Author: malaysiang

CEBU CITY: The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Visayas is eyeing a drastic demand reduction after the arrest of an alleged top drug ring leader with operations in Cebu and Cavite provinces.

Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of Police Regional Office-Region 7 (PRO-7), said suspect Aljon Chavez, 29, was arrested Saturday in Amadeo, Cavite.

He yielded some 100 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP680,000.

Pelare said he is in the list of 50 drug syndicate leaders operating in Central Visayas, with most of them already in prison.

“We have newly identified drug personalities. We are also eyeing a group whose leader is reportedly on top of the illegal drug trade in Central Visayas,” Pelare said.

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-7 spokesperson Leia Alviar said Chavez attempted to elude arrest, but his motorcycle crashed after authorities fired a warning shot.

He is confined at a hospital in Tagaytay City due to an injury.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BUTUAN CITY: Endurance swimmer Ingemar Macarine, dubbed as the ‘Pinoy Aquaman,’ completed a 10.8-kilometer swim from Olotayan Island to the People’s Park in Baybay, Roxas City, Capiz province, on Sunday.

‘(It was) good that the current, tides, and wind were all in perfect condition. I took advantage of it by swimming faster, as they would change at any time,’ Macarine, a native Surigaonon, said in an interview on Monday.

Macarine’s three-hour, 15-minute nonstop, unassisted swim made him the first person to cross the waters between Oloyan Island and Baybay in Roxas City.

‘The endurance swim is part of my advocacy and promotion for clean seas and beaches, healthy lifestyle, and the local tourism of Roxas City,’ Macarine said, adding it was his fastest swim yet.

Born in Placer, Surigao del Norte, Macarine grew up in Surigao City and currently serves as a prosecutor in Bohol.

On June 24 last year, Macarine also succeeded in his long-distance and open-water swim from Bugtong Island in Pio V. Corpus town to Ba
rangay Matayum lagoon in Cataingan, all in Masbate province.

‘Last year’s swim in Masbate was more difficult as I encountered a strong current about two kilometers from the shoreline,’ he said.

The Surigaonon swimmer said he is now preparing for his next swim in July this year, covering 10 kilometers from Canada to the United States.

Macarine’s longest open water swim took place in 2017, covering 24.6 kilometers from Siliman Beach in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, to Tambisan Port in San Juan, Siquijor. It lasted 11 hours and 21 minutes.

He also had two open-water swims in 2016 and 2017 in the United Kingdom and another six in the United States.

Source: Philippines News Agency

LEGAZPI CITY: At least 1,200 assessed and eligible students in Camarines Sur started receiving financial assistance through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program on Monday.

DSWD-Bicol Regional Director Norman Laurio, Camarines Sur Governor Luigi Villafuerte, and Senator Imee Marcos led the distribution of the cash aid to beneficiaries at the municipal covered court in Libmanan, Camarines Sur.

In an interview, Marygizelle Mesa, DSWD-Bicol information officer, said a total of PHP6 million was allocated for the beneficiaries receiving PHP5,000 each.

“For today’s payout, a total of 622 deserving junior, senior high school, and college students received their educational assistance. The remaining beneficiaries have a scheduled payout on March 20 and 21,” Mesa said, adding that the grant is intended to help them meet their school needs.

In a social media post, Libmanan Mayor Jesus Camara thanked the DSWD, Senator Marcos and the gov
ernor for facilitating the DSWD AICS payout.

“Their dedication and proactive approach contribute immensely to addressing the needs of our constituents. We are truly grateful for their unwavering support and partnership in serving our community and we express our deepest appreciation to Senator Imee for her ongoing assistance, which is indeed a substantial help to our constituents. Their generosity and commitment to uplifting our community are deeply cherished and will leave a lasting impact on the lives of many,” Camara said.

The AICS program is being implemented by the DSWD to support the recovery of individuals and families in case of unforeseen crises, such as illness or death of a family member and other similar circumstances.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: South Korea’s flag carrier Korean Air (KE) announced Monday the resumption and increase in flight frequencies to several destinations, while maintaining the three daily flights in Manila due to sustained demand.

KE increased its flights via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from twice to thrice daily since Oct. 29, 2023, or the beginning of the International Air Transport Association winter schedule.

The schedule will be maintained through the summer.

“The sustained interest and popularity of Korean culture in the Philippines continues to attract tourism from the Philippines to Korea,” Byung Kwon Lee, KE’s Philippines Country Manager, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview.

Lee said they also see sustained demand in leisure and business to and from the Philippines.

“The additional capacity will allow us to offer the Filipino (travelers) more options to travel across the globe on Korean Air’s extensive global network,” Lee said.

KE likewise announced increasing flights in its Incheo
n-Bangkok and Busan-Bangkok; Incheon-Zhangjiajie and Seoul-Zhengzhou, China routes; and to and from Budapest, Hungary and Dallas, Texas, USA.

The expansions will allow KE’s international capacity to reach 96 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

Source: Philippines News Agency

DAVAO CITY: The Department of Labor and Employment in Davao Region (DOLE-11) was recognized as one of the top 10 taxpayers of the Revenue District Office (RDO) of West Davao.

Novie Jane Paniagua, DOLE-11 senior administrative officer, received the plaque of recognition during the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) tax campaign kick-off in the region over the weekend.

DOLE-11 remitted PHP12.6M in withholding taxes for 2023, “reinforcing RDO’s exemplary collection performance,” she said.

DOLE-11 Director Randolf Pensoy acknowledged the BIR for recognizing the agency’s significant contribution to regional progress.

“DOLE-11 remains committed to its social responsibility through meticulous accounting and tax compliance, highlighting how these contributions are instrumental to community development,” he said in a statement.

Pensoy also affirmed the agency’s support for BIR’s revenue-raising efforts and 2024 collection targets.

Other awardees included the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of E
ducation and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BACOLOD CITY: Some 1,013 employees from the government and private sectors have applied to own a home in the Sidlak Residential Complex of Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

Being implemented by the city government under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program, the Sidlak Residential Complex comprises up to 10-five storey mid-rise buildings that will be developed inside the Sidlak Village Global City in Barangay XIII.

Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said it is one of the city’s biggest priority projects that started last year under his dignified human settlements agenda.

‘We have entered into an agreement to develop the Sidlak Residential Complex. The settlement will be built near our new development areas,’ Benitez said in his mid-term report delivered before the City Council on Monday.

He said the housing project will be developed in partnership with the Department of Human Settlement ang Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Pag-IBIG Fund.

Data of the City Human Settlement and Urban Deve
lopment Office showed that as of end-2023, the 1,013 applicants include 39 percent local government employees; 34 percent private sector workers; 24 percent Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education employees; and 3 percent, personnel of Philippine National Police and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

In November last year, Benitez, on behalf of the city government, signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) with Scheirman Construction Consolidated Inc. to develop the Sidlak housing project, which covers financing, design, construction and development of a mixed-used integrated infrastructure for housing and a sustainable community.

The signing of the JVA complies with the memorandum of agreement between the city government, DHSUD and the Pag-IBIG Fund in February last year.

Meanwhile, Benitez said the city government has also initiated relocation activities for informal settler families and updated the status of unoccupied units and vacant lots in the previous relocation projects such a
s the Villa Victorias.

He said that for the first time, the city government organized homeowners’ associations in various housing sites.

‘As early as now, we are putting this into place to avoid problems related to informal settlers and poorly planned communities for future leaders of the city,’ the mayor said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Voting 22 against zero with no abstention, the Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 2572 or the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport Act.

Senator Grace Poe, who sponsored the measure, is hopeful that the country is poised to obtain significant economic growth with the timely approval of the measure alongside the recent signing of the concession agreement for the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“It brought about a lot of hope because I feel now the gateway of many of our visitors to our country will be much improved,’ Poe, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, said.

‘In the same way, I have high hopes for this Ecozone, that it will spur investments, create more jobs, and will be a model, not just here in the Philippines, but all over Asia that could hopefully increase our GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” Poe added.

The creation of Bulacan Ecozone or BuZ stands to generate up to 1.2 million jobs and bring i
n around PHP37.84 billion to PHP130.9 billion worth of investments, said Senator Joel Villanueva, co-sponsor of the bill.

“Sa atin pong co-sponsorship speech para sa panukalang ito, atin pong ibinahagi ang ating paniniwala na marami pang maihahandog at napakalaki pa ang potensyal ng lalawigan ng Bulacan upang higit pang makapag-ambag sa ating pambansang kaunlaran (In our co-sponsorship speech for this measure, we shared our belief that Bulacan has a big potential and more to offer in contributing to our national development). The passage of this measure is a step towards achieving this hope and vision,” Villanueva said.

Both Poe and Villanueva assured that the measure has enough safeguards to guarantee that the creation and operations of the BuZ will be within the framework of the Constitution, the Local Government Code, and national development plans, policies, and goals.

Under the bill, the Bulacan Special Economic Zone and Freeport Authority would be created to manage and operate the Bulacan Ecozone.

Source: Philippines News Agency