Category: General

ILOILO: Around 281 drivers and operators from two transport cooperatives in Iloilo will get over PHP8.4 million worth of livelihood projects under the integrated livelihood program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The Molo Transport Service Cooperative will receive PHP1.378 million worth of projects for its 46 members while the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC), PHP7.036 million for its 235 members.

The assistance will be released on May 1 in time for Labor Day celebration.

‘These are individual projects at PHP30,000 each. It’s the fourth project granted by the government for our transport sector affected by the modernization program,’ DOLE Iloilo officer-in-charge Amy Judicpa said in an interview on Tuesday.

She added that the recipients are endorsed either by the transport cooperative or the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

WVTC president Raymundo ‘Boyet’ Parcon, in a separate interview, said some of the beneficiaries are engaged in sari-sari stores and
rice retailing projects.

‘It is a big help for our displaced members,’ he said.

Judicpa said they would release 11 projects under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) to transport groups, workers groups, cooperatives, and local government units as beneficiaries or accredited co-partners.

‘We will also release a check for indigenous people affected by the construction of the Jalaur River Mega Dam, more than PHP4 million for 135 IPs in Calinog,’ she said.

The recipients are from Barangays Alibunan, Agcalaga, Toyungan, Binolosan, Pequeño, Cahigon, Guinbonyugan, Garangan, and Masaroy who will embark on projects like native chicken meat and egg production, broiler chicken egg production, mallard duck meat and egg production, among others.

Other beneficiaries of livelihood projects are parents of child laborers, an employee union, and other marginal sectors.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The government is eyeing to build a dam in the province of Occidental Mindoro to help mitigate the effects of the El Niño phenomenon, especially in the agriculture sector, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.

Speaking at the distribution of various government assistance in San Jose town, Marcos said the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) is taking the lead in implementing the project.

‘Mayroon tayong pinaplano na dam na ilalagay para ma-coveran hanggang San Jose, Magsaysay, at mapatubigan na (We are planning to build a dam to help cover the irrigation needs of towns like San Jose and Magsaysay),’ Marcos said.

‘Para naman kahit na mahina ang ulan ay mayroon pa tayong makukuhanan ng tubig (So even without rains, we still have a source of water),’ he added.

Aside from irrigation water from dams, Marcos said the government will also provide the farmers solar-powered pumps to irrigate hard-to-reach upland areas.

Highlighting the importance of irrigation system to agricultural production, M
arcos said even with complete provision of fertilizer, pesticides, farm equipment, and other inputs, optimum output cannot be achieved without sufficient water supply.

Occidental Mindoro, an agricultural province, is under a state of calamity due to the effects of El Niño.

During a situation briefing on the effects of drought on the province, NIA Administrator Eddie Guillen said the bidding process for the Lipitan dam will soon commence.

‘Sisimulan na rin natin itong Lipitan dam natin. Ito’y mag-i-irrigate ng around 7,000 hectares. Ang amount nito, nasa PHP1 million per hectare tayo so almost PHP7 billion po ito. Ipapa-bid na ng NIA ito (We will start the Lipitan dam project. It can irrigate around 7,000 hectares. It’s amount, since we are at PHP1 million per hectare coverage, it will cost around PHP7 billion. We will soon start the bidding process),’ Guillen said.

Aid to farmers, fisherfolk

Marcos also visited farmlands affected by the drought and met with farmers and fisherfolk in the province.

He led
the distribution of various government assistance, including the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) PHP3,000 fuel subsidy to 393 farmers; PHP5,000 each to 1,153 affected farmers under the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance; PHP5.1 million to 193 farmers under the El Niño Indemnification Fund; and PHP77.5 million Survival and Recovery Aid loans.

The NIA, on the other hand, extended PHP7.38 million worth of operations and maintenance subsidy to two irrigators’ associations and certificate of condonation and exemption worth PHP18.48 million to one association.

The NIA likewise gave 24 units of solar pump irrigation projects worth PhP50 million to three IAs; and three communal irrigation projects worth PhP89.26 million to 3 IAs.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, and Technical Education and Skills Development Administration also provided various assistance.

Damage to agriculture

Meanwhile, Occidental Mindoro Vice Governor Anice
ta Diana Apigo-Tayag briefed the President and members of the Cabinet about the effects of El Niño to the province.

She said that 67 percent of the province’s overall farming area has been affected by the drought, of which 20 percent were “completely devastated.”

This resulted to over PHP900-million loss to the agricultural sector, she said.

Last week, the DA said losses and damage to the country’s agriculture sector due to El Niño has reached nearly PHP4 billion.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday said it would deploy around six fighter aircraft to represent the country in the upcoming “Pitch Black” exercises hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force.

“The plan is to send in six FA-50s and one C-130 (to transport ground personnel and support equipment),” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said in a press briefing at the Philippine Navy headquarters in Manila.

Should this plan push through, Castillo said the PAF still has enough assets to secure the country’s airspace.

She said this will be the first time the PAF will participate in this international exercise, as they have only deployed personnel to act as observers in the past.

She said more than 100 PAF personnel would join the exercise from July 12 to Aug. 2 in Australia’s northern city of Darwin.

These personnel and other support equipment will be transported by a PAF C-130 aircraft.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Philippines’ inclusion in the proposed USD8.1 billion aid package of the United States House of Representatives would help strengthen the country’s defense capabilities, especially amid escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a news release on Tuesday that the US House approved the emergency aid package for key allies in the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, with a vote of 385-34.

Romualdez particularly highlighted an approved amendment to the bill, introduced by California Rep. Darrell Issa that encourages the US State Department to allocate USD500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines.

“The passage of this amendment underscores the deepening partnership between our nations and highlights the United States’ commitment to enhancing the defense capabilities of the Philippines,” Romualdez said.

The proposed allocation of military aid to the Philippines, he said, would expedite the country’s military modernization and bolster law
enforcement capabilities, which are crucial steps for maintaining sovereignty and regional peace.

The approval of the bipartisan measure comes on the heels of recent extensive deliberations between the Philippine House delegation and a number of American legislators in Washington, D.C.

The deliberations coincided with the trilateral summit among US President Joe Biden, Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on April 11.

“The constructive dialogue and shared vision exhibited during our meetings exemplify the enduring partnership between our nations,’ he said. ‘This aid package symbolizes our collective resolve to fortify the bonds of friendship and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.”

Romualdez expressed confidence that the US House’s decisive action would set the stage for further collaboration and partnership between the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly the Philippines.

“As we navigate complex global challenges, the bonds forged throug
h mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation will serve as the cornerstone of our shared aspirations for a brighter future,’ he said.

This comprehensive measure will now proceed to the Senate for a final vote.

Source: Philippines News Agency

SEOUL, South Korea and the United States held consultations to discuss bilateral cooperation in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

At the meeting held in Seoul the previous day, Kweon Ki-hwan, the deputy foreign minister for multilateral and global affairs, and Jill Hruby, under secretary for nuclear security of the U.S. Department of Energy, stressed that nuclear cooperation is an “important pillar” of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.

They also agreed to bolster ties in the supply of nuclear fuel, management of spent nuclear fuel and joint research on nuclear nonproliferation, according to the ministry.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

MANILA: Lithuania’s foreign minister is set to visit the Philippines to promote trade and investments, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said Gabrielius Landsbergis is the first Lithuanian foreign minister to undertake an official visit to the country.

He will be in the Philippines April 23 to 25.

It is also Lithuania’s first high-level visit to the Philippines since Prime Minister Adolfas Slezevicius in 1995.

The Philippines and Lithuania has a three-decade long diplomatic relations, Daza added.

Landsbergis will meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

‘(The meeting) will focus on enhancing cooperation in various areas such as trade and investments, clean energy, science and technology including health and laser technology, and people-to-people links,’ she said.

Both officials will also discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern, underscoring the shared commitment of the Philippines and Lithuania to peace, stabili
ty, and the rules-based international order.

Source: Philippines News Agency