News Briefs: CebuPac cancels nearly 200 flights due to radar shutdown

Budget airline Cebu Pacific on Monday announced the cancellation of nearly 200 domestic flights from March 6 to 10 due to the temporary shutdown of the Tagaytay air traffic radar for maintenance and upgrade.

In an advisory, Cebu Pacific said the temporary closure of the air traffic radar would result in “a reduction of flights in conjunction with other carriers.” It advised affected passengers to either rebook their flights within 30 days from original departure or to opt for full refund.

Philippine Airlines notified its passengers on Friday that it was canceling some 100 flights due to the maintenance work. —Jocelyn R. Uy

Antique mayor charged for awarding contract to son

State prosecutors have formally charged former Valderrama, Antique Mayor Mary Joyce Roquero before the Sandiganbayan for hiring her son’s sound system business for the town’s festivities in 2010.

Roquero, an incumbent councilor, stands trial for one count of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for approving the bids and awards committee resolution to directly contract the services of Jubilee Super Sounds for the 2010 Panubason Festival.

Jubilee, owned by Roquero’s son Anatoly Vincent Roquero, was hired without public bidding, according to the charge sheet.

Thus, the elder Roquero was accused of taking advantage of her public position to give unwarranted benefits to her son. —Vince F. Nonato

Dole sets up help desk for OFWs

The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) has created a help desk dedicated to address requests for assistance from overseas Filipino workers and their families.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III issued Administrative Order No. 40 creating the Assistance to Migrants and their Families Desk (AMD).

In a statement, Bello said the AMD will be managed by the International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) and will be headed by a labor attaché.

It will attend to clients personally appearing at the Dole central office, and requests through phone, text, email and the ILAB Facebook account.

The AMD will monitor news reports concerning OFWs and report these to Bello immediately, before endorsing these to the concerned offices for appropriate action. —Julie M. Aurelio

DILG travel permission now available online

Local government officials can now secure online their clearance to travel abroad from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said on Monday.

Sueno said the DILG’s web-based system—the Foreign Travel Authority (FTA) On-Line System of Local Government Officials and Employees—provides a centralized online solution for FTA application.

“Now, they can apply for travel permits in the convenience of their own offices and without having to visit the DILG central office,” Sueno said.

Under the law, no local government official can go abroad without the appropriate travel authorization. —Philip C. Tubeza

DepEd to hold NCAE for Grade 9 students in March

After postponing it twice, the Department of Education (DepEd) is finally pushing ahead with the National Career Assessment Exam (NCAE) next month with some 1.8 million Grade 9 students from all public and private schools expected to take the test.

In a memorandum, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said the NCAE would be conducted on March 1 and 2 to all Grade 9 pupils nationwide. The NCAE was first scheduled in August last year but was reset to December due to the change in administration.

It was again postponed in December due to “administrative and logistical limitations.”

The NCAE is a mandatory aptitude test to assess the skills of Grade 9 students planning to proceed to senior high school, which is part of the K-12 education reform program. —Jocelyn R. Uy