Everyday, hundreds of patients across the Philippines rely on blood transfusions to survive life-threatening, adverse health events and serious illnesses like cancer and anemia. Yet, the supply of safe and voluntary blood donations often falls short of demand. A dedicated social worker is on a mission to organize donation drives while regularly donating blood himself. He aims to inspire others …

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) convened their first Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) meeting to advance their technical cooperation project aimed at strengthening the financial resilience of public assets against natural disasters. The meeting marks a milestone in the three-year project titled “Strengthening Financial Resilience of Public Assets to Natural Disasters by Improvement …

Visayas Container Terminal (VCT), operated by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), welcomed SITC Container Lines’ restructured China-Philippines Express 7 (CPX7) service, which introduces regular weekly calls to Iloilo starting March, 2025. The revamped service enhances Iloilo’s trade connectivity with key Asian markets, offering improved reliability, service frequency and cargo handling efficiency.  The CPX7 service was deployed with the SITC …

Region 2 of the Department of Tourism (DoT) in Cagayan Valley, which includes the picturesque island of Batanes, recommends that tourists refrain from engaging in “do-it-yourself” (DIY) travel, warning it may spoil their experience. DoT 2 Regional director Troy Alexander Miano said, “Batanes is not for DIY travelers. They should coordinate with our available tour operators and tour guides because …

Featuring advanced cooling technology and the innovative Auto Ice Maker with the Spaceplus™ Ice System, keeping ice readily available while optimizing freezer space for enhanced convenience and refreshingly cool drinks anytime. LG took over the Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater in Taguig for a day of exciting activities, cool innovations, and, of course, plenty of ice! The main attraction? LG’s latest refrigerator …

By Rose de la Cruz The Masungi Georeserve in Rizal is a favorite ‘grab’ for venture hunters from both government and private sector, giving the indigenous people and conservation groups a tough battle to preserve the remaining pristine and fragile ecosystem in the threatened conservation area near Metro Manila. The first formidable threat came in 2023 from no less from …

By Rose de la Cruz Bird flu (or the H5N1 strain) was first detected in China in 2013. But now another strain H7N9 is wreaking havoc in the United States, which first detected it in 2017 and had since been moving heaven and earth to contain it. According to a Reuters report written by Sybille de La Hamaide, the US …

Farmers belonging to the Philippine Tobacco Growers’ Association, led by Saturnino Distor, are pushing for the appointment of a tobacco czar who can combat the surge of illicit or smuggled cigarets into the country. Distor said “instead of our buyers purchasing more from us, smuggled products are taking a share of the market. Farmers are affected by this.” The illicit …

BEYOND ELLIPTICALBy Rose Marie de la Cruz After more than a year, I finally got to visit and interview rice farmers from Nueva Ecija about  their experiences using the biofertilizer technology of AgriSpecialist Inc. (ASI), which was granted (after six months of waiting) the certificate of product registration(CPR) for rice and corn only last January. Biofertilizer is among the prescriptions …

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is warning the public about online scams using manipulated videos and audio recordings to impersonate Chairman Enrique K. Razon Jr. and other senior executives. In a statement, ICTSI said he fraudulent materials, which have appeared on social media, falsely portray Mr. Razon promoting investment opportunities. Mr. Razon nor ICTSI has endorsed any such investments. …