Brigadier General Jack Wanky, PRO-6 director, said they are doing their best to ensure that no drug money would be used in next year’s elections.

He assured that that there will be “no let-up” in their campaign against illegal drugs.

“There should be no let-up in our operations. In the near future or in due time, we can eradicate, if not lessen, the presence of illegal drugs,” Wanky said.

In October this year, about 12,066 grams of shabu and 2,013 grams of marijuana with an estimated street value of P82 million were confiscated in 246 operations.

The anti-drug operations also resulted in the apprehension of 317 drug suspects.IMT

The post PRO-6 monitors drug personalities supporting candidates for 2025 polls first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, in a radio interview, said a total of 118 individuals died in road accidents in the province from January to October this year.

This month of November, the latest road mishap fatalities were a couple and their daughter in the town of San Dionisio.

The provincial administrator noted that road accidents involving motorcycles posted the highest number of fatalities.

To tackle issues on road safety, Banias said the provincial government will hold a summit before the end of the month.

“It’s a real concern nga dapat taga-an naton sang atensyon,” he stressed.IMT

The post Road mishap deaths rise to over 100 in Iloilo first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The city posted a drop in poverty incidence among families, with rates falling to 2.3 percent in 2023 from 3.3 percent in 2021.

PSA said the latest figure means that two in every 100 families in the city are considered poor or are earning below the amount needed to meet their basic minimum food and non-food needs.

A family of five in the city is considered to be below the poverty threshold if their household income is below P13,933.

Meanwhile, Aklan posted the second lowest poverty incidence in the region with 3.1 percent, followed by Guimaras (3.8 percent), Bacolod City (6.2 percent), Iloilo province (12.7 percent), Antique (13.8 percent) and Negros Occidental (25.7 percent).

PSA defines poverty incidence as “the proportion of families/individuals with per capita income/expenditure less than the per capita poverty threshold to the total number of families/individuals.IMT

The post Iloilo City poverty incidence lowest in Western Visayas first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The latest Philippine Public Opinion Monitor asked Filipinos about how often their households experienced challenges in providing basic necessities such as food, shelter, transportation, and others for their families in the past three months.

The nationwide survey also revealed that around 35% of Filipino families experienced the same difficulty ‘sometimes’. Meanwhile, 3 in 10 Filipinos (31%) reported that their families ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ experienced difficulty in meeting basic needs in the past three months.

More households from Class E (37%) and Class D (27%) reported ‘always’ or ‘often’ struggling to meet their basic needs, compared to just 21% of families from Class ABC. Conversely, over half of Class ABC families (51%) ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ faced such difficulties, a higher proportion than those in Classes D (31%) and E (28%).

In our December 2023 survey, a great majority of Filipinos from Class E (55%) reported their families found it ‘always’ or ‘often’ difficult to cover basic necessities, followed by Classes ABC and D, both at 38%.

Over the past three months, 38% of Metro Manila residents said their families ‘always’ or ‘often’ struggled to meet basic needs, followed by Mindanao (36%), Visayas (35%), and the rest of Luzon (32%). In contrast, Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon had the highest percentage of families that ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ faced such hardships (37% each), while Visayas and Mindanao followed with 27% and 17%, respectively.

Our December 2023 survey showed that 7 in 10 Filipinos in Visayas (70%) reported that it was ‘always’ or ‘often’ difficult for their households to fulfill their basic needs. Metro Manila followed with 53%, then Mindanao (49%), and the Rest of Luzon (44%).

This nationally representative face-to-face survey was conducted from September 5 to 23, 2024, with a sample of 1,729 adults aged 18 and older. The non-commissioned survey has a margin of error of ± 2% at a 95% confidence level. At the subnational level, the margin of error is ± 6% for the National Capital Region, ± 5% for North and Central Luzon, ± 5% for South Luzon, ± 6% for Visayas, and ± 5% for Mindanao, all at the same 95% confidence level.

The post 31% of Filipino families struggled to meet basic needs in September 2024 – survey first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

James Earl Ogatis, DA-6 information officer, specifically mentioned a measure requiring restaurants and other food shops to serve half-cup of rice per person.

“Kon mahimo masponsoran sang aton mga councilor, chairperson sang committee on agriculture, nga mapasar ina sa inyo tagsa-tagsa ka konseho,” he said.

“In this way, malikawan naton ang daku nga wastage sa kan-on,” Ogatis stressed.

He noted that each Filipino wastes nine grams or two to three spoons of rice daily. The amount would have sufficed to feed 2.5 million individuals.IMT

The post LGUs in WV urged anew to pass ordinances on half-cup rice policy first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

As of 2023, the poverty threshold in Iloilo was P13,933. Those families with income below the threshold are considered “poor.”

The basic needs include, among others, “food, clothing, housing, water, health, transport, communication, education, miscellaneous for personal care as well as basic spending for health and education.”

The poverty incidence among families in Iloilo province declined to 12.7 percent last year from 14.5 percent in 2021.

The latest figure means that 13 in every 100 families in the province are considered to be living in poverty.

In Iloilo City, the poverty incidence also dropped from 3.3 percent to 2.3 percent, the lowest in the whole Western Visayas region.

PSA defines poverty incidence as “the proportion of families/individuals with per capita income/expenditure less than the per capita poverty threshold to the total number of families/individuals.”IMT

The post Families in Iloilo need P14K monthly to meet basic needs first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

WVSU College of Agriculture and Forestry graduates Jessa Jean Torino Flores and Yzabella Arevalo Guillen made it the Top 10 of the board exam.

Flores of Cabatuan, Iloilo ranked fifth with a rating of 91.80 percent while Guillen of Carles, Iloilo placed 10th with a rating of 91.40 percent.

A total of 928 out of 1,574 examinees passed the FLE given by the Board for Foresters in Iloilo and 15 other areas in the country.

The results were released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Tuesday, Nov. 5.IMT
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The post 2 WVSU grads top Oct. 2024 Foresters Licensure Examination first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The province received the recognition during the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Awards on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Iloilo Convention Center.

The Nava administration has been implementing projects and programs anchored on the “Kabataan” FIRST agenda, which aims to “promote a resilient socio-economic movement for the future of Guimaras.”

Guimaras, known as the Mango Capital of the Philippines, is an island province composed of five towns, namely  Nueva Valencia, Buenavista, Sibunag, Jordan, and San Lorenzo.

CMCI is a comprehensive assessment tool developed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to measure the competitiveness of local government units (LGUs) across five pillars.

The five pillars are Economic Dynamism, Government Efficiency, Infrastructure, Resiliency, and Innovation.IMT

The post Guimaras is most competitive province in Western Visayas first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The deaths were among the 10,846 cases of dengue recorded by PHO from January to November 5 this year.

The town of Barotac Nuevo registered the highest number of deaths at four, followed by Badiangan and Igbaras with two deaths each, and Miagao, Passi City, Banate, and Concepcion with two deaths each.

Other towns with reported deaths were Calinog, Lambunao, Dingle, Sta. Barbara, Pavia, San Dionisio, Sara, Lemery, Guimbal, Estancia, Balasan, and Tubungan.

More than half or 17 of the total of fatalities were logged in the month of August.

The youngest fatality was an 11-month-old baby from Guimbal while the oldest was an 80-year-old from San Dionisio.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection. It is transmitted to people mainly by mosquito vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus to humans.IMT

The post Dengue deaths in Iloilo rise to 32 first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

No major untoward incidents were recorded by the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) on All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2).

Police personnel, force multipliers, and other government forces were deployed to various cemeteries in Iloilo to ensure public safety.

In a press release, IPPO director Police Colonel Bayani Razalan thanked the public for their help and cooperation in ensuring the peaceful observance of this year’s Piyesta Minatay.

Piyesta Minatay or Tigkaralag is the traditional yearly visit of Filipinos to cemeteries. They light candles and offer prayers and flowers to the graves of their loved ones.IMT

The post Observance of ‘Piyesta Minatay’ in Iloilo ‘generally peaceful’ first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.