INQToday: 41 people still trapped in Davao de Oro

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

41 people still trapped in landslide in Davao de Oro – EastMinCom

A total of 41 people remain trapped while three others were “critically injured” following a landslide in Barangay Masara in Maco town, Davao de Oro, the military said Wednesday.

The Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) said in a statement that several buses carrying 86 employees of Apex Mines were buried in a landslide at around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

PH jobless rate eased to record low of 3.1% in Dec.2023

The proportion of unemployed Filipinos to total labor force sank to another record-low in the final month of 2023.

There were 1.6 million jobless people in December 2023, down from 1.83 million in the preceding month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Wednesday.

AFP: Chinese presence in WPS won’t stop supply trips

The Philippine military on Tuesday said there was no stopping the government from bringing fresh supplies to troops stationed in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite the presence of Chinese vessels in “almost all” resupply missions of the Philippines at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in 2023.

Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the Philippines had 14 rotation and resupply (Rore) missions last year to troops at the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre, which serves as Manila’s military outpost in Ayungin, an underwater feature about 195 kilometers off Palawan province.

Fire guts 450 houses in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Victims of a fire in Puerto Princesa, Palawan will get financial aid as House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez announced that he is facilitating the release of P35 million in assistance to the area.

Romualdez — who is the caretaker of Palawan’s 3rd District following the demise of former governor and Rep. Edward Hagedorn — said that aid would be coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), particu