CAPIZ FLOODS. Flooding hits an area in Capiz on Saturday (April 16, 2022) after the onslaught of Tropical Storm Agaton. President Rodrigo Duterte conducted an aerial inspection of the province to assess damage from the storm. (Photo Courtesy: Rey Baniquet/ Presidential Photo) MANILA - The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported on Monday increased damage and losses to the agricultural sector amounting to PHP725.2 million in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Agaton's onslaught. The latest bulletin showed it has affected 19,424 farmers thus far, particularly in Western and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Soccsksargen, and Caraga, with 17,925 hectares of agricultural lands damaged. This equates to 41,580 metric tons of total volume loss, with rice production worst hit, reaching 92.68 percent or 40,122 metric tons of loss, amounting to PHP672.2 million Moreover, loss to high-value crop production was estimated at PHP24.7 million; loss to corn production at PHP21.1 million; and loss
(File photo) LAOAG CITY - The provincial government of Ilocos Sur has suspended the rule requiring the use of the Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage (S-PaSS), a travel management system for easier contact tracing purposes, for travelers. Dr. Trina Tabboga-Talaga, medical chief of the Ilocos Sur Provincial Hospital-Gabriela Silang, confirmed this on Monday as part of simplifying and easing travel protocols for fully vaccinated individuals. "Effective today, wala po munang S-PaSS and Ilocos Sur. Kailangan lang po vax card and ID. Dapat po fully vaxxed tayo. Salamat (Effective today, there shall be no S-PaSS in Ilocos Sur. Vaccination and identification cards are the only things needed for the fully vaccinated," Tabboga-Talaga said in an advisory. With a steady decline in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the province, the provincial government has started to relax its travel protocols while encouraging the eligible population to get their full shot of vaccine against Cov
Philippine Red Cross-Zamboanga City Chapter molecular laboratory (Photo courtesy of Celso Lobregat) ZAMBOANGA CITY - Once the sixth city government-owned molecular laboratory starts operations here, there is a possibility of granting free reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. Free tests will be subject to the policies that will be set by concerned departments such as the City Health Office and City Budget Office,according to Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar on Saturday. "We are thinking, subject to the policies that the City Health Office and the City Budget Office will come up with, to grant free RT-PCR tests to authorized persons outside residence and other essential workers of this city," Salazar said in a statement. The PHP14-million molecular testing center in Barangay San Roque is almost complete. Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, city health officer, earlier said it can run 300 tests per day. Personnel who will be assigned at the molecular laborato
NO Q-PASS. Policemen issue citation tickets to residents caught going out of their residence without the required quarantine pass on Wednesday (Nov. 3, 2021). The city police strengthened the inspection of quarantine passes as Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar urged Zamboanguenos to make the ongoing battle against Covid-19 a personal responsibility. (Photo courtesy of Zamboanga CIO) ZAMBOANGA CITY - Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar on Wednesday called on the people here to consider the continuing fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) as their personal responsibility, as the battle against the deadly virus shifts from hospitals to households. Salazar made the call citing the city government is also doing its best in addressing the problems brought about by the pandemic. "The fight against Covid-19 is not in the hospitals anymore. It is in the households or the houses," she said. "That is why we are imposing granular lockdown on households, compounds, or