Marcos Declares Five April Holidays

The long-awaited new airport in Bukidnon is moving closer to becoming a reality. As of April 2025, significant progress is being made on the P2 billion infrastructure project.

Key updates include:

• 149-hectare site showing substantial development

• Runway painting underway, a key step toward operational readiness

• Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) roof installation in progress

• Control Tower Building showing visible vertical progress

• Cargo Building with ongoing structural work

• Access roads and additional site development under way

The airport is located in Brgy. Maraymaray, Don Carlos, Bukidnon, and once completed, it will enhance the region’s connectivity and support economic growth.

Advertisement

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has called for an agreement with the Department of Education (DepEd) to allow government forces to conduct information campaigns in schools aimed at countering the recruitment activities of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Retired Colonel Noel Detoyato, the second nominee of the Laang Kawal party-list, highlighted the need for accurate information to combat the NPA’s influence during his campaign visit to Zamboanga City on April 5. He was accompanied by Lieutenant Colonels Jaime Roberto Almario, the first nominee, and Janette Chavez-Arceo, the third nominee.

Detoyato, a former AFP public affairs officer, emphasized that students are particularly vulnerable to the NPA’s recruitment efforts, which often target young, impressionable individuals.

Recent reports indicate that the NPA is actively recruiting students, who are often easily persuaded by their promises. “A well-informed populace can make the right decisions,” Detoyato remarked during a press conference. “Let us help spread the right information so that children, especially students, can make informed choices.”

Advertisement

He recalled an incident in Quezon province where school officials were alarmed after young students expressed interest in joining the NPA. It was later discovered that NPA members had been visiting school canteens, paying for students’ snacks during recess to gain their trust and recruit them.

To address this, Detoyato proposed that the AFP, through an agreement with DepEd, be allowed to conduct educational campaigns in schools to provide students with accurate information about the NPA and its activities.

While in Zamboanga City, the Laang Kawal party-list candidates also met with AFP reservists and various sector representatives to discuss the party’s platform and seek support for their cause.

Advertisement

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) addressed concerns regarding the discovery of Starlink satellite transmission devices in a private residence in Davao City, clarifying that they were not intended to rig the May 12 elections.

Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco explained that the house in Barangay Buhangin was used as a temporary staging hub by a joint venture (JV) of iOne Resources and Ardent Networks Inc. The JV won the poll body’s P1.4-billion Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) project for the May polls.

The 10 sets of Starlink devices, solar panels, and batteries found in the residence were solely for transmission purposes, Laudiangco emphasized, and had no connection to machines or programs used for counting ballots. They did not contain any election programs or software that could impact the automated counting machines or the election management system.

The discovery came after an alert from Buhangin residents led to a police inspection of a house on Santol Street, Purok Sto. Niño. The house owner clarified that the devices were temporarily stored there by a relative with a contract to store the equipment for the Comelec.

Advertisement

The Comelec further explained that according to their contract, the JV is responsible for deploying and installing the devices at various voting and canvassing centers in the Davao Region, with distribution set for completion by April 15.

For added security and transparency, the Comelec instructed the JV to move the devices from the private residence and deliver them directly to the concerned Office of the Election Officer (OEO), under Comelec and police supervision.

Comelec Chair George Garcia confirmed that trucks had arrived at the Office of the Provincial Election Supervisor of Davao del Norte in Tagum City to transport the devices. The delivery was witnessed by election watchdogs and political party representatives, with police escorting the trucks to ensure proper inventory.

Advertisement