Philippine Information Agency Central Visayas

  DICT-7 Regional Director Frederick DC. Amores (L) together with DICT-7 Cyber Security focal person Engr. Royden Rusiana (R) during the press conference in Cebu City. (MSH/PIA Cebu) CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — After the recent discovery of an alleged scam hub in Cebu’s I.T. Park, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in Central Visayas is reminding the public to remain vigilant and practice critical thinking to avoid falling victim to scams. “We have to exercise critical thinking tinuod ba gyud ni (whether this is really true). If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true. Let’s all be careful,” said DICT regional director Frederick DC. Amores. Amores emphasized the importance of cybersecurity awareness, warning that even the most advanced security systems can be rendered ineffective if individuals are not mindful of potential threats. “Bisa’g unsa pa nga restriction nga i-base, if the people are not cognizant of the risk, naa’y gipadala nga email, ...

  The winners of the Young Farmers Challenge 2024 pose for a photo together with the Department of Agriculture 7 officials. (RGC/PIA7 Cebu) C EBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas is encouraging young entrepreneurs to engage in agriculture and fishery businesses. This as DA noted that the demand for farmers has increased while the number of Filipinos going into farming is decreasing. “As we can see, the demand for farmers has increased. So, we can see that our farmers are moving away from their farms because they want to go to the city or other places to farm,” said DA-7 Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division chief Aurea M. Madrio. Madrio said the average age of farmers in the country is 54 years old, which shows the aging population of farmers and the need to encourage more people, especially the youth, to go into the agri-fishery sector. He said young Filipinos can spearhead entrepreneurial initiatives and transform their business ideas i...

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas has announced that applications for minors traveling abroad are now exclusively processed online. Starting February 2025, the Centralized Processing Office – Minors Traveling Abroad (CPO-MTA) will process applications exclusively through its online platform at mta.dswd.gov.ph. DSWD7 Children Sector focal person Ligaya Dael said the shift to online processing aims to streamline the issuance of travel clearances for minors. “We can provide assistance on the online application process if they go to our office since it is still in a transition period but it is still online,” Dael said during the recent Kapihan sa PIA forum. She explained that a Minor Travel Abroad (MTA) clearance is required when a child travels outside the country without their biological or adoptive parents, or legal guardians. “Ang tuyo ug tumong aning pagkuha sa travel clearance is para jud sa ilang proteksyon kay k...

  Deonesia Manubag of the City of Naga, Cebu, bought P20-per-kilo of rice on the city’s first day of selling the affordable rice under the “Benteng Bigas Meron Na! (BBM Na!)” program. (PIA7) CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The City of Naga is eyeing to sustain the P20/kilo rice program initiated by the national government by subsidizing the cost of 10 kilos of rice per month for each family in their area. City of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong said they aim to sustain the program for the 50,000 target families in the city. “I just hope, mangita mi’g paagi og di gane ni ma-sustain in 2 months, we will be writing the Office of the President na we will do the subsidy but the intention there is ang rice nga among pang ibaligya, ang kaya namo is 10 kilos every month for the targeted families,”  Chiong said. (We will look for ways for this program to be sustained. If this cannot be sustained in 2 months, we will write to the Office of the President that we will cover the subsidy, but we can onl...

  DENR-7 Development Management Officer II Laverna Jade Siarot and Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS) Ecosystems Management Specialist Joselito Francis Alcaria present the line-up of activities for the 2025 Month of the Ocean celebration during the Kapihan sa PIA forum on May 14, 2025 in Cebu. (PIA7) CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 7 will mark the 27th anniversary of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS) on May 27. According to TSPS ecosystems management specialist Joselito Francis Alcaria, DENR plays a vital role in managing the Tañon Strait’s expansive 534,589.04-hectare marine ecosystem. One of the largest marine protected areas in the Philippines, the Tañon Strait belongs to the ecoregion with the highest marine diversity in the world. The strait has 18,000 hectares of coral reefs and 5,000 hectares of mangroves. Because of its high productivity, the strait is a favorable cetacean habitat and it serves as a f...

  (L-R) PRO7 Spokesperson Police Col. Arvie Aserre Paraon-Bueno, LTO7 Assistant Regional Director Arturo R. Apolinar, LTO7  Chief of Intelligence Unit Hakam Y. Nepomuceno, PCG Command Center Central Visayas Director Lt. j.g. Abel Jan V. Lomboy, and LTFRB7 Transportation Development Officer and Information Officer Eugenio Ibo, Jr. discussing their security measures during the observance of Holy Week. (JJT/PIA7) CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – Over 2,000 police personnel have been deployed across Central Visayas to ensure public safety in anticipation of the upcoming summer vacation. “Yung deployment po namin nakalatag sa places of convergence. Sa mga place of worship, major thoroughfares, commercial areas, and transportation hubs,”  said Police Regional Office 7 (PRO-7) spokesperson Police Col. Arvie Aserre Paraon-Bueno during the Kapihan sa PIA forum in Cebu. (Our deployment is in areas of convergence—such as places of worship, major roads, commercial areas, and transportation hu...

  Si LTO-7 Assistant Regional Director Arturo R. Apolinar (center) atol sa gipahigayon nga Kapihan sa PIA program niadtong Abril 10 sa Cebu City. (JAT/PIA7 Cebu) CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) –   Gipahimangnoan sa Land Transportation Office – Central Visayas (LTO-7) ang tanang mga motorista, drayber, ug operators sa mga pampubliko ug pribadong sakyanan nga magbyahe karong Semana Santa nga magmatngon ug magbantay sa ilang seguridad ug kaluwasan sa kadalanan. Sumala sa LTO-7, nagpakatap sila ug mga law enforcers sa tanang mga terminal ug seaport sa tibuok rehiyon aron masiguro ang hapsay ug luwas nga pagbyahe sa mga pasahero karong umaabot nga Semana Santa. Atol sa gipahigayon nga Kapihan sa PIA niadtong Abril 10, si LTO-7 chief sa Intelligence and Investigation Unit Hakam Y. Nepomuceno miingon nga ang ilang ahensya nagpatuman usab og random drug ug liquor testing sa mga drayber aron masiguro nga walay mobyahe nga drayber nga ubos sa impluwensya sa ilegal nga droga ug sa ilimnong makahu...

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — The Department of Health in Central Visayas is urging the public to report suspected cases of measles to the nearest health office in their community.  “We are requesting stakeholders, partners, and even communities to report any suspected cases. Information dissemination should not be limited to health care professionals but must reach down to the smallest units of the community,” said Ruff Vincent Valdivieso, a nurse at the Central Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-CVCHD). Valdivieso said that among the Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs) in the country, DOH is focusing on measles as it is the most contagious.  “Among all the other VPDs, we are focused more on measles. Measles is the most contagious among the VPDs. So, kung ma-stop nato ang pinakapaspas mo-transmit, mahinay pud nato ang transmission sa other VPDs,” he said. (If we can stop the fastest-spreading one, we can also slow down the transmission of the other VPDs.) A single in...

  More than 3,000 establishments in Cebu have already registered with the Emergency Alert Button App created by the Police Regional Office 7 as a crime deterrent tool. The PRO7 is the first among all regional police offices nationwide to come up with an emergency app. (PIA7) CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – With just one tap, the plan to commit a crime is thwarted after an instant alert is sent to the police with a response time of less than five minutes.   This is the purpose of the first Emergency Alert Button App designed by the Police Regional Office  7, which was created as an alert system for business establishments to seek police assistance during emergencies.  The initiative of the PRO-7 to maximize the use of technology to curb crimes received praise from the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).  MCCI chairperson Mark Anthony Ynoc lauded the PRO7’s move to apply technology in stifling criminal acts because peace and order is a precursor to entic...

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) — Residents and visitors in Central Visayas are advised to take precautions against extreme heat as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has warned of potentially dangerous heat conditions in the coming months.  According to the Visayas Pagasa Regional Services Division (VPRSD), the region’s heat index is forecast to reach the danger level category by the end of April and throughout May 2025. The heat index measures how hot it actually feels when humidity is combined with air temperature. “In the coming months, higher na ang atong heat index. Ato nang gi forecast na ang Central Visayas o Negros Island Region, ma reach nato ang danger level category at the end of April and May,” said VPRSD Weather Specialist Jhomer C. Eclarino during the recent Response Cluster meeting of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC7).    (Our heat index will go higher. Our forecast is t...

  CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) —  The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is urging fishermen and local government units (LGUs) to comply with the regulations set by the government for catching Blue Swimming Crabs (BSC).  The BFAR, Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued Joint Administrative Order 01 which outlines the regulations for catching BSC to prevent overfishing of the crabs.  The order sets conditions that must be followed by fishermen and mandates LGUs to ensure the updated registration of fishermen who belong to the crab fisheries sector.  “The registration will help facilitate the active monitoring of the fishermen’s sea operations, especially concerning the catching of the Blue Swimming Crab,” explained Alberto G. Simbajon Jr., officer in charge for Enforcement and Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Operation Center of BFAR Central Visayas.  During the recent Coastal...