DAVAO CITY - The Department of Trade and Industry in Davao Region (DTI-11) has poured over PHP1.5 million for the Matching Grant Agreement (MGA) under the agency's Rural Agro-Industrial Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) project in the region. DTI-11 Director Maria Belenda Ambi said Tuesday the agency will invest in the construction of a mechanical dryer and various business development support for the Biao Agrarian Beneficiaries Cooperative (BARBCO) of Purok Manga, Barangay Talandang in Davao City. Ambi said the initiative is expected to benefit three cooperatives and hundreds of farmers in the area. "The interventions are designed to improve the association's efficiency and capacity in trading dried fermented cacao beans (DFCB) as well as in the production of cacao products. These are expected to improve its business profitability and sustainability," she said. Meanwhile, the DTI-11 said that 262 smallholder cacao farmers of the Southern
FRESH MANDATE. Elected Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez delivers her inaugural speech on Thursday (June 30, 2022). Fernandez won against former Mayor Marc Brian Lim. (Photo courtesy of Hilda Austria) DAGUPAN CITY - The tricycle permit, regulatory, and franchise fee here will be free for the operators from July 2022 to 2025 as part of the campaign promise of newly-elected Mayor Belen Fernandez. In a speech on her inauguration on Thursday, Fernandez thanked the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod for passing the ordinance revising a portion of the revenue code of the city to give way to the request of tricycle drivers and operators. "With the help of our friends in Sanggunian, we were able to deliver some of our promises," she said referring to the moratorium on the franchise and other fees for tricycle drivers and operators. In the past, aside from the franchise fee that was valid for three years, operators and drivers still had to pay the regulatory fees like mayor's
INVESTMENT. The Strategic Alliance Holdings Incorporated, a company based in Bayambang town, Pangasinan, and the US-based GR8 Seas Holdings Inc/GR8 Eco Solutions Corporation sign a memorandum of agreement for the establishment of a battery cell manufacturing plant in Pangasinan on Wednesday (June 29, 2022). The provincial government and the municipal government of Bayambang welcomed the project. (Screenshot from Province of Pangasinan's Facebook page) BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan - A $40-million battery manufacturing plant will soon be established in this town and is expected to provide livelihood and boost the town's economy. The Strategic Alliance Holdings Incorporated, a company based in this town, has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with US-based GR8 Sea Holdings Inc/GR8 Eco Solutions Corporation for the establishment of a battery cell manufacturing plant. Based on the MOA obtained on Thursday, the two companies will put up commercial facilities on a five-hectare land for t
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (Screengrab from QC government Facebook page) MANILA - Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has assured constituents that the city's social services program will be further expanded to guarantee assistance for all those in need. Belmonte detailed her plans for the city for the next three years during her inauguration speech after she took her oath as the reelected city mayor on Wednesday. "Every year, we progressively increase the budget dedicated to social services. Nagsimula tayo sa PHP9.8 billion na budget nong 2019. Ngayong 2022, halos doble ng budget na yan ang inilaan natin para sa mga programang direktang sumasagot sa mga pangangailangan ng mga mamamayan (We started with a PHP9.8 billion budget in 2019, and now in 2022, we have almost doubled the budget for programs that will directly address the needs of our citizen)," she said. She added the PHP16.1-billion budget for social services which the city intends to keep on increasing in the nex
INFO DRIVE. The Army's 84th Infantry Battalion conducts an information and education campaign to counter the deceptive recruitment strategies of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), particularly among the indigenous peoples. Some 45 Dumagat and Aeta tribe members attended the information drive conducted in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija on Monday (June 13, 2022). (Photo courtesy of 7ID, PA) BALER, Aurora - The Philippine Army is stepping up its information and education drive to counter the deceptive recruitment strategies of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), particularly among the indigenous peoples (IP). Col. Enrico Gil C. Ileto, commander of the 84th Infantry Battalion (84IB) under the 7ID, said on Wednesday that aside from students, the IPs are among the most vulnerable sectors for deception and exploitation by the communist terrorist groups (CTGs). To save the IPs from CTGs' recruitment and exploitation,