Philippine Information Agency Central Visayas

No membership or registration fees should be collected from individuals hoping to benefit from President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s (PBBM) Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program. Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar stressed this during a recent interview amid reports of unscrupulous individuals using the national housing program to collect payments from the unsuspecting public. “Marami hong kumakalat na akala po binabayaran ang membership para makapagpalista sa ‘Pambansang Pabahay.’ Hindi po kami humihingi na anumang bayad at mismong local government unit (LGU) po ang nakikipag-usap tungkol d’yan,” Secretary Acuzar said. “Kaya dapat sa local government po dumiretso [ang mga interesado] dahil sa LGUs rin naman po namin ipapasa ang matatapos naming projects,” he added. Secretary Acuzar likewise emphasized that interested beneficiaries do not need to be members of housing associations or groups in order to be part of PBB...

  BERSALES (right, with Deputy Executive Director Lolito Tacardon and POPCOM officials): I would like to go further than the data, and get to know the faces that comprise the numbers. POPCOM FILE PHOTO The Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) marked a new era for the Philippine Population and Development Program by welcoming its 13th executive director (ED) in the person of Dr. Lisa Grace S. Bersales. Expressing her appreciation and delight in joining the agency, Bersales conveyed her goal of steering POPCOM in further fulfilling its mandate through the ongoing programs on family planning and reproductive health, adolescent health and development, as well as population and development (POPDEV) integration. “We will look into empirical-based decisions on the PPDP: where to start, and what to prioritize in accordance with the new Philippine Development Plan,” the new POPDEV undersecretary revealed. “Data and statistics will be used as the basis for prioritizing, for focu...

 Anaa sa trayntay tres (33) ka mga agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) sa lalawigan sa Sugbo ang nakadawat sa kinatibuk-ang 26.53 ka ektarya nga agricultural lands gikan sa Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Ang mga yuta nga gipang-apod-apod gikan sa mga lungsod sa Barili, nga naglangkob sa 12.68 ka ektarya nga giapod-apod ngadto sa 11 ka ARB; lungsod sa Badian, nga adunay 7.27 ektarya ngadto sa 14 ka ARBs; ug Argao, nga adunay 6.58 ektarya ngadto sa walo (8) ka ARBs. “Nalipay kaayo mi nga nadawat na namo ang mga titulo sa yuta sa mga properties nga gitikad sa among mga katigulangan sa daghang katuigan. Daghang salamat sa DAR,” matod ni Nick Manigos, usa sa mga recepient nga naggikan sa lungsod sa Barili. Kini nga aktibidad subay sa direktiba nga gimando ni Presidente Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., ngadto kang DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, nga mapadali ang pag-apod-apod sa mga yuta ngadto sa mga mag-uuma nga walay yuta. Si Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Grace Fua,...

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) will accept bids for 45 residential and commercial lots located in various provinces of Luzon and Visayas on its e-bidding portal at https://assetsforsale.pdic.gov.ph starting at 9:00 am on January 19, 2023 until 1:00 pm on January 20, 2023, and shall be opened at 2:00 pm on January 20, 2023.  To be sold on an “as-is, where-is” basis and with a total minimum disposal price of P121.2 million, these properties are owned by PDIC or closed banks under liquidation by PDIC and located in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Iloilo, Laguna, Leyte, Marinduque, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Pangasinan, Quezon, and Rizal. These include 28 residential lots, 12 residential lots with improvements, three commercial lots with improvements, and two subdivision/residential lots. Property sizes range from 25 to 27,398 square meters with minimum disposal prices between P25,000 and P54.8 million. For interested buyers, a one-time registration on the PDI...

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is moving forward its crackdown on unauthorized and abusive online lending activities, starting this year’s campaign with several individuals operating unregistered online lending applications. In a joint operation on Feb. 12, the combined forces of the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department (EIPD) and the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) successfully implemented a warrant to search, seize and examine computer data in Cashtrees Lending Corporation’s office in Pasig City. The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46 issued the search warrant against Cashtrees Lending for misuse of device penalized under Section 4(a)(5)(i)(ii) of Republic Act No. 10275, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, in operating unregistered online lending applications in violation of Republic Act No. 9474, or the Lending Company Regulation Act (LCRA). The onsite digital forensic examination on the seized devices showed that the e...

TESDA Sec. Isidro Lapeña speaking during the launching of the HVAC Training Center inside the TESDA-7 Compound in Cebu City. (PIA7) CEBU CITY – More Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) scholars in the Heating, Ventilation, and Air conditioning (HVAC) sector are set to benefit from the agency’s continued partnership with a Japanese air conditioning company.  On May 18, TESDA Sec. Isidro Lapeña, together with Daikin Philippines President Takayoshi Miki, announced the establishment of the HVAC Training Center inside the TESDA-7 Compound in Cebu City, the second in the Philippines. The HVAC Training Center in Cebu City is part of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between TESDA and Daikin Philippines which was signed on July 15, 2021. The first HVAC Training Center was opened in December 2021 inside the TESDA Complex in Taguig City. TESDA-7, as part of the agreement, will give a facility in the Regional Training Center (RTC) Cebu that Daikin will renovate into a...

  (From left) USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn and US Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava join Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez, Philippine Climate Change Commission Commissioner Albert dela Cruz, and Catholic Relief Services Country Representative Karen Janes Ungar at the formal launch of the Php750-million ($15 million) Climate Resilient Cities project. (Contributed photo) MANILA, March 11, 2022 -- On March 10, the United States (US) government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), formally launched a new project to build climate resilience in the Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.  Initially announced during the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in October 2021, the five-year, P750-million ($15 million) Climate Resilient Cities project will help Philippine cities adapt to, mitigate, and endure the impacts of climate change by increasing their access to climate financin...

  GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation, in partnership with the Department of Health and the Lapu-Lapu City Government, has launched a COVID-19 Mobile Vaccination from March 9 to 11, 2022. The three-day vaccination drive is currently taking place at the Terminal 1 Departures Grand Lobby of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), from 8 AM to 5 AM. We urge the public, especially those traveling through MCIA, to take advantage of this opportunity to get inoculated. Our vaccination hub is open to all individuals and offers First Dose, Second Dose, and Booster (at least three months after primary vaccine) shots. We also accommodate pediatric or those aged 12 to 17. For those who are interested, we advise you to bring one valid I.D. and old vaccination card (for bo oster). In addition to our existing safe management measures at the airport, which continue to be necessary in helping MCIA mitigate any spread and keep community transmission low, vaccination is our next key enabler to pr...

  Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 regional director Victor Emmanuel Caindec encouraged renewing license holders to avail of the free Comprehensive Driver's Education (CDE) program and exam using the agency's online portal. Under Republic Act 10930 all applicants renewing their driver's licenses are required to pass the CDE examination to avail of the recently implemented 10-year validity of the driver's license LTO 7 started the roll-out of the 10-year validity of the driver's license last December of 2021. RD Caindec said that the CDE through the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) can be accessed 24/7 via LTO's free online portal. "Our online portal can be accessed anytime and anywhere. It also has the refresher course for the drivers for them to be reminded of the road safety, traffic rules, special laws, regulations, among others," said RD Caindec. The CDE Online Validation Exam has 25 questions where 50% or 13 correct answers is the pa...

U.S. Export Control and Border Security Program Advisor Ransom Avilla (right) turns over to Strategic Trade Management Office Director Atty. Luis Catibayan more than Php5 million worth of equipment to aid the agency’s efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. (Information Office, Public Affairs Section, US Embassy in the Philippines) Manila, March 10, 2022 —On March 9, the United States, through the U.S. Export Control and Border Security (EXBS) Program, turned over more than Php5 million ($97,000) worth of equipment to aid the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).     This donation will help DTI’s Strategic Trade Management Office (STMO) speed up its processes and fulfill its role as the lead Philippine government agency for registering and licensing companies and establishing management systems for the trade in goods, under the Philippine Strategic Trade Management Act (...

  U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) ad interim Heather Variava joins Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama at the launch of the BIDA KID COVID-19 prevention campaign in the Visayas.   Cebu City, March 10, 2022 —On March 8, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) ad interim Heather Variava joined Cebu City Mayor Michael L. Rama and representatives from the Department of Health and Department of Education to launch the BIDA KID COVID-19 prevention campaign in the Visayas.     The BIDA KID campaign reminds everyone to continue observing COVID-19 prevention measures as children return to school and people resume in-person activities.  The campaign is a follow-up to the BIDA Solusyon (Be the Solution) COVID-19 prevention multimedia campaign, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which reminds everyone to continue practicing key COVID-19 preventive behaviors.     The U.S. government and...

The Mandaya-Mansaka Tribal Executive Council of Elders (MMTECE) -- the highest governing body of the ICCs/IPs of New Bataan headed by Datu Daniel L. Pagantupan, his legislative office counterpart, Municipal IPMR, Hon. Arnel B. Sugnoan and its development arm in the management of Mandaya-Mansaka Ancestral Domain, Ancestral Domain Management Office (ADMO) headed by Datu Jake Hanggam jointly denounce and belies the statements made by Save Our School Network (SOS) and other CPP-NPA-NDF mass-based organizations condemning the death of Chad Booc and four others whom they called “Lumad Volunteer Teacher and Community Health Worker” during the legitimate encounter with the government forces in Purok 8, Sitio Libuton, Andap, New Bataan, Davao de Oro last February 24, 2022. May we emphasize the following ground for our dismissal of such irresponsible and fallacious statements made by SOS network, bias media outlets, and other CNN sympathizers; 1.  Lumad Reference: The Mandaya-Mansaka tribe o...

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presides over a meeting with the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) core members prior to his talk to the people at the Malacañang Palace on December 13, 2021. (Photo by Richard Madelo/ Presidential Photo) President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has directed local government units (LGUs) and government agencies to take extra affect precaution and do the necessary preparations with the looming weather disturbance that could possibly possibly Mindanao and Visayas. “I direct our government agencies and LGUs as well as to urge our countrymen, especially those who are on or near its projected path, to keep monitoring the situation and conduct all necessary preparations and precautions,” President Duterte said during his weekly “Talk to the People” aired Monday evening. "Nandiyan naman' yan". Iyong dadaanan ng bagyo lumalabas dian sa newspaper pati sa TV. All you have to do is to watch TV and makita mo 'yung trajectory...

  State pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) emerged as one of the top five most trusted government agencies in the 2021 Philippine Trust Index (PTI), a proprietary biennial research conducted by communications firm EON Group. “Napakalaking karangalan ang mapabilang sa mga pinagkakatiwalaang ahensya ng gobyerno. Ito ay patunay na kinikilala ng aming mga miyembro at pensiyonado ang aming dedikasyon at pagsisikap,” GSIS President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said. Aside from GSIS which obtained an 87% trust rating, the other government agencies in the top five are the Department of Education (91%); Pag-IBIG Fund (89%); Department of Social Welfare and Development (88%); and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (87%). According to the report, “in terms of government agencies, departments that got the highest trust are those whose functions require them to remain engaged with the public, even during the pandemic such as online learning, finance regulation,...

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accelerated the implementation of its digitalization reforms under the Duterte administration to further improve the ease of doing business in the country and spur the growth of domestic enterprises through initiatives that allow companies to register, file their reportorial requirements and pay transaction fees online. In a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, SEC Chairman Emilio Aquino said among the commission's latest digital transformation initiatives are the Electronic Simplified Processing of Application for Registration of Company (eSPARC) that was launched last April and that has so far processed 26,875 applications of business registration online. Such online applications are completed in just one day and as fast as less than 2 minutes under eSPARC, Aquino said. Aquino said the fastest time recorded for processing an eSPARC application after the payment of the registration fee have been made was 1 minute, 14 ...