DAVAO CITY - A total of 22 families who were enrolled in the government's Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) program will each receive a maximum of PHP50,000 in livelihood settlement grant once they return to the municipality of Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte. Mart Sambalud, town information officer, said Tuesday they were just waiting for the confirmation of the returning families' arrival in their town. "There is no advice on their arrival yet, but it is currently being processed," he told Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday. Sambalud said one family had availed of the BP2 assistance when they arrived in the town in April this year. He added that the Sto. Tomas local government unit (LGU) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) earlier inked a memorandum of agreement to formally implement the BP2 program in the town. "We are thankful to DSWD because we became an implementer of the BP2 program. The help you extend to the families will hel
DAVAO CITY - The municipality of Sto. Tomas in Davao del Norte has ordered the closure of some private and all public cemeteries from October 30 to November 4. "We have mentioned about the closure of some private cemetery because it is located in front of a public cemetery and we seek its closure to control the people from coming in. It will serve as a choke point to avoid mass gathering," Mart Sambalud, Sto. Tomas information officer, told Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday. He said other private cemeteries in the town are still under construction and development phase so they are not included in the closure order. Sambalud said the recommendation was based on the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) resolution ordering the closure of private and public cemeteries on the said dates. "The public will be allowed to visit their loved ones before October 30 and November 5 onwards," he added. Sambalud added that children aged 15 years