TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Kalinga has ordered local officials to activate barangay peace and order committees and mobilize barangay tanods to help prevent further violence amid continuing armed clashes between the Butbut and Tulgao tribes in Tinglayan. In a memorandum dated September 17, DILG-Kalinga Provincial Director Engr. Mayer Max G. Adong directed all city and municipal mayors to strengthen peace and security mea

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has launched a preliminary investigation into alleged plunder and graft involving Cagayan Third District Rep. Joseph L. Lara and members of his family over billions of pesos in infrastructure contracts awarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to construction firms linked to them. In a press release dated October 17, the Ombudsman said the complaints involve alleged plunder under Republic Act No. 7080

FEATURE TABUK CITY, Kalinga — A sachet of suspected shabu hidden in a food package. More sachets concealed inside a visitor’s slipper. These were two attempts to smuggle suspected illegal drugs into the Kalinga District Jail, but alert personnel intercepted them before the prohibited substances could enter the facility. For Kalinga District Jail Warden Jail Inspector Rolando Diwas, the incidents underscore why vigilance, thorough searches and repeated inspections are essentia

LAGAWE, Ifugao — Aspiring doctors from financially struggling families may receive up to ₱177,000 annually in allowances under a new provincial scholarship program that seeks to address Ifugao’s shortage of physicians by requiring graduates to serve the province. Provincial Ordinance No. 2026-13, or the Ifugao Medical Scholarship Program Ordinance of 2026, was authored by Board Member Joseph J. Odan and approved by Governor Jerry U. Dalipog on October 5, 2026. The program pro

TANUDAN, Kalinga — Qualified solo parents in Tanudan are set to receive a ₱1,000 monthly cash subsidy following the unanimous approval of a municipal measure institutionalizing the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act. The Sangguniang Bayan, led by Vice Mayor Antonio Basungit Jr., approved the measure on third and final reading during its regular session on October 12 in Banagao, Poblacion. The council opted for a ₱1,000 monthly subsidy instead of the proposed ₱500 and ₱700 ince

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Kalinga District Jail Warden JInsp. Rolando Diwas warned visitors against attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the facility, saying jail personnel are trained to detect concealed contraband following two foiled attempts, including one involving suspected shabu hidden in a slipper. Diwas issued the warning after two incidents on August 14 and October 17, since he assumed office in July 2026. In the October 17 incident, visitors were flagged for allege

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The Kalinga provincial government is allocating ₱20 million for improvements to the Provincial Capitol façade and comfort rooms, while targeting the completion of the Kalinga Sports Center’s air-conditioning system by February 2027 to improve public facilities. Governor James S. Edduba announced the planned improvements during the provincial government’s flag-raising ceremony on October 19, 2026 at the Kalinga Sports Center. Edduba said the administratio

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — A proposed Provincial Task Force to End Tribal Armed Conflict in Kalinga could strengthen efforts to stop armed hostilities between the Butbut and Tulgao tribes and address other tribal disputes in the province through a coordinated, community-wide approach. Lt. Col. Jimric Obias, commander of the 103rd Infantry Battalion (103IB), recommended the formation of the task force during the special Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting in Tabuk Cit

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Fifty-three learners and six teachers remain in Anonang, Rizal, amid the ongoing tribal conflict between the Butbut and Tulgao tribes, but classes continue through arrangements made by the Department of Education (DepEd)-Kalinga. Schools Division Superintendent Gloria Buya-ao reported the situation during the Kalinga Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting chaired by Governor James S. Edduba on Monday, October 19, 2026. The affected learners, from Gra

BAGUIO CITY — Firefighters rescued a 17-year-old boy who fell from a 15-meter cliff near Dragon Treasure Castle at Phase 2, Irisville Subdivision, Purok 20, Upper Irisan, Baguio City, early Saturday, October 17. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Baguio City said its Rescue Tender–Shift B responded to the incident at 12:19 a.m. Firefighters, working with police personnel, Baguio City Emergency Medical Services (BCEMS), and barangay officials, conducted a rope rescue operatio

ATOK, Benguet — The search for a 79-year-old man who disappeared on August 30 ended in tragedy after his lifeless body was found on a slope in Barangay Cattubo, Atok, Benguet, on October 18. Rogelio B. Sawey, a native of Capinitan, Sabangan, Mountain Province, was discovered by resident Nathaniel Dolit in Salidet, Botiao, Cattubo, after nearly seven weeks of search operations involving rescuers, police, firefighters, barangay officials and community volunteers. According to t

RIZAL, Kalinga – A 24-year-old rider is the recent victim of a self-inflicted vehicular accident in Rizal after his motorcycle crashed along the Rizal-Solana Road in Barangay Bulbol on Sunday evening, October 18, 2026. The 24-year-old victim who was identified as a resident of Calaocan was rescued by the responding team from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) who proceeded to the place of incident around 8:30 p.m. of October 18, 2026. MDR

BAGUIO CITY — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered an investigation into the reported sale of cheaper Chinese broccoli and other imported highland vegetables in Baguio City, warning that those responsible for illegal agricultural imports will be punished if violations are established. “We will get to the bottom of this, and if violations of the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Law were indeed committed, we will make sure these violators are punished,”

BAGUIO CITY — The city government is proposing ₱65 million for additional dump trucks in 2027 to improve waste collection amid Baguio’s mounting garbage management challenges, according to the report of Baguio City Public Information Office on October 19, 2026. The proposed purchase is among the major projects in the city’s 2027 Local Expenditure Program (LEP), submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod on September 25. Baguio generates about 550 tons of mixed waste daily, based

ROXAS, Isabela — One drives a truck, the other a tricycle, but both ended up in police custody after allegedly getting involved in the illegal drug trade during a buy-bust operation inside a public cemetery in Roxas, Isabela, on October 18. Police identified the suspects as alias “Marko,” 35, a truck driver, and alias “Jay,” 45, a tricycle driver, both residents of the area. Operatives of the Roxas Municipal Police Station, in coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement

FEATURE TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The illegal drug trade in Kalinga is no longer just a matter of suspicious vehicles crossing provincial highways. According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the trade can also begin with an online conversation, pass through a courier service, and move aboard an ordinary public utility vehicle before reaching its intended recipient. Social media platforms, parcel delivery services, buses, vans, jeepneys and even carpool arrangemen