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NIA chief flags gap in protecting irrigated land, laments absence of national land use plan
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has no power to stop the conversion of irrigated farmlands to commercial or industrial use, its administrator admitted Saturday, as both he and a former senator flagged the long-running absence of a National Land Use Plan as a critical gap undermining…
NIA shifts cropping calendars, installs solar pumps, deploys brush dams to brace for El Niño
The National Irrigation Administration is deploying a multi-pronged strategy to cushion the impact of El Niño on irrigated farmlands, combining cropping calendar adjustments, solar pump installations, desilting operations, and brush dam construction under a short, medium, and long-term adaptation…
Long-stalled major dams now fully funded and moving under Marcos administration: NIA chief
Several large irrigation dam projects that had been stalled for years or decades under previous administrations are now fully funded and under active construction, the National Irrigation Administration chief said Saturday, crediting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for treating food security as a…
PH irrigable land potential expands to 4.2 million hectares after NIA revises slope standard
The Philippines has more irrigable land than previously thought, with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) revising its estimate upward to 4.2 million hectares after factoring in upland communities previously excluded from national irrigation planning, its administrator said Saturday. NIA…
Solar pump irrigation systems reviving failed stations along major river basins, says NIA chief
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is converting failed diesel and electricity-driven pumping stations along major river basins into solar pump irrigation systems, with results so far proving positive, its administrator said Saturday. In an interview on DZRH News program Special on…
PHIVOLCS explains what caused the June 8 Mindanao quake
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern and Central Mindanao on June 8 originated from the Cotabato Trench, one of six active underwater trenches surrounding the Philippines, all of which are capable of generating earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above, the director of the Philippine…
‘Duck-cover-hold’ not enough if buildings fail: PHIVOLCS chief pushes for strict National Building Code compliance
Earthquake drills and the duck-cover-hold protocol are not enough to save lives if the buildings people are inside are not structurally sound, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) warned Saturday, saying strict compliance of the National Building Code…
No one can say when the next big earthquake will hit: PHIVOLCS
No technology currently exists that can predict the exact date, time, or location of an earthquake, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said Saturday, stressing that preparedness—not prediction—remains the only reliable defense against seismic…
Aftershocks from Mindanao earthquake now at 4,554: PHIVOLCS
The number of aftershocks recorded following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern and Central Mindanao on June 8 has reached 4,554 as of 7:00 AM Saturday, with daily counts showing a gradual decline, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)…
TB cases rebounding in PH, drug-resistant strains rising: PhilHealth chief
Tuberculosis cases in the Philippines are rebounding after years of decline, with multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains on the rise—a trend the country’s top health insurer attributes largely to patients failing to complete their treatment despite medicines being provided for…
PhilHealth warns Congress, budget officials: benefit cost baseline has tripled, funding model must change
PhilHealth is sounding the alarm on the long-term sustainability of its benefit expansion program, with its president and chief executive officer warning that the current pace of growth in benefit costs cannot be maintained beyond 2026 without a fundamental shift in how the country’s health…
PhilHealth expands YAKAP clinic network from 119 to 4,376 clinics, targets 5,000 by end of year
PhilHealth has expanded its primary care clinic network under the YAKAP program from just 119 accredited facilities in 2022 to 4,376 as of 2026 under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., with a target of reaching 5,000 clinics by the end of the year. In an interview on DZRH News…
PhilHealth benefit payments surge 250% since 2023, from ₱119-B to ₱378-B
PhilHealth benefit payments are projected to reach ₱378 billion in 2026, nearly tripling the ₱119 billion recorded in 2023, as the state health insurer accelerates coverage expansion under the Universal Health Care law, its president and chief executive officer said Saturday. PhilHealth President…
DepEd protects classroom teaching time as key reform alongside new Grade 6, 9, and 10 curricula
The Department of Education (DepEd) is implementing new curricula for Grade 6, Grade 9, and Grade 10 this school year while pushing to protect instructional time as a parallel reform measure aimed at improving learner performance. DepEd Assistant Secretary Joyce Andaya told DZRH News program…
All Kinder and Grade 1 students to get school meals as DepEd feeding budget doubles to ₱25.6-billion
All kindergarten and Grade 1 learners nationwide will receive school meals under an expanded feeding program this school year, as the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) has been doubled to ₱25.6 billion for school year 2026-2027. DepEd Assistant…