BAYBAY CITY – For decades, Visayas State University (VSU) has been recognized for excellence in agriculture, research, and community development. Today, it is steadily advancing toward a new distinction—becoming a National Green University.
Across its campuses, sustainability is more than a guiding principle; it is woven into instruction, research, extension, and daily operations. The university aligns its programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that environmental stewardship remains at the heart of its mission.
VSU promotes climate-smart agriculture, develops innovative technologies for sustainable food production, and supports research that addresses environmental challenges. On campus, waste management initiatives, conservation efforts, and student-led environmental activities foster a culture of responsibility and ecological awareness.
Beyond its gates, the university extends sustainability programs to communities, helping farmers, fisherfolk, and local stakeholders adopt environmentally sound practices. These are well reflected in the Sustainability Portal of the university to better track and trace sustainability initiatives and projects.
As global calls for climate action grow stronger, VSU continues to demonstrate that higher education can be a powerful force for sustainability and meaningful environmental change. (PR)
ORMOC CITY-A 25-year-old housewife was killed after she was allegedly shot in the head by an unidentified gunman while riding a motorcycle with her husband and another passenger in Barangay Bacubac, Basey, Samar, early Sunday morning, June 7.
Police identified the victim only by her alias “Lyn,” a resident of Barangay Cabacungan, Sta. Rita, Samar.
According to the Basey Municipal Police Station (MPS), the shooting occurred at around 1:50 a.m. Authorities received a report from a concerned citizen regarding the incident, prompting police personnel and members of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) to immediately respond to the area.
Upon arrival, responders found the victim lying beside the road with a gunshot wound to the head. She was rushed to Basey District Hospital by MDRRMO personnel but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Initial investigation revealed that the victim was one of three passengers riding a motorcycle driven by her husband and was heading toward the town proper of Basey when the incident occurred.
While traversing Brgy. Bacubac, an unidentified suspect allegedly riding another motorcycle coming from the opposite direction shot the victim before fleeing the scene.
Investigators said the victim sustained fatal head injuries from the attack. Authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the shooting and are continuing their investigation to identify and arrest the suspect or suspects involved.
Personnel of the Basey MPS are conducting follow-up operations and gathering additional evidence that could lead to the resolution of the case.
AGREEMENT. Officials of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Region VIII and Biliran Provincial Hospital (BPH), together with Biliran Governor Rogelio J. Espina, sign a Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the Hospitalization and Medical Care Assistance (HMCA) Program, expanding healthcare support for coconut farmers and their dependents in Biliran. (PCA EASTERN VISAYAS FACEBOOK)
AGREEMENT. Officials of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Region VIII and Biliran Provincial Hospital (BPH), together with Biliran Governor Rogelio J. Espina, sign a Memorandum of Agreement for the implementation of the Hospitalization and Medical Care Assistance (HMCA) Program, expanding healthcare support for coconut farmers and their dependents in Biliran. (PCA EASTERN VISAYAS FACEBOOK)
TACLOBAN CITY — Coconut farmers and their qualified dependents in Biliran province are set to gain improved access to healthcare services following the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Region VIII and the Biliran Provincial Hospital (BPH) for the implementation of the Hospitalization and Medical Care Assistance (HMCA) Program.
The agreement was formalized in a ceremony held at the Office of the Provincial Governor at the Biliran Provincial Capitol, marking BPH’s official inclusion as a partner hospital under the program.
Representing the provincial government were Governor Rogelio Espina and Biliran Provincial Hospital Chief Dr. Joyce Caneja. The PCA was represented by Regional Manager III Atty. Marlon Terrado, Acting Project Development Officer IV Lourdes Grabador, and Acting Division Chief for Northwest Leyte Engr. Nita Babalcon.
The HMCA program is a sub-component of the Health and Medical Program (HMP) under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), which is implemented in accordance with Republic Act No. 11524 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act. It is designed to enhance the welfare of coconut farmers through various support mechanisms, including healthcare assistance.
With the signing of the agreement, BPH becomes the fourth partner hospital of PCA Region VIII under the HMCA Program, further expanding the agency’s network of accredited healthcare providers across Eastern Visayas.
Under the program, coconut farmers registered under the National Coconut Farmers Registry System (NCFRS) and other CFIDP-eligible beneficiaries, along with their qualified dependents, may avail of hospitalization and medical assistance at accredited facilities.
Covered benefits include hospitalization assistance of up to P40,000 per patient through a PCA-issued Guarantee Letter, subject to PhilHealth deductions and other applicable discounts. The program also provides outpatient assistance of up to P5,000 for medicines, laboratory tests, and consultations not covered by PhilHealth, as well as post-confinement support of up to P5,000 for follow-up care and medicines.
The assistance may be availed of once every three months per qualified beneficiary, subject to program guidelines. Any hospital expenses exceeding the approved coverage will be shouldered by the patient or their family prior to discharge.
PCA Region VIII expressed its gratitude to the Provincial Government of Biliran and the management of Biliran Provincial Hospital for supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening healthcare access for coconut farming communities.
ORMOC CITY– A barangay chairman was killed after the motorcycle he was driving struck a stray dog and crashed along the national highway in Barangay Gaas, Baybay City, on Thursday evening, June 4.
Police identified the victim as alias “Loloy,” 60, married, and the village chairman of Barangay Butigan, Baybay City. He was driving a red Honda Click motorcycle bearing plate number 516HSW at the time of the incident.
According to a report submitted by Baybay City Police Station Substation 1 to the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8), police officers responded to a vehicular accident reported through radio communication from the Baybay CPS at around 8:30 p.m.
Upon arrival at the scene, responding officers found the motorcycle toppled on the road pavement. Investigators also observed a gouge mark on the roadway, a pool of blood, and the carcass of a brown-furred female dog believed to have been involved in the accident. Residents informed authorities that the injured rider had already been transported to Immaculate Conception Hospital for medical treatment.
Initial investigation, based on the statement of a witness identified as alias “Rui,” 19, a sales clerk and resident of Barangay Hibunawan, disclosed that the victim’s motorcycle hit a stray dog that suddenly crossed the highway. The collision reportedly caused the barangay official to lose control of the motorcycle, resulting in the crash.
The victim sustained a severe head injury, abrasions on both feet, and a laceration on his right hand. The motorcycle also incurred damage.
Hospital authorities later confirmed that the victim was declared dead by the attending physician.Following standard procedures, the victim’s remains were transferred to a local funeral parlor.
Police continue to document the incident as part of their investigation.
Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre led the House contingent in approving reforms that prioritize poor students and 4Ps beneficiaries in the allocation of tertiary education subsidies. (Photo Courtesy)
Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre led the House contingent in approving reforms that prioritize poor students and 4Ps beneficiaries in the allocation of tertiary education subsidies. (Photo Courtesy)
TACLOBAN CITY — Students from the country’s poorest households, particularly beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), stand to gain greater access to higher education assistance following the approval of proposed reforms to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA).
Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, led the House contingent in approving the bicameral conference committee report on the measure that seeks to strengthen and expand the government’s tertiary education subsidy programs.
The proposed amendments focus on improving the implementation of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) by ensuring that financial assistance is directed to students from poor and disadvantaged families.
The measure also expands TES coverage and creates a new Private Education Assistance Program for qualified students enrolled in priority courses offered by private higher education institutions and technical-vocational schools.
According to Acidre, the reforms were prompted by findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which showed that TES benefits had increasingly shifted away from the poorest sectors.
Data cited by the lawmaker revealed that the percentage of TES beneficiaries coming from the poorest households dropped from 70.73 percent in 2018 to 22.89 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, only 1.23 percent of senior high school graduates from 4Ps families were able to access TES assistance as first-year beneficiaries during Academic Year 2024-2025.
Under the reconciled version of the bill, students belonging to 4Ps households will receive top priority in the allocation of TES benefits. The measure also introduces stronger monitoring and evaluation systems, improved grievance mechanisms, and enhanced reporting requirements to promote transparency, accountability, and efficient delivery of educational assistance.
Acidre described the proposed amendments as a significant step toward ensuring that government-funded educational programs remain accessible to those who need them most.
“This reform strengthens the government’s commitment to making higher education more equitable and responsive to the needs of Filipino students, especially those from marginalized sectors,” he said.
The measure now awaits ratification by both chambers of Congress before it is transmitted to the President for approval.
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Assistant Secretary for Finance Management and Administration Office (FMAO), Atty. Quintin Magsico Jr., led the turnover of farm implements and farm inputs and the launching of the Sustainable Livelihood Support for Disaster-Affected Areas (SLSDAA) in Limasawa Island. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
LIMASAWA, Southern Leyte – Flood may just be an ordinary thing to residents in this island municipality being frequently hit by typhoons. But how about if government support assistance overflow following a heavy rain that poured overnight?
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Assistant Secretary for Finance Management and Administration Office (FMAO), Atty. Quintin Magsico Jr., led the turnover of farm implements and farm inputs and the launching of the Sustainable Livelihood Support for Disaster-Affected Areas (SLSDAA) in Limasawa Island. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
Members of an agrarian reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO) here were surprised on Friday, May 29 this year, to receive garden tools and a variety of seeds from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Though it took him approximately an hour to cross the sea from the mainland on board a pump boat, DAR Assistant Secretary for Finance Management and Administration Office (FMAO), Atty. Quintin Magsico Jr., returned here, bringing along a power tiller machine, various garden tools and a variety of vegetable seeds, amounting to P119,575.00 sourced from the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) fund, for the vegetable production of the Islander Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IMPC).
Magsico explained that “Today’s turnover of these garden tools is the realization of my promise to Mayor (Melchor Petracorta) last year.”
But since Petracorta was out of town on that moment, councilor Arben Dagohoy represented him during the said occasion and expressed gratitude to DAR in behalf of the people of this island municipality for giving them “priority assistance projects” to enable them become self-sufficient in terms of food productivity.
Eleve Curada, chairman of the IMPC, shared that they were surprised and happy to receive the garden tools and seeds. “We have no idea, but these tools are of big help to us. Only few here have garden tools because they are expensive,” said Curada.
Aside from the farm inputs and farm implements that were turned over to the IMPC, the DAR launched here on the same occasion the Sustainable Livelihood Support for Disaster-Affected Areas (SLSDAA), where IMPC will again be a recipient of an egg layering project amounting to more than P300,000.00, which is also funded under CRFPS.
With this project, residents here can buy eggs at a lower cost, Curada said. He added that prices of commodities here are quite high for being sourced from the mainland.
DAR Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, shared that Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III instructed him to make sure that even farmers living in islands receive the same government assistance and projects based on the orders from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “That no one will be left behind,” Yu stressed.
He further explained that these projects will help farmers here adapt to the unpredictable weather condition especially that this province is frequently hit by typhoons.
Meanwhile, Southern Leyte Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II), Cecil Malubay, assured the farmers that this will not be the last but just a beginning of their journey towards progress.
