AFTERMATH. Department of Agriculture personnel assess the damage to agriculture following the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Florita. The initial damage recorded in Ilocos Region has so far reached PHP26.5 million. (Photo courtesy of DA Ilocos Region) SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - The amount of damage that Severe Tropical Storm Florita brought to agriculture, fisheries and agricultural infrastructures in the province stood at PHP35.5 million as of Aug. 26, the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAG) in La Union reported. "Majority of the crops affected was the palay or rice while for agri-infrastructure, the damage was more on the irrigation canals and some farm-to-market roads," said Pau Navarro, La Union Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office staff, in a phone interview on Friday, citing OPAG report. Navarro said the initial damage to fisheries amounted to PHP4.7 million. "These were caused by heavy rains and flooding in the province due to th
ASSISTANCE. Beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program from Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental receive their assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in March 2022. All recipients of the program are monitored by their respective local governments to determine the technical assistance they need for referral to concerned government agencies.(Photo courtesy of Maricar Calubiran) ILOILO CITY - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided over PHP25 million in transitory support family package (TSFP) and livelihood settlement grant to 388 families of the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program in Western Visayas (Region 6) during the first half of 2022. DSWD 6 Promotive Services Division Chief Luna Moscoso, in a phone interview on Friday, said 106 of the target 500 families assessed last year received their support package. Subsequently, 101 of them were provided with livelihood grants, amounting to PHP9 million. As of
NEW BORACAY. The white sand beach of the newly-rehabilitated Boracay Island in this undated photo. Direct flights coming from Incheon, South Korea are expected to boost foreign arrivals on the island between the third and fourth quarter of 2022, according to Tourism Regional Director for Western Visayas Cristine Mansinares on Friday (June 17, 2022).(Photo courtesy of DENR Region VI) ILOILO CITY - A direct commercial flight from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea carrying 148 passengers bound for Boracay Island is expected to arrive via Kalibo International Airport (KIA) early Saturday morning. Tourism Regional Director for Western Visayas Cristine Mansinares, in a phone interview on Friday, said starting June 18 until October 29, 2022 there will be two airline companies that will serve tourists from Incheon Airport to the white beach island via KIA. The first commercial airline, Air Seoul, is set to touchdown at 12:06 a.m on Saturday, while the second commercial airlin
SWINE REPOPULATION. Black pigs are raised by the Department of Agriculture at an animal breeding center in Baguio City in this file photo from the first quarter of 2022. The pigs will be used in the agency's pig dispersal program. (PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot) BAGUIO CITY - Communities identified as special areas for agricultural development (SAAD) and have been tagged as African swine fever (ASF)-free are tapped for the repopulation program of the Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR). DA-CAR regional director Cameron Odsey, in a phone interview on Friday, said "piglet dispersal" is among the activities done under the SAAD program. "Nagbibigay tayo ng piglet at mga pagkain para makapagpalaki ang residents (We give piglets and feeds to allow residents to raise the animals). Kapag nanganak (when it gives birth), the resident is asked to return a female piglet which we again distribute to the others who are interested in hog raising,
(File photo) BAGUIO CITY - The Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PROCOR) said it is now keeping a close watch on the two local government units (LGUs) in the regions (CAR) which are classified as "red areas" for the May 9 polls. Capt. Marnie Abellanida, PROCOR information officer, in a phone interview on Friday, said as of the end of January, Tabuk City and the town of Lubuagan in Kalinga have been placed under the red category. "They were placed under red category due to the recent incidents which are election-related," he said. He, however, said they are now checking the details of the incidents that prompted the declaration. Based on the guidelines of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), "areas shall be placed under category red immediately if an existence of one or more factors under category yellow combined with serious armed threats stated under category orange." Areas under yellow category are those that have a history of election-related inciden