Philippine Information Agency Central Visayas

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The number of drug-affected barangays in Central Visayas has significantly decreased over the past few years, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 7.  The drug affectation rate in the region dropped to 40.59 percent in 2023 from 48.05 percent in 2022. During the recent Regional Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (RLECC) Meeting here, PDEA reported that the drug affectation rate in the region has seen a continued decline for the past six years, from 90.81 percent in 2017 to 40.59 percent in 2023.  This means around 60 percent of the total barangays in the region have already been declared to be either drug-cleared or drug-free. Of the total 3,033 barangays in Central Visayas, there are now only 1,219 barangays considered to be drug-affected. In Central Visayas, Negros Oriental logged the highest drug affectation rate with 53.77 percent, followed by Bohol with 39.77 percent, Cebu with 36.77 percent, and Siquijor province with zero or no

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) -- Seafood vendors were given the opportunity to market their food products directly to Cebuano consumers during the recent Seafood Kadiwa ng Pangulo conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7. Kriza Yangan, 49, owner of Kriza Yangan’s Dried Fish, was happy to join the seafood fair where she was able to sell her goods as well as promote her products.   “Niapil ko aning Kadiwa aron mahibaw ang mga tao nga ang akong baligya nga mga buwad dili parat unya barato ra. Makabenepisyo pud sila kay kining akong tinda barato,”  said Yangan. (I joined this Kadiwa to let people know that the dried fish I sell are not only affordable but also not too salty. They can benefit from my reasonably priced products.) She said the Kadiwa is one way for her small business to gain more and help augment her income.   “Makatabang ni nga programa sa BFAR nga mapahibaw ang mga tao sa akong gamay nga negosyo unya makadugang sad ni sa akong income,"  she said. (

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- Ang Bol-anong pintor nga si Elvin Perocho Vitor makadawat sa nabantog sa tibuok kalibotan nga  Leonardo da Vinci International Art Prize  karong Abril 14 sa Milan, Italy. Ang iyang  "Bulawanong Bol-anon Series"   nga mga dibuho, uban sa iyang nakadaog nga obra, ang 53×89-pulgada,  hyper-surreal  nga hulagway sa kaubang Boholano nga pintor ug  environmentalist nga si Pedro Angco , nakapadayeg sa mga hurado sa pag-angkon sa prestihiyosong award. Ang  Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts  gihatag sa mga inila nga mga artist kansang trabaho naglangkob sa usa ka mahinungdanon nga kontribusyon sa  artistic  nga kabilin sa kalibotan pinaagi sa internasyonal nga mga artist nga miyembro sa  World Cultural Council. Si Vitor bag-o lang namatikdan  online  ug sa internasyonal nga komunidad tungod sa iyang  hyper- surrealistic oil paintings  nga mao ang ' Madagayaong Takna'  ug  'Handuraw Sa Bulawanong Damgo.' Atol sa pagbukas sa  Arts Mo

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- Ang tulo ka adlaw nga  Kadiwa ng Pangulo  sa lalawigan sa Bohol nakamugna og kinatibuk-ang halin nga kapin sa P1.1 milyon gikan sa  108 ka exhibitors  niini niadtong Marso 15-17. Gitaho atol sa  post-event meeting  niadtong Marso 20 sa Kapitolyo ni  supervising administrative officer  sa Gobernador’s Office Metodio Maraguinot Jr., nga nikabat sa P1,171,419.70 ang kita sa tulo ka adlaw nga dagan sa KADIWA. Ang maong  agri ug trade fair  nakadani og 13,598 ka pumapalit sumala sa taho sa  Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),  ang partner nga ahensya nga gitahasan sa pagkonsolida sa mga taho. Ang unang edisyon sa Kadiwa ng Pangulo gipangunahan sa kagamhanang probinsyal sa pakigtambayayong sa DTI,  Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), ug Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD). Ang mga exhibitors mao ang mga  micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)  

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- Gihatagan og pagtagad sa  Department of Health (DOH)  ang pagdaghan karon sa kaso sa tipdas pinaagi sa gibag-o ug gipakusog nga kampanya sa pagbakuna aron mabakunahan ang daghang mga Pilipino. Gi-awhag usab sa DOH ang publiko nga aktibong moapil sa pakiglambigit sa komunidad ug mga kalihokan sa komunikasyon sa departamento agig suporta sa nagpadayon nga pagbakuna sa tipdas. Sa taho sa  Task Force El Niño , si DOH Kalihim Teodoro J. Herbosa miingon nga ang ahensya nagtukod niadtong Marso 13 og usa ka  national DOH Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) , uban sa suporta ug tabang gikan sa  World Health Organization  ( WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), ug ang United States Center for Disease Control (USCDC). Si Herbosa, kinsa sakop sa  presidential task force,  niingon nga ang PHEOC nag -supervise sa on-the-ground response  nga mga aktibidad aron mapugngan ang mga kaso sa tipdas. Target sa DOH nga mabak

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- About a thousand workers in the city have benefited from the emergency employment program under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). DOLE has partnered with the Dumaguete City government to provide emergency employment to marginalized residents to alleviate their economic difficulties. According to DOLE information officer Raizza Rubia, the agency has distributed P4.5 million to the beneficiaries after they rendered community services for 10 days.  TUPAD worker Mary Antonette Ramirez, 48, from Barangay Looc said the program has been a big help in addressing the financial needs of her family. “Ako manilhig ko gikan sa dalan sa boulevard padung ngadto sa pantalan mga 10 ka adlaw,”  said Ramirez.  (I swept the streets along the boulevard up to the sea port for 10 days.)  In an interview with the Philippine Information Agency, Ramirez said the money she earned

  Turnover ceremony of ECLIP packages and other assistance to former rebels led by Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel "Chaco" Sagarbarria (center, standing) together with Department of the Interior and Local Government Provincial Director Farah Gentuya (7th from left, standing) on March 20, 2024 at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office in Sibulan town. (PIA Negros Oriental/Photo from Philippine Army) SIBULAN, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- Fourteen former rebels of the New People’s Army (NPA) have received financial aid from the government after they returned to the folds of the law. Together with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria distributed checks and assistance packages amounting to P910,000 to help the former rebels rebuild their lives. During the distribution held in Sibulan town, 13 former NPA rebels and one Militia ng Bayan (MB) member each received  P50,000 worth of livelihood assistance and  P15,000 as immediate assista

  TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- The Kadiwa ng Pangulo rolled out in Bohol this month with 123 total exhibitors who sold quality goods at affordable prices for Boholanos and tourists at the old Tagbilaran City Airport.  The three-day fair featured 53 agri producers, 24 One Town-One Product (OTOP) handicraft products, and 46 food and refreshments stalls.  Unlike in other areas where the Kadiwa agri fairs are held for one day only, Bohol opted to hold it for three days and will be done every 15th and 30th of the month, said Provincial Administrator Aster Caberte.  This will allow farmers from remote agricultural communities and the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to have a longer time to sell their products directly to consumers, save on transportation costs and logistics, as well as establish linkages with government agencies for product enhancement and development.  “At the end of the day, it is our aspiration that farmers get  mataas na kita  (higher sales),” said Caberte

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) -- The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) urged the remaining depositors of the closed Metro-Cebu Public Savings Bank to file their deposit insurance claims until April 1, 2024.  The Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) issued Resolution No. 434.E on March 31, 2022 ordering the closure of the Metro-Cebu Public Savings Bank. PDIC then took over to conduct liquidation of the bank on April 1, 2022 in accordance to the amended Section 12 of RA No. 3591.  Depositors are given two years since the takeover to file deposit insurance claims with the PDIC.  The agency disclosed there are still 254 deposit accounts with total insured deposits amounting to P2.5 million that have yet to file for deposit insurance claims.  As of January 31, 2024, PDIC already paid 98 percent of the bank’s total insured deposits, which is P177.9 million. To process the claim, depositors should download and accomplish the Claim Form from the PDIC through the link

  L-R: Siquijor Provincial Science & Technology Director Engr. Mario E. de la Peña, DepEd Siquijor Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Rosalie Pasaol, and Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Juliet Tuala during the MOA signing for the STARBOOKS project between DOST Siquijor and DepEd Division of Siquijor. (DOST photo) SIQUIJOR, Siquijor (PIA) – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently signed an agreement with 69 public elementary schools and nine public high schools here for the rollout of the Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly-Operated KioskS (STARBOOKS) program.  The partnership aims to boost science, technology, and research education in the province.  The MOA signing was done by Siquijor Provincial Science and Technology Director Mario E. de la Peña and the heads of the schools.  This initiative aims to bridge the information gap in Siquijor's schools by providing students with accessible and interactive learning resources on

  DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) -- The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has rolled out its “Bumbero sa Barangay” program in nine fire-prone villages here to strengthen their linkage with the community and enhance their capacity on fire safety and prevention. The program aims to develop resiliency and promote fire protection in the barangays through immersion of firefighters, conduct of advocacy campaigns, and pre-fire planning, said BFP Provincial Fire Marshall Supt. Noel Nelson Ababon in a recent Kapihan sa PIA forum.  The deployment of firefighters is also part of BFP’s “Oplan Ligtas na Pamayanan” flagship program. The identified fire-prone areas in the city are barangays Bagacay, Bajumpandan, Banilad, Calindagan, Looc, Daro, Piapi, and Talay as due to its high population density. One fireman will be assigned in each barangay.  Ababon explained that firefighters will identify which areas or structures in the barangay are vulnerable to fire and scout potential evacuation center