News
DOT bars tourists from Mayon’s permanent danger zone
LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Tourism in Bicol (DOT-5) discourages tourists and visitors from risky areas around the erupting Mayon Volcano. In a Friday Mayon advisory to tourists, foreign and domestic, visiting DOT stressed that “Mayon Volcano’s alert level status has been raised from Level 2 to Level 3 by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) due to increasing…
Wildfire smoke from Canadian blaze blankets New York
WASHINGTON – New York City is in the midst of an “unprecedented event” as smoke from raging wildfires in Canada envelopes the US’s largest city, Mayor Eric Adams warned on Wednesday. Adams urged New Yorkers to “take precautions” as they go about their daily lives after the air quality index hit 218 on Tuesday night before…
ASEAN, China media leaders vow stronger ‘win-win’ ties
By Mark Merueñas NANNING, China – Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, and China have vowed to strengthen their “bilateral exchanges and partnerships for a shared future, through media innovation and modernization.” During the 2023 China-ASEAN Media Partners Forum, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam underscored the need for the media to “widely spread…
Pope Francis spends second quiet night in hospital – Vatican
ROME – Pope Francis spent a second quiet night at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after undergoing abdominal surgery to fix a hernia caused by a 2021 operation on Wednesday, the Vatican press office said Friday. On Thursday evening the Vatican said Pope Francis had spent the day “resting” and that his “hemodynamic and respiratory parameters” were “stable”. “The post-operative course…
Bivalent vaccine donations ‘not enough’ yet for Pinoy health workers, elderly
The government would need two to three million doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines to protect the vulnerable population, and the donated bivalent vaccines it has already received are not enough yet to meet the required jabs. Infectious diseases expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante took this position in a recent televised public briefing. He said the 391,000 doses of bivalent Covid-19 vaccines the country received over…
Landbank welcomes Fitch Ratings’ outlook upgrade for it
Landbank of the Philippines (Landbank) president and chief executive officer Lynette Ortiz has welcomed Fitch Rating Inc.’s improved outlook on Land Bank which she referred to as “ä vote of confidence for the bank’s robust financial stability and resilience to withstand external and domestic economic headwinds.” Credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings, Inc., in a report released on May…
Business leaders hail anti-inflation efforts by gov’t
Leaders of the country’s three most influential business groups have recognized inroads made by the government in easing price pressures. Their sighs of relief came when the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that headline inflation decelerated further to 6.1 percent year-on-year in May from 6.6% in April. Francis Chua, chair emeritus of the Philippine Chamber…
SRA urges retailers to sell refined sugar at P85 per kilo
By Nanette Guadalquiver BACOLOD CITY – The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has urged retailers to sell refined sugar at the suggested retail price (SRP) of P85 per kilo amid reports of their retail prices of as high as P110 per kilo, especially in Metro Manila. Acting SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said since there is sufficient supply of sugar, retailers could reduce the price. “We have…
Negros ‘Dagyaw’ meeting to focus on women, gender equality
DUMAGUETE CITY – Women and gender equality are among the top issues to be discussed in the upcoming 2023 Regional Dagyaw Town Hall meeting on June 14. Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Negros Oriental provincial director Farah Diba Gentuya told media Friday in a Kapihan forum that around 1,000 participants from regional and national government agencies are…
DSWD readies 3K big tents for possible evacuees in Albay
TABACO CITY, Albay – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepared at least 3,000 tents for Albay evacuees, following the evacuation of an initial 26 families within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone of Mayon Volcano here. DSWD Bicol Regional Director Norman Laurio said the forced evacuation of 26 families from Sitio Nagsipit was facilitated by barangay…