TACLOBAN CITY – In response to the flooding caused by Severe Tropical Storm Crising and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat), Tingog party-list, in partnership with Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez, launched immediate relief efforts for affected families in Metro Manila.

Led by Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Tingog director for community engagement Karla Estrada, the team distributed food packs and essentials to 925 families (about 2,490 individuals) in Barangays Sta. Lucia and San Bartolome in Novaliches, Quezon City, with the support of Quezon City 5th District Rep. PM Vargas.

Tingog also served hot meals to evacuees in Malanday, Marikina, and extended aid to fire and flood victims in Nagtahan, Manila on July 21.

“Our mission is to serve wherever we are needed,” said Rep. Yedda Romualdez. “Disaster response is both a duty and a calling.”

Rep. Jude Acidre underscored the need for preparedness and quick response, while Rep. Martin Romualdez reaffirmed Tingog’s commitment to national relief efforts.

As Tropical Depression Dante threatens to bring more rain, Tingog urges the public to stay alert and heed official advisories.

“Whether flood, fire, or storm—we will be there,” Rep. Yedda said.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Manila-Following U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Washington, D.C., on July 21, the U.S. Department of State announced at least P3 billion ($60 million) in foreign assistance funding to support energy, maritime, and economic growth programs in the Philippines.

This is the U.S. government’s first announcement of new foreign assistance for any country since the Trump Administration began its review and realignment of foreign assistance in January.

As part of this at least Php3-billion initiative, Secretary Rubio also announced that the U.S. Department of State intends to work with the U.S. Congress to allocate Php825 million ($15 million) to catalyze private sector development in the Luzon Economic Corridor. If approved, this funding will support investments in the areas of transport, logistics, energy, and semiconductors that will help create jobs and drive economic growth in the country.
President Marcos’s meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Washington, D.C., this week reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Alliance and advanced closer economic ties between the two nations. (PR)

Farmers in Eastern Visayas are quickly learning how A.I. and social media can boost their livelihoods. Through a training and knowledge exchange session, more than 40 farmers from Eastern Visayas gained new knowledge about these digital essentials, with the assistance of digitally savvy agribusiness students.

The initiative was made possible through a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 8 (DA ATI-RTC 8), Visayas State University (VSU), PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), under the PLDT Group’s eBizNovation program.

The session introduced the farmers, who come from various Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSAs) across the region, to essential digital skills such as social media marketing, content creation, and beginner-friendly Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI). This helped them gain technical know-how on promoting their products online.

“Thank you to our partners for making this event possible. This is a good avenue for farmers and students to share and leverage their strengths as we work toward helping grow farming businesses, especially in the digital space,” said Concepcion B. Miro, Assistant Center Director of DA ATI-RTC 8.

During the event, agribusiness students from VSU took the opportunity to connect with farmers.

Allan Capa, president of the Society of Agribusiness Students at VSU, was thankful for this meaningful experience. “This activity helped us meet more farmers and learn from each other. They taught us about farming, while we shared our knowledge on digital tools. It helped bridge our gaps and form valuable connections,” he said.

Additionally, PLDT and Smart guided the participants on how to safely navigate the digital world by sharing practical internet safety tips to avoid different types of online scams.

“These are the people who feed our country. This is why we will always be ready to help empower our farmers through training programs that can help them thrive in the digital age,” said Marylou B. Gocotano, Stakeholder Engagement – Visayas Relations Head at PLDT and Smart.

This initiative underscores PLDT and Smart’s efforts to help the country achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth. (PR)