LUCENA CITY, Quezon — The City Health Office (CHO) has opened a birthing home in Barangay 8 for mothers and pregnant women who have been advised to come and familiarize themselves with medical assistance offered by the facility. Said birthing home will assist beneficiaries on proper attention and guidance in nursing and child development. The village was chosen based on its record indicating 80 percent of pregnant moms assisted by midwives come from here. Mayor Rhoderick Alcala said his priority is health care for women from the city’s poor. (Danny Estacio)

CAGAYAN QUAKE

SINAIT, Ilocos Sur — A mild earthquake, of tectonic origin, and with a strength of 3.2 magnitude in the Richter scale rocked areas in Cagayan province shortly before noon yesterday although this did not cause any damage  to property, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said here. Local Phivolcs researcher Porferio de Peralta said the quake occurred at 11:55 a.m. with epicenter located  at 36 kilometers southwest of Calayan, Cagayan province at a depth of 30 kilometers. (Freddie G. Lazaro)

SERVICES EXPANDED

TABUK CITY, Kalinga (PIA) — The Displaced Miners Association (DMA) here is expanding its beneficiary coverage to include non-members including other farmers and fix income earners engaged in farming in its lending services. Joseph Pacao, DMA vice president, said they agreed to widen their lending coverage to also help others cope with the burden in agriculture production by allowing non-members to avail of their low-interest borrowing system. He said they offer borrowers 2.5 interest payable in six months and exclusively for the purchase of agricultural inputs. Other lending groups, credit cooperatives, and banks charge 10 percent and more interests, Pacao said.

JOBS FAIR

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) — The provincial government of La Union (PGLU) through the Philippine Employment Service Office (PESO) in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Overseas Employment Office (POEA), Saint Louis College (SLC), and other agency partners successfully conducted the La Union Job Fair recently at Father Burgos Gymnasium, St. Louis College, Carlatan this city. PESO Administrative Officer Charito C. Dator said the activity resulted from La Union's continuous linkages and aim to help constituents The job fair offered some 3,258 overseas job vacancies from 15 recruitment agencies and 560 job vacancies from 17 private establishments for local employment.

BICOL FARMING 

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (PIA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has targeted P6-million organic rice upland farming project in the Bicol Region to boost its contribution to national rice production. Dr. Jose V. Dayao, DA 5 regional director, said the project will capitalize on drought-tolerant rice varieties and will be initially implemented in the river basin towns of Baao and Nabua in Camarines Sur. Bicol’s upland rice varieties have the potential for higher grain production and tolerance to drought needed to survive the prevailing climate change threats. “Upland rice development is very timely as these varieties have potential to withstand higher temperature and fewer water supplies which is what we really need amid climate change threats,” said DA Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) director Nicomedes P. Eleazar.