Author: ltadmin

DAVAO: After a successful Araw ng Dabaw celebration, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) will deploy 27,997 officers and force multipliers to ensure a safe and orderly observation of Holy Week and Ramadan.

In an interview on Tuesday, DCPO spokesperson Capt. Hazel Tuazon said that from March 22 to March 31, there will more cops in places of worship and areas of convergence.

‘We will deploy them to churches, to mosques for our Muslim brothers and sisters, to the airport, inland resorts, seaports, in the terminals, and other tourist spots here in Davao City,’ Tuazon said.

She reminded the public to adhere to the standard security regulations enforced during special events, which prohibit the bringing of jackets, backpacks, sharp objects, and non-transparent water bottles, among others.

For those planning to go on a trip during the long holidays, Tuazon advised families and individuals to secure their homes and leave no chance for burglars.

‘Let us be vigilant in our surroundings. Let us not rely on the safe
ty and security cluster alone; let us be aware,’ Tuazon added.

Meanwhile, the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) advised passengers to secure bus tickets online as there will be limited bus trips on Maundy Thursday (March 28) and Good Friday (March 29).

‘Our big bus companies will still operate even on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. However, small operators do not usually operate on Good Friday,’ Aissa Usop, DCOTT manager, said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

DAVAO: After a successful Araw ng Dabaw celebration, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) will deploy 27,997 officers and force multipliers to ensure a safe and orderly observation of Holy Week and Ramadan.

In an interview on Tuesday, DCPO spokesperson Capt. Hazel Tuazon said that from March 22 to March 31, there will more cops in places of worship and areas of convergence.

‘We will deploy them to churches, to mosques for our Muslim brothers and sisters, to the airport, inland resorts, seaports, in the terminals, and other tourist spots here in Davao City,’ Tuazon said.

She reminded the public to adhere to the standard security regulations enforced during special events, which prohibit the bringing of jackets, backpacks, sharp objects, and non-transparent water bottles, among others.

For those planning to go on a trip during the long holidays, Tuazon advised families and individuals to secure their homes and leave no chance for burglars.

‘Let us be vigilant in our surroundings. Let us not rely on the safe
ty and security cluster alone; let us be aware,’ Tuazon added.

Meanwhile, the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal (DCOTT) advised passengers to secure bus tickets online as there will be limited bus trips on Maundy Thursday (March 28) and Good Friday (March 29).

‘Our big bus companies will still operate even on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. However, small operators do not usually operate on Good Friday,’ Aissa Usop, DCOTT manager, said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Visiting United States Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken said the “Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors” or CHIPS and Science Act will fortify the already strong ties between the Philippines and the US in thevsemiconductor industry.

Blinken made the statement during his visit Tuesday to Amkor Technology Philippines, Inc. in Muntinlupa City, a semiconductor packaging and test services venture of American and Korean firms.

‘There’s a long standing partnership between the Philippines and United States when it comes to semiconductors,’ Blinken said. ‘We continue to look for ways to strengthen more our partnership between our countries.’

Under the CHIPS Act, the Philippines stands to benefit from the USD500-million International Technology, Security, and Innovation Fund for a five-year period.

The CHIPS Act supports the diversification of supply chain of US companies with rich natural resources and are strong allies of the US government.

Blinken noted that under the CHIPS A
ct, the State Department is responsible for further investments in partner countries like the Philippines, especially in capacity building such as developing the workforce and crafting policies that will attract investments from US companies.

Blinken said one of the projects they are looking into under the CHIPS Act is to partner with state universities in the country.

Earlier, the Department of Trade and Industry said it is eyeing to produce 128,000 engineers to support the local semiconductor industry using the support from the US under the CHIPS Act.

“I think you’ve already seen the extraordinary work that’s happening here in the Philippines, but I think the potential is even greater going forward, and it’s one that the United States continues to invest in and to focus on,” the US State Secretary added.

The US official also emphasized the country’s strong semiconductor industry, which employs around three million Filipinos, sharing 20 percent of the total export revenues, and contributing 12 percent to
the gross domestic product.

Blinken is the second White House official to be received by the country in one week.

On March 11 and 12, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo visited Manila, bringing over USD1 billion investments from American companies.

Blinken’s visit to the country also affirmed the US support to the Philippines in the security and economic front.

This is his second official visit to the Philippines after August 2022.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Maguindanao del Norte: Vice President Sara Duterte visited this camp Monday afternoon to pay respects to the four soldiers slain in an ambush by suspected Dawlah Islamiya (DI) terrorists in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town the day before.

Duterte spoke to the bereaved families of the slain soldiers of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion and 3rd Army Cavalry, all under the 601st Infantry Brigade.

They were on their way back to camp when ambushed in Barangay Tuayan 1 on Sunday morning.

Duterte described the slain soldiers as ‘our heroes for offering their lives for our flag and our country.’

She also gave cash assistance to the soldiers’ immediate relatives.

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a local terrorist group allied with the DI, claimed responsibility for the attack.

It said the ambush was in retaliation to government forces’ continuing offensive.

Meanwhile, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim condemned the atrocities against government forces doing Ra
madan-related activities in Maguindanao del Sur.

‘These cowardly acts of violence not only threaten our daily lives but also undermine the hard-won peace and stability in our region. The actions of these peace spoilers seek nothing but to sow discord and create mistrust among our people,’ Ebrahim said in a statement.

Ebrahim has also ordered the grant of financial assistance to the victims and their families.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Maguindanao del Norte: Vice President Sara Duterte visited this camp Monday afternoon to pay respects to the four soldiers slain in an ambush by suspected Dawlah Islamiya (DI) terrorists in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town the day before.

Duterte spoke to the bereaved families of the slain soldiers of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion and 3rd Army Cavalry, all under the 601st Infantry Brigade.

They were on their way back to camp when ambushed in Barangay Tuayan 1 on Sunday morning.

Duterte described the slain soldiers as ‘our heroes for offering their lives for our flag and our country.’

She also gave cash assistance to the soldiers’ immediate relatives.

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a local terrorist group allied with the DI, claimed responsibility for the attack.

It said the ambush was in retaliation to government forces’ continuing offensive.

Meanwhile, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim condemned the atrocities against government forces doing Ra
madan-related activities in Maguindanao del Sur.

‘These cowardly acts of violence not only threaten our daily lives but also undermine the hard-won peace and stability in our region. The actions of these peace spoilers seek nothing but to sow discord and create mistrust among our people,’ Ebrahim said in a statement.

Ebrahim has also ordered the grant of financial assistance to the victims and their families.

Source: Philippines News Agency

TACLOBAN: A series of military operations and the implementation of the whole-of-nation approach caused the dismantling of two units of the New People’s Army (NPA) formed to advance their recovery attempts, the Philippine Army said on Tuesday.

Capt. Jefferson Mariano, spokesperson of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, in a phone identified the units as platoon 2 of Island Committee 47 Levox operating in the provinces of Leyte, Biliran, and Southern Leyte, and the Elcon platoon of sub-regional committee (SRC) browser based in the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar.

The Elcon platoon of the SRC were remnants of the dismantled two front committees in Samar Island, while the NPA’s island committee in Leyte Island was part of the rebels’ attempt to reestablish a guerilla front in Leyte and Biliran provinces.

‘The dismantling of these NPA units is a big accomplishment in our campaign against insurgency. In the past, these units had leadership that could organize a community to support their logistical and milit
ary requirements,’ Mariano told the Philippine News Agency.

He attributed the gains to the successful and effective implementation of programs and projects under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (TF-ELCAC), applying a whole-of-nation approach to wipe out insurgency in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas.

Mariano said the government officially declared the dismantling of two NPA units during its meeting last week, attended by key officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the National Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council.

In January this year, the military formally declared the four remaining guerilla fronts in Eastern Visayas as dismantled. These are front committee 2, SRC emporium; front committee 1, SRC emporium; front committee 15, SRC arctic; and front committee 3, SRC arctic.

Major Gen. Camilo Ligayo said in a statement that the dismantling of these NPA units is the fruit of the aggressiv
e campaign of the security sector against insurgency.

‘Let us actively support the programs of the local government to peacefully resolve all armed conflicts in Eastern Visayas. Let us encourage everybody to follow the path of peace and condemn those who advocate violence and the use of arms. Let us condemn the armed struggle and NPA atrocities and give peace a chance,’ Ligayo said.

Regional Peace and Order Council chair and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez earlier said the remarkable success of the security sector reflects the collective commitment of all units under the Joint Task Force Storm and the regional TF-ELCAC in Eastern Visayas.

‘ELCAC has proven that through collaborative efforts, we can surely eradicate the remaining local communists. The problem in insurgency is everyone’s responsibility so let us continue to be united in this quest to end the local communist armed conflict to attain long-lasting peace and socio-economic progress within our community,’ Romualdez added.

Significant achiev
ements that led to the dismantling of NPA units in 2024 included the neutralization of the secretary of SRC during an encounter in Borongan City, Eastern Samar on Jan. 6, the recovery of nine high-powered firearms and other NPA items in Calbayog City, Samar on Feb. 4, and the neutralization of two NPA fighters, including one high-value individual, during an encounter in Albuera, Leyte, on Feb. 10.

Source: Philippines News Agency