The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened a new extension office in Laoag City, strengthening its regulatory oversight and supporting economic growth in northern Philippines. The Commission officially inaugurated the SEC Laoag Extension Office (EO) located on the fifth floor of Dap-ayan Building in Brgy. 9, Sta. Angela, Laoag, Ilocos Norte, on January 9. The Ilocos region posted the second highest nominal gross domestic product among the regions without an SEC extension office in 2023, at P701.47 billion. It also hosts eight operational Special Economic Zones that cater to hubs for industrial, commercial and financial activities, the highest among regions with no SEC extension office. The SEC Laoag EO will accommodate the registration, compliance processes and other SEC-related transactions of businesses across Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan, ensuring the timely and efficient delivery of services. The SEC Laoag EO will also facilitate the Commission’s investor protection and education programs to safeguard businesses against scams and other fraudulent schemes. As of November 2024, the Ilocos Region is home to a total of 12,463 SEC- registered corporations. “We are starting the new year right with the opening of the Commission’s 14th extension office. Through the SEC Laoag EO, we seek to create an environment that will encourage businesses to incorporate, enabling them to take part in driving the robust economic growth of the Ilocos Region,” SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino said. “By expanding our presence in this growing region, the SEC continues to show its commitment to further improving the ease of doing business in the Philippines,” he added. The latest extension office will also allow the SEC to foster partnerships with local government units and stakeholders, to more effectively promote the Commission’s programs and thereby support key sectors in the region such as agriculture, trade and eco-tourism. The SEC Laoag EO brings the Commission’s regional offices to 14, following the three offices opened in Butuan, Koronadal, and Lipa in 2024. The other offices are in Baguio, Tarlac, Legazpi, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo,    

By: Dante Salvaña   San Miguel Corporation (SMC) recorded another win in its ambitious effort to help mitigate flooding throughout Luzon, as it recently completed its extensive Pampanga River cleanup effort, with the removal of close to 700,000 tons of silt and solid wastes. From mid-August to December, SMC removed some 694,372 cubic meters of silt and solid waste from 26.3 kilometers of the Pampanga River, as part of its long-running “Better Rivers Ph” initiative. The project, led by SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang and done at no cost to government and taxpayers, also effectively deepened the river’s channels and improved water flow out to Manila Bay. “Flooding is a major issue for our cities and provinces, with many contributing factors. For our part, we’re committed to do what we can to clean up our river systems and help government and our communities,” said Ang. He emphasized the importance of cleaning up the Pampanga River: “The Pampanga River is a major waterway in Central Luzon. Waters from here go to many other provinces, including Bulacan, which is downstream.” “Since the river was already quite shallow due to siltation and pollution, during heavy rain, water would easily overflow in many areas, affecting farmlands and communities and even contributing to flooding in other areas. So, it was imperative for us to come here and help clean up the river,” said Ang. In Macabebe, a riverside fishing town in Pampanga, Vice Mayor Vince Flores says the dredging of the Pampanga River represents more than just a cleanup. “It’s a lifeline for a town burdened by its role as a natural catch basin,” Flores said in an interview last November. “Floodwaters from Nueva Ecija and San Fernando end up here. Before this (river cleanup), it took days, even weeks, for water to recede. Now, with deeper channels, the flood subsides faster.” The effort, he said, is crucial not only for mitigating floods but also for reviving the local economy, citing how silt extracted from the river has been used to fortify their dikes and coastal roads. The vice mayor said some of the silt is used as paving materials to elevate critical public infrastructure in Macabebe, like schools. The Pampanga River cleanup adds to SMC’s list of completed river initiatives, following its massive cleanup of Bulacan River systems last year, where it extracted over 4.31 million metric tons (M/T) of silt and waste from 74.5 km of rivers. These include major waterways such as the Taliptip-Maycapiz-Bambang, Meycauayan, Marilao, Mailad-Sta. Maria, Guiguinto, Balagtas, Pamarawan, Kalero, and Labangan-Angat Rivers.Overall, Better Rivers PH, launched in 2020, has already covered a total of 156.42 km of waterways, extracting a total of 8,348,440 M/T of silt and solid wastes as of January 2, 2025. This includes 1.12 M/T removed from 10.9 km of Tullahan River; 1.18 M/T from 26 km of Pasig River; 322,739 M/T from 7.61 km of San Juan River; and 417,044 M/T from 5.3 km of San Pedro River — on top of its Bulacan and Pampanga cleanups and other ongoing efforts in Metro Manila and south Luzon. Ang underscored how SMC’s commitment to cleaning up major rivers bears the company’s time-honored value of “malasakit,” recognizing how Filipinos living in coastal communities would be protected in terms of economic and safety risks. “As an added benefit, our Better Rivers PH cleanup enables safer operations of water ferries like along Pasig River, and even improves water quality — and people say it reduces foul odors, and, of course, it restores marine ecosystems,” Ang said. “So, it really makes us happy to continue providing this service to the Filipino people.”     PHOTO CAPTION:    

  Lingayen, Pangasinan – Pangungunahan ni Gobernador Ramon V. Guico III at ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan sa pamumuno ni Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino ang pagdiriwang ng 80th Lingayen Gulf Landings at ika-18 Pangasinan Veterans Day, ngayong araw Enero 9, sa Capitol Beach Park dito. Ang kambal na kaganapan ay gaganapin sa isang bagong lugar kasunod ng pagkumpleto ng muling pagpapaunlad ng Capitol Complex, na kinabibilangan ng reflecting pool at pagpapaunlad ng Veterans Plaza bilang parangal sa mga sakripisyo ng mga beterano ng Pilipino. Ito ay matapos aprubahan ng National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) ang iminungkahing relokasyon ng World War II historical markers sa Lingayen beachfront. Si Kalihim Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. ng Departamento ng Tanggulang Pambansa ay dadaluhan ang okasyon na pormal na magsisimula sa isang Thanksgiving Mass na pangungunahan ni Rev. Fr. Allan Morris T. Abuan ng Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan alas-7:00 ng umaga. Kaagad na susundan ang seremonya ng paglalagay ng wreath, at ang Commemorative program ay magtatapos sa isang Commemorative Photo Session.

By: Dante Salvaña   Subic Bay Freeport – Sinabi ni Senatorial candidate at SAGIP Partylist Representative Rodante Marcoleta na mas marami siyang magagawa para sa bansa kung mananalo siya sa pagka-senador sa darating na 2025 elections. Ito ang pahayag  sa isang press conference na idinaos ng mambabatas sa Essa Restaurant ng Riviera Hotel dito sa Subic Bay Freeport Zone noong Enero 6. Sinabi ni Marcoleta na nakakadismaya ang pagtatrabaho sa Bicameral Conference Committee. Binanggit niya na hypothetically pagsasalita, ang parehong mga bahay ng pambatasan ay may tig 15 opisyal bawat isa na inaasahang makilahok sa mga talakayan, ngunit dalawa lamang ang gumagawa ng mga desisyon. Yan ang chairman ng appropriations at chairman ng finance committee. “Silang dalawa lang nag-uusap. Kaya yung final form ng ating budget, kamukha ng nangyayari ngayon, produkto ng dalawang tao lang. Naiimagine mo ba ang pormalidad ng pagtalakay at pagdedebate sa buong spending bill, P6.325 trilyon pesos sa apat na buwan!” sabi niya. Pagkatapos ng lahat ng diskusyon na iyon, dalawang tao lamang ang magpapasya sa badyet. “Katapustapusan, dalawang tao lang poporma non. Bakit nagkaroon ng AKAP? Bakit tinanggal ang subsidy ng gobyerno sa PhilHealth?” aniya, binanggit na ang mga tanong na ito ay dapat na itanong sa mga pagpupulong. Ipinahayag ni Marcoleta na maririnig ang kanyang boses kung manalo siya sa senatorial race ngayong 2025 elections. Binanggit din ng mambabatas na suportado ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang kanyang kandidatura. Ang opisyal ay may suporta rin ng Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) sa kanyang senatorial bid gayundin ang Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), na naging dahilan upang siya ay isa sa pinaka hinahangad na kandidato ng mga relihiyosong grupo ng Pilipinas. Ang isang billboard niya at ng KOJC Founder na si Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy ay makikita rin sa South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Northbound, na may mga salitang  “Para sa Diyos at sa Pilipinas nating mahal”. Parehong tumatakbong senador sina Quiboloy at Marcoleta ngayong taon.