Abbey M.

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has placed its disaster response operations on red alert as the southwest monsoon, or habagat, continues to bring prolonged rains to parts of Luzon and the Visayas.

The heightened alert follows National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Memorandum No. 237, series of 2026, which raised the national alert status from blue to red beginning at 5 p.m. Friday due to recent weather systems affecting the country.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the agency’s field offices and relief resources are ready to respond to communities that may be affected by flooding, displacement and other weather-related incidents.

According to the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center report, more than 3.4 million family food packs had been prepositioned in warehouses and other strategic locations nationwide as of 6 p.m. Friday.

The agency’s Central Office also has PHP558.77 million in Quick Response Fund available for immediate disaster response operations.

DSWD field offices are coordinating with local government units to facilitate the distribution of additional relief supplies and provide technical assistance when needed.

The department said its relief resources and response teams would remain on standby as it continues to monitor the effects of the habagat.

The public was advised to follow official advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and their respective local governments. 

Residents were also urged to coordinate with local authorities if evacuation or emergency assistance becomes necessary.

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MANILA, Philippines — The southwest monsoon, or habagat, and a low-pressure area northeast of Batanes will continue to bring rain over Luzon and parts of the Visayas, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Saturday.

Monsoon rains are expected over Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga.

PAGASA warned that heavy to intense rainfall in these areas could trigger flash floods or landslides.

Metro Manila, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro will experience occasional rains due to the habagat.

The rest of Luzon, Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region may experience scattered rains and thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, localized thunderstorms will bring isolated rain showers or thunderstorms over the rest of the country.

Moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough seas are expected over Luzon. The rest of the country will have light to moderate winds and slight to moderate coastal waters.

Residents in affected areas were advised to monitor official weather updates and remain alert for possible flooding and landslides.

The House of Representatives has unanimously approved on third and final reading a bill declaring September of every year as National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month.

House Bill No. 10134, or the proposed “National Bullying Awareness and Prevention Month Act,” received 245 affirmative votes, with no negative votes or abstentions on Tuesday, August 25. The House’s official record confirms the measure was approved on third reading on that date.

The measure seeks to strengthen public awareness of bullying and mobilize schools, families, communities and government institutions to prevent behavior that can cause lasting harm to children.

House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III said bullying should not be treated as a normal part of growing up, stressing the importance of prevention, awareness and early intervention.

Under the bill, the observance would promote safer learning environments and greater protection for children and young people from bullying, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other harmful conditions.

The Department of Education would be tasked, together with the National Youth Commission and the Council for the Welfare of Children, to prepare and implement an annual program of activities for the observance.

DepEd would also lead awareness campaigns on bullying prevention in public and private elementary and high schools, while the Philippine Information Agency would help disseminate information about the measure and its objectives.

Local government units, private organizations, civil society groups, nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations would also be encouraged to participate, expanding anti-bullying efforts beyond schools and into the wider community.

Dy said addressing bullying requires the involvement of teachers, parents, schools, government and young people themselves.

He also noted that bullying has increasingly moved into digital spaces, including social media, making awareness and early intervention more important as harassment can continue even after children leave school.

HB 10134 was filed on July 21 and was principally authored by Reps. Iris Marie Demesa Montes, Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar, Giselle Mary Maceda and Roman Romulo.

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Malacañang said the evidence presented so far in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial has strengthened the case for her conviction over the alleged misuse of confidential funds.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement following the testimony of former Office of the Vice President special disbursing officer Gina Acosta during Monday’s impeachment proceedings.

Asked whether the prosecution had presented enough evidence to merit conviction on the confidential funds issue, Castro said that, from the Palace’s perspective, “in a way, yes,” particularly in relation to testimony that Duterte instructed Acosta to turn over confidential funds to Col. Raymund Dante Lachica, her former security chief.

Acosta testified that she released four ₱125-million tranches, or a total of ₱500 million, in OVP confidential funds to Lachica from late 2022 through the third quarter of 2023. She also acknowledged that Lachica was not a bonded officer, while she remained the accountable officer for the funds.

Castro stressed that confidential funds are public money and should therefore be properly accounted for. She argued that questions surrounding the handling and documentation of the funds warrant scrutiny, while pointing to Duterte’s alleged control over their release.

During the trial, Acosta repeatedly said Lachica implemented the OVP’s confidential activities on the ground and that she did not personally witness how the money was ultimately spent. She also said some internal documents connected to Lachica’s receipt of the funds were no longer in the OVP’s possession after the liquidation process.

Acosta, however, has also expressed trust in Duterte’s handling of the confidential funds, saying during the proceedings that she believed the Vice President used them properly.

Malacañang also said the Office of the Ombudsman should investigate Lachica’s role in the handling of the confidential funds to determine whether any liability or possible conspiracy was involved.

Duterte is facing an impeachment trial over several allegations, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds. The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, will ultimately determine whether the evidence presented warrants her conviction or acquittal.

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The Philippines wastes an estimated 10.85 million sacks of rice every year, equivalent to about ₱24.4 billion, according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the amount of wasted rice could have fed around 5.17 million Filipinos for an entire year, highlighting the impact of food waste on the country’s food supply and food security.

PhilRice estimates that every Filipino throws away an average of about two tablespoons of cooked rice each day. When accumulated nationwide, the wastage is equivalent to millions of sacks annually.

To address the problem, the DA and PhilRice are strengthening the Be RICEponsible campaign, which encourages Filipinos to avoid wasting rice, support locally produced rice and make healthier choices when consuming the country’s staple food.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. stressed that reducing rice waste can also help strengthen the livelihoods of Filipino farmers and contribute to national food security.

The campaign, which traces its roots to the 2013 National Year of Rice and was launched as Be RICEponsible in 2014, is now being promoted as a year-round advocacy rather than an initiative observed mainly during National Rice Awareness Month.

PhilRice has also encouraged households to adopt simple measures such as cooking only enough rice for each meal and finding ways to use leftovers instead of throwing them away.

Recent data cited by PhilRice showed Filipinos waste about 9.69 kilograms of cooked rice per person annually, equivalent to about 542,477 metric tons of milled rice nationwide.

The DA said reducing waste is especially important because producing more rice and minimizing post-harvest losses alone will not fully strengthen the country's rice supply if significant amounts of cooked rice continue to end up in the trash.

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