Benguet provincial governor Cresencio Pacalso, during his recent State of the Province Address, says that the legalization of marijuana and its cultivation will boost the local economy. The governor said this in reaction to news that the bill for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes was getting a positive response from the legislators. In a report in Interaksyon, Pacalso …

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced the 1-month suspension of ride-hailing service Uber starting August 15, 6 a.m. The suspension comes after the network did not comply with an order by LTFRB to stop accepting new drivers into its platform. According to an Inquirer report, LTFRB also advised Uber to provide financial assistance to their drivers during the suspension …

The Presidential Communications Office, led by Secretary Martin Andanar, has signed an interim policy on accrediting social media practitioners such as bloggers in order for them to cover events of President Rodrigo Duterte. Called the “Interim Social Media Practitioner Accreditation,” department order no. 15 outlines who are qualified for accreditation and the process of accreditation, according to an Inquirer report. …

After an outbreak of avian flu was detected in poultry farms in San Luis, Pampanga, government has taken steps to contain the outbreak. The Department of Agriculture has began culling of infected poultry and has temporarily stopped the shipment of fowl from Luzon to other parts of the country as a precaution. According to the Philippine Star, the Department of …

On August 14 at 12:50 PM (Eastern Time), art enthusiasts will be able to view all five of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” paintings through a virtual exhibition via Facebook Live. The event is led by the National Gallery in London in partnership with various galleries across three continents. The participating galleries are The National Gallery in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Philadelphia …

At about 1:28 PM today, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit 16 kilometers off the town of Nasugbu in Batangas. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reports that the quake was tectonic in origin with a depth of 160 kilometers. According to the Phivolcs-DOST update, other reported intensities have been felt throughout the region. Intensity IV was experienced in Calapan, Mindoro; …

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered that Negros Island Region be dissolved, as he signed Executive Order 183. This order brings back Negros Occidental to the Western Visayas region (Region 6) and Negros Oriental to the Central Visayas region (Region 7). According to the Philippine Star, the new EO effectively reverses an earlier order by former President Benigno Aquino III creating …

The biggest state university in the country, the University of the Philippines, announced that no collection of fees will be made by the university for the first semester. This follows an earlier move by the university not to collect tuition fees during their enrollment in July. According to an Inquirer report, these new guidelines are being implemented as part of …

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the bill on Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education into law on Aug. 3, a few days ahead of Aug. 5 when the bill would have lapsed into a law. The law provides for free tuition in all state universities and colleges, which Pres. Duterte promised to Filipinos during his first few months in office. According …

BB8 is seen roaming the halls of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) at least in an ad posted by the school’s Theology Department on Facebook. Apparently, the hit movie Star Wars will be part of Ateneo’s theology class on its first semester of School Year 2017-2018. The department is calling the class “Finding God in the Dark: Cinema and the Spiritual …