Day: March 8, 2024

MANILA: More than 1,000 residents of Malinao town in Albay province benefited from a one-day medical and livelihood mission conducted by the Ako Bicol (AKB) Party-list on Friday.

In an interview, AKB Representative Raul Angelo Bongalon said the mission dubbed “Tarabangan Caravan” was conducted in Barangay Jonop to provide various services as part of the priority programs of AKB led by Rep. Elizaldy Co.

“We are giving the people the medical services they need. We want to ensure that everyone can have free access to what the government can give to different sectors in the community. The activity is only a part of the series of medical and dental missions that are already scheduled by the party-list throughout the Bicol region,” Bongalon said.

He said that aside from the medical and dental mission, AKB allocated enough funds to different private hospitals in the province to lessen the hospital bills of those admitted.

“We want to dispel this notion that when it is a private hospital, it is expensive. In orde
r not to discourage the public from seeking medical attention from private hospitals, we give attention by allocating funds to it. AKB is here to support and provide assistance,” Bongalon said.

Wilfredo Casia, Jonop barangay captain, in his message, thanked the AKB for the assistance.

“This is a big help for all of us. Health is very important to everyone. With this mission, we save a lot from our budget, from the transportation cost, checkups, and doctors’ fees up to the medicines, not to mention the free laboratories you also offered, so thank you so much AKB,” he said.

Apart from the medical and dental services, job fairs, free massages, haircuts, manicures and pedicures, entertainment for children and free meals and bread were also provided to the residents.

AKB targets over 13,000 residents in the six provinces of the Bicol region to be catered to by the caravan for 2024.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Expect a bigger and more exciting men’s tournament when the Spikers’ Turf kicks off its season with the Open Conference on March 13 at the Paco Arena in Manila.

Nine teams, led by defending champion Cignal, are seeing action in the tournament organized by Sports Vision Management Group Inc.

Out to stop Cignal’s bid for another win are D’Navigators, Maverick, PGJC-Navy, Philippine Air Force, RichMarc Sports, Savouge Aesthetics, VNS Nasty and newly-formed Criss Cross.

Aside from the Paco Arena, games will also be held at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, the Ynares Sports Arena in Antipolo City, and at the Santa Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna.

Tournament director Mozzy Ravena is optimistic about the growth and vision for men’s volley, noting the league’s commitment to provide fans with a more extensive and thrilling tournament.

‘It’s going to be a bigger and more exciting men’s tournament. To many of us here, it was just a dream before. It’s just a dream, as
much as we appreciate the women’s game, to increase its popularity,’ Ravena said during Friday’s press conference at Discovery Suites Ortigas.

‘That is the vision that we’ve always had years and years ago. Internationally, you all know the men’s game is really popular, so it’s about time that we follow,” she added.

Spikers’ Turf president Alyssa Valdez, Creamline’s ace player in the Premier Volleyball League, noted that the teams this year are very solid.

‘One thing that’s different this year that the teams are very solid – with definitely quality games. Hopefully, that will be the reason for fans to watch, support and appreciate men’s volleyball,’ Valdez said.

Tournament format is a single-round prelims with the top four moving to the semifinals, also a single-round robin phase.

The top two teams will figure in a best-of-three final series, while the battle for the bronze medal is also a best-of-three series.

To ensure wide coverage, games will be broadcasted live on One Sports and One Sports+ with str
eaming available on the Pilipinas Live App.

Sienna Olaso, Cignal’s vice president for channels and content management, assured fans of an engaging broadcast plan.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Over 1 million Filipinos have already applied to become registered voters for the May 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE) barely a month after registrations started.

Latest data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) revealed that 1,027,572 individuals have submitted their applications from Feb. 12 to March 6.

The highest number of applicants was recorded in Calabarzon (Region 4-A) with 187,372, followed by National Capital Region with 156,990; Central Luzon (Region 3) with 111,681; Central Visayas (Region 7) with 79,552; and Davao Region (Region 11) with 63,998.

The regions with the lowest number of registrants are the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with 11,403; Mimaropa (Region 4-B) with 20,554; and Caraga (Region 13) with 28,070.

The poll body projected that some 3 million individuals will apply to become registered voters during the seven-month voter registration period that will end on Sept. 30, 2024.

Meanwhile, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they will only hold a plebis
cite for the creation or division of municipalities until July this year, as they continue to prepare for the May 2025 polls.

‘Ibig sabihin kung hindi aabot at hindi magiging mabilis ang proseso, hindi na po namin makakayang magdaos ng isang plebesito lampas ng July ng 2024 (It means that if the process is not expedited, we will not be able to hold plebiscites beyond July 2024),’ he said in an interview.

‘Ang Comelec ay nasa kainitan at taas ng paghahanda namin para sa 2025 national and local polls, at may posibilidad, base sa mga ugong-ugong, na plebisito para sa pagbabago ng Saligang Batas (The Comelec is in the midst of preparation for the 2025 national and local polls, and there is the possibility, based on reports, of a plebiscite for the amendment of the Constitution),’ Garcia added.

Incidentally, the Comelec will be holding a plebiscite on Saturday in Marawi City for the proposed creation of three additional barangays.

Registered voters numbering to 2,265 in Barangays Patani, Kilala and Dulay Prope
r will be voting if they are in favor or not of creating Barangays Sultan Corobong, Sultan Panoroganan, and Angoyao.

The voting period will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to be held in eight clustered precincts in three voting centers.

After the end of voting hours, the counting of votes shall immediately commence, to be followed by the canvassing of plebiscite returns and the proclamation of the result.

Under the proposal, Barangay Sultan Corobong is to be taken from the mother Barangay of Dulay Proper; Barangay Sultan Panoroganan from the mother Barangay of Kilala; and Barangay Angoyao from the mother Barangay of Patani.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The House of Representatives expects the Senate to approve proposed amendments to the constitution’s restrictive economic provisions.

Speaker Martin Romualdez believes Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri will do everything to convince his colleagues to agree to the changes.

‘We understand the challenges, pero (but) the Senate has always lived up to the challenge. Magagaling ‘yung mga senador natin (Our senators god) and I know that they know what is good for our people,’ Romualdez told reporters in an ambush interview during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Philippine Cancer Center in Quezon City on Friday.

Zubiri earlier said that getting the needed 18 votes in the Senate for the economic amendment proposals ‘is a big challenge’ but ‘not impossible.’

The House of Representatives is expected to approve the Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 7 before the Lenten break starts on March 23.

Meawnhile, Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera reiterated full support to amend the economic
provisions.

Herrera cited circumvention through internal arrangements between local and foreign business partners as her main reason.

“In our experience here in Congress, we have conducted hearings and investigations on foreign ownership restrictions, but we also see internal arrangements that do not truly reflect the partnership between foreign and local entities,” she said in a news release.

She said the discrepancy between official regulations and internal agreements often leads to legal disputes.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CAGAYAN: The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) will meet with officials of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) to resolve its water rate dispute with bulk water supplier Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Inc. (COBI).

In a statement Friday, Acting LWUA chief Eileen Dela Vega clarified that it was not the agency but the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) that oversaw contract negotiations between COWD and COBI.

“We were not part of the negotiations. Our role now is to (address) the impact of the water rate hike on consumers, which we regulate,” Dela Vega said.

Under the joint venture (JV) guidelines of the National Economic and Development Authority, which was the basis of COWD and COBI contract, LWUA is not required to approve the contract, she said.

In a separate statement, Mayor Rolando Uy said he is not against a water rate increase as long as it is justified, and the public is satisfied with the water provider’s services.

COBI has set over PHP3 water rate hike amid the PHP426 mil
lion debt it is trying to collect from COWD.

Uy said any water rate increase should take into account the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Under the contract signed between COWD and COBI in 2017, COBI is allowed to impose an incremental rate increase of over PHP3 every three years.

COWD general manager Antonio Young said the Board rejected the rate increase because of the pandemic’s impact on the local economy.

COWD charges its consumers PHP16.60 per cubic meter daily, while COBI bills COWD PHP20.57 per cubic meter of water, or a difference of PHP3.97.

COBI is a joint venture between majority owner Metro Pacific Inc. Investments Corp. and COWD, which holds a 5 percent stake in COBI. It is one of COWD’s eight bulk water suppliers.

Source: Philippines News Agency