ANGELES CITY, Pampanga, Philippines — Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan flew to the United States last week to receive additional medical equipment, supplies and medicine from the World Medical Relief, Incorporated (WMRI). The donations coming from WMRI will be used at the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center (RLLMC- formerly Ospital Ning Angeles).

George Samson, WMRI’s President and CEO, invited Pamintuan to attend the organization’s 58th founding anniversary held November 5 at the Somerset Inn, in Troy, Michigan. Coinciding with his visit in WMRI’s headquarters, Pamintuan is also expected to conduct site and product inspection relative to the final donation of medical equipment before proceeding with the shipment to the Philippines. (Franco G. Regala)

Mine safety

BAGUIO CITY — Mine Safety Week, annually held in this city will be graced by seven ambassadors of foreign countries.

The ambassadors who confirmed attendance is led by Australia’s Roderick Richard Campbell Smith, Brazil’s Alcides Gastao Rostand Prates, Chile’s Roberto Mayorga, South Africa’s Agnes Nyamande-Pitso, Switzerland’s Ivo Sieber, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Stephen Lillie and China’s Liu Jianchao will be attending the four-day mining week, which will be attended by mining companies all over the Philippines.

They will be accompanied by Philippines Ambassador Delia Albert together with the Philippine Ambassadors to Australia and Germany, who will also be part of the annual event of the mining industry. Baguio city will again host the 58th annual national mine safety and environment conference (ANMSEC). (Rizaldy Comanda)

Flooding aid

CALASIAO, Pangasinan — Municipal Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay said has been getting close with the senators and asking help for this municipality's perennial problem (flooding )and being the catch basin. The perennial flooding here threatens the lives of people here and even their livelihood as well as the agricultural sector.

"The municipality could never be a flood-free area and therefore it largely affect the lives of the people and the economy," Macanlalay told. But he stressed that there was an improvement made by the municipality, with the continuous river clean up some barangays are no longer flooded as much. (Liezle Basa Inigo)

Starter kits

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Some 2,062 individuals from depressed areas in Central Luzon have benefited through the Kabuhayan Starter Kits program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) here.

DoLE Central Luzon regional director Leopoldo B. Jesus said that since the program started two years ago, some P6.37-million livelihood assistance from the agency’s DoLE starter kits have been provided to the workers in the informal sector. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)

Organic agriculture

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — President Benigno Aquino III directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to allocate two percent of its annual budget for programs and policies on organic agriculture in a bid to increase farm productivity in the country.

DA here said the President gave the directive in his keynote speech during the opening of the 8th National Organic Agriculture Conference (NOAC) in Tarlac City Tuesday in his home province of Tarlac. (Mark Anthony N. Manuel)