Category: General

MANILA: At least 63 Filipinos will be repatriated as civil unrest grips Haiti, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Sunday.

DMW officer-in-charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) approved the recommendation on the declaration of Alert Level 3, which signals the voluntary repatriation.

Haiti is experiencing a breakdown in law and order as lootings and violence are being carried out by gang leaders to pressure Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry into stepping down.

Cadac said they are now looking for options on how to execute the repatriation since no flights are coming out of Haiti.

At the same time, land travel to the capital Port-au-Prince is also discouraged due to the ongoing violence.

He said ‘chartering a flight seems to be the most viable option at this time.’

‘As of date, there is no report of any Filipino affected or injured by the ongoing security crisis,’ Cacdac said.

Currently, there are 115 Filipinos in Haiti.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Starting the Holy Week on March 25 and within the summer vacation, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will deploy over 11,347 police officers and force multipliers to ensure order and safety.

In a statement over the weekend, NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said police officers will be more visible and will help manage traffic and other related public safety services near transportation terminals, places of worship, malls, markets, commercial areas, and parks.

Nartatez said the NCRPO expects a surge of travelers to and from Metro Manila.

Nartatez said they have collaborated with local government units, other law enforcement agencies and private stakeholders to establish a comprehensive security framework.

There will also be Police Assistance Desks in places of convergence.

‘As the nation observes these significant occasions, the NCRPO stands ready to uphold its duty to maintain law and order,’ Nartatez said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

LINGAYEN: The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) raised at least PHP870,100 to finance the medication of 19 critically ill officers.

Maj. Fernan Rivera, acting chief of the Police Community Affairs and Development Unit, said the fund came from a fun run Saturday.

A total of 2,486 runners paid PHP350 registration fee each.

The 3-kilometer and 5-kilometer races started and ended at Lingayen-Binmaley Baywalk.

Rivera said they have 19 officers who are undergoing dialysis or cancer interventions.

Those in active service will be prioritized.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ANKARA: US forces destroyed drones launched by the Yemeni Houthi group, the Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Sunday.

‘On March 16, between 7:50 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., Iranian-backed Houthis launched two unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea,’ US CENTCOM said on X.

CENTCOM said its forces ‘successfully engaged and destroyed one UAV and the other is presumed to have crashed into the Red Sea.’

Nearby ships have not reported any damage or injuries, it added.

CENTCOM also noted that between 9 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. local time, US forces destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and an unmanned aerial vehicle in Houthi-controlled areas “in self-defense.”

There has so far been no comment from the Houthis on the statements.

The Houthis, in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, facing a devastating Israeli offensive for months, have been targeting Israeli cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, expressing determ
ination to continue operations until the end of the war on the enclave.

With the intervention of Washington and London and an escalation of tensions, the Houthis announced they would also consider all American and British ships as military targets.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to bring down prices of medicines for senior citizens through exemption from value-added tax (VAT).

FDA Director General Samuel Zacate said the exemption of VAT coverage will be through the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) or Republic Act (RA) No. 11534.

‘Basically, the exemption for VAT is through a law – iyong (the) CREATE Law. So, those medicines have been declared by the FDA, endorsed to the BIR para matanggal or mawala iyong kanilang (to remove) VAT,’ Zacate said in a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday.

RA 11534 provides VAT exemption to certain medicines for hypertension, cancer, mental illnesses, tuberculosis, kidney diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol, as well as Covid-19 drugs and medical devices.

Pursuant to the CREATE law, Zacate said the FDA is directed to identify and transmit the list of approved medicines for VAT exemption to other implementing agencies, such
as the BIR.

‘Basically…we only endorse it to the BIR kasi kami po iyong nagdi-determine kung ano, para saan talaga iyong gamot. So, FDA ang magsasabi, kung papaano iyong mekanismo, kung paano tatanggalin iyong gamot (because we are the ones who determine what, what your medicine is really for. So, FDA will say, how your mechanism, how to withdraw your drug). So, it’s a joint process po of the FDA and the BIR,’ he said.

Last month, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the FDA to implement a 20 percent discount and VAT exemption for senior citizens under RA 9994 or Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MOSCOW: The voter turnout in the 2024 Russian presidential election exceeded 55% on the second day of voting, the country’s Central Election Commission said on Saturday.

Three days of voting to elect the next president began on Friday, with incumbent President Vladimir Putin seeking a fifth term.

The other three candidates included the New People Party’s Vladislav Davankov, the Liberal-Democrat Party of Russia’s Leonid Slutsky and the Communist Party’s Nikolai Kharitonov.

Head of the Russian Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said at a press briefing in Moscow that more than 94,000 polling stations are opened in Russia.

They work from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. local time, and 295 polling stations are working in 144 countries abroad.

Voters also have the opportunity to vote online on the State Services portal.

The first day of voting was marked by increased activity, with a voter turnout of 36.12 percent,, according to the Central Election Commission.

The commission also reported eight incidents when m
iscreants tried to set fire to polling station buildings.

Internet service providers in Russia reported an increased number of DDoS attacks from Ukraine and North America, saying more than 90,000 attacks were attempted on resources of the Central Election Commission, State Services portal and other government websites.

The first results of the Russian presidential election are expected on Sunday after 9 p.m. Moscow time.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: A slew of outstanding women athletic performers in the year just past will be in the spotlight during the inaugural All-Women Sports Awards on March 20 at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.

Among the major awardees are national basketball team mainstay Jack Aminam, Asian 400-meter hurdles queen Robyn Brown, 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and 2024 Paris Games-bound boxer Nesthy Petecio, and women’s World 10-Ball champion Chezka Centeno.

Over 50 major awardees, both individual and teams, in various disciplines will be feted in the gala event jointly organized by the Philippine Commission for Women and Philippine Sports Commission coinciding with International Women’s Month.

‘This is our way of paying homage to our national women athletes who did their flag and country proud in 2023. They are shining examples of what women’s empowerment is all about,’ PSC Commissioner Olivia ‘Bong’ Coo said in a news release on Sunday.

‘They are our models of pushing the envelope of gender equality, which is a ma
jor thrust of the Philippine Commission for Women.’

Also included in the distinguished roster are Asian and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist golfer Bianca Pagdanganan, Paris Olympics-bound gymnast Aleah Finnegan, fencer Samantha Catantan, Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and figure skater Isabella Gamez.

Cheyzer Mendoza, the most bemedalled female chess player in both the Cambodia ASEAN Para games and 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games, and wheelchair dancer Edelyn de Asis, who won a pair of golds with partner Julius Jun Obero in the Para Dance World Championships, will also be recognized.

‘We will also award citations to other athletes who have made an impact in their respective sports,’ Coo said.

Coo said the 1st All-Women Sports Awards will be a fitting tribute not only for athletes but also for those who have contributed to their success.

‘The success of our national athletes requires a strong support group, which includes their coaches, nutritionists, and sports psychologists so that they can be a
t their best and excel in international play,’ Coo said.

Source: Philippines News Agency