj. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra, 10ID commander, said the agreement signed Tuesday aims to fast-track DSWD-11’s disaster response efforts in pre-positioning food and non-food relief items at a storage facility inside the 10ID headquarters in Mawab town, Davao De Oro province. A 230 square-meter facility of the 10ID will also serve as an augmentation to the local government unit’s (LGU) emergency response preparedness measures. ‘The 10ID is not only focused on war fighting but also other aspects of nation-building including disaster response,’ Niembra said in a statement Wednesday, More than pre-positioning relief goods, DSWD-11 Director Vanessa Goc-ong said the agreement would also bolster good relations between the agency and the Philippine Army, including the local government units. ‘I am very confident that this partnership will provide better services to the affected communities and contribute to the overall goal of building more resilient and disaster-prepared communities,” she said

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Catanduanes Provincial Tourism Office has rolled out a training program to turn policemen into “tourism ambassadors” aside from ensuring the safety and security of visitors to the province. In an interview on Wednesday, Carmel Garcia, Catanduanes Tourism Office chief, said at least 40 police officers from the province are undergoing a five-day Integrated Tourist-Oriented Police for Community Order and Protection program training starting on Tuesday at E-Crown Hotel in Virac town. “The 40 participants will not just be police responders but they will also be tourist guides. We want to strengthen the safety and security given to our local or foreign tourists. By fostering a safer and more welcoming environment for tourists, this training program will be essential in enhancing the competitiveness of our tourism industry, promoting local economic growth, and will also strengthen the relationship between the police and the community. The program also seeks to enhance police visibility and engagement with tourists and locals,” Garcia said. She said the police officers who will complete the training will be deployed in areas with high tourism arrivals and traffic. “It is also important to equip our police personnel with the latest information and trends in the tourism industry to ensure the safety, welfare, and satisfaction of our tourists. They will also be trained on handling tourist-related situations,” she added. Garcia said the police officers will be given an overview of the country’s tourism industry. “They will learn national, regional, provincial, and local levels in the tourism industry, the current trends and culture in tourism, local history, and culture, tourist safety and security, Filipino brand of service, basic life support, first aid and common emergencies,” she said. Meanwhile, Garcia said their preparations are now in full swing for the celebration of the 7th Abaca Festival on the last week of May with the theme ‘Talubo Abaca, Sulong Islang Maogma’. “We are in the finalization stage of the calendar of events. Tomorrow, all the municipal tourism officers of the 11 municipalities will have a meeting. We will also have a travel expo showcasing the different tourist destinations in the province. An Abaca Lakbay Day where we will showcase all about abaca,” she said. Catanduanes is popular for its white beaches and lush mountains

Source: Philippines News Agency

The city government of Manila on Wednesday promised some 500 stall holders that a new, better and more organized Pritil Market in Tondo will soon be constructed. Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan assured that the new market will not be privatized and continue to offer fair prices to marketgoers. The mayor inspected the old Pritil Market which was gutted by fire last week, displacing a total of 491 stall holders selling wet and dry goods. She asked for the vendors’ patience who for now have to occupy a temporary vending area while the local government sources funds for the construction of what will be called “Bagong Pritil Market”. A uniform size of all stalls at the new market would also be implemented. She also informed the vendors that the city government will be giving financial assistance amounting to at least PHP5,000. An additional cash aid will be provided by the office of Rep. (First District) Ernix Dionisio, under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa ating Disadvantaged / Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. Lacuna added that the whole market will have to be torn down to give way to the construction of a new one as the old structure had been rendered not fit for any rehabilitation anymore. The fire that razed the entire 6,000 square-meter market on April 28 and left at least PHP110 million worth of damage. Also present during the inspection are Vice Mayor Yul Servo, City Engineer Armand Andres Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau head Zenaida Viaje and Dionisio

Source: Philippines News Agency

Three drug suspects were arrested and over PHP1 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Sta. Rita, Olongapo City on Tuesday. In his report on Wednesday, Brig. Gen. Jose S. Hidalgo Jr., director of the Police Regional Office-Central Luzon (PRO-3), identified the three arrested suspects as Aiman Ombar, Mohammad Pangcatan and Hamza Hadji Ali, all listed as high-value individuals. Hidalgo said joint elements of the Olongapo City Drug Enforcement Unit, Olongapo City Mobile Force Company, Olongapo City Police Office-Police Station 5 and the Special Operating Unit of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group conducted the operation that led to the confiscation of four plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing some 152.2 grams and with a Dangerous Drugs Board value of PHP1,034,960. He said the three arrested suspects are detained at the City Police Drug Enforcement Unit custodial facility in Olongapo City. Charges for violation of Section 5 and Section 11 under Article III of Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act) are being readied for filing at the Olongapo City Prosecutor’s Office against the three suspects, he added. Meanwhile, more than PHP10 million worth of illegal drugs were seized in the entire Central Luzon in April. Hidalgo said 711 drug suspects were arrested in the anti-illegal drug operations conducted regionwide

Source: Philippines News Agency

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto on Wednesday acknowledged the move of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to audit the electrical system of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after the power outage at Terminal 3 early Monday. The Batangas lawmaker, however, said a complete check-up of the country’s ailing international airport is more appropriate. ‘And whatever work to be done should be submitted as one package, so the remedies will not be several ‘Band-Aid of cures,’ but a wellness package,’ Recto said. He said even if this ‘light bulb moment” had come too late, after the airport had been hit with electrical crashes, it should be treated as an urgent request. ‘Every time NAIA is hit with a blackout, the nation gets a black eye,’ he added. The NAIA management said it would need PHP1 billion for a new electrical system. ‘So, if the promised power system audit would validate that request, then the government should buy it, but not necessarily in the amount floated. Panic buying is the number one procurement sin,’ he said. ‘May pera naman kasi (There is fund really). NAIA is a corporate profit center for the government. It is not a charity.’ The gross revenues of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which runs NAIA, in 2019 was PHP15.2 billion. Of the given amount, PHP1.8 billion were remitted to the National Treasury as the government’s share of the profits. This, Recto said, was aside from the PHP2.2 billion tax payments, adding that despite the big deductions, the MIAA managed to post a net income of PHP5 billion. ‘Hindi lang MIAA ang kumikita sa airport operations. Tumitiba rin ang mga ahensyang nag-oopisina sa ating pangunahing paliparan (It’s not only MIAA that profits in airport operations. Other agencies that are conducting offices are also raking gains from our primary airport),’ he pointed out. He cited as an example the ‘travel tax’ exacted from departing Filipino passengers in 2019 where the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) collected a whooping PHP7.2 billion. Recto said the Bureau of Immigration (BI) had also a gross income of PHP10.5 billion in 2019. He said even the Office for Transportation Security – the ones in charge of the X-ray machines – had collected PHP1.1 billion within a year from Airport Security Fee, which is tucked in with the airline ticket. ‘Sabi ng Department of Transportation (DOTR), magkakaroon ang NAIA ng electrical system audit. Kung maraming sakit, bakit hindi gawing complete check-up, para malapatan ng tamang lunas (The DOTR said they are going to have an electrical system audit at the NAIA. If there are many ailments, why not make it a complete check-up, to find the proper cure?),’ he said. Recto noted that because the MIAA is a corporation, there is no need for Congress legislation for them to have the authority to appropriate. He said DOTR Secretary Jaime Bautista has the experience and the expertise ‘to undertake NAIA’s urgent to-do list – the ones which are not cosmetic, but essential

Source: Philippines News Agency

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Jonathan Dioso Tan as the new chairman and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Malacañang announced on Thursday. Tan, whose appointment paper was signed by President Marcos on April 28, replaced former SBMA Chairman and Administrator Rolen Paulino. Tan served as mayor of Pandan, Antique from 2010 to 2019. He served as President of the League of Municipalities (LMP) of the Philippine -Antique and was elected as PRO of LMP-National from 2013 to 2016. To recall, Paulino tendered his resignation effective April 15 to “give the President a free hand to choose who deems best to steer” the SBMA and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone to “greater heights” in terms of management and new business opportunities. ‘I shall adhere to (the) instructions from the Office of the President as an obedient soldier and dedicated public servant. I trust the good judgement of the President as he knows better,” Paulino said in a statemen

Source: Philippines News Agency