(PAGASA 24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST as of Friday, 05 December 2025) At 3:00 PM today, the center of Tropical Depression "WILMA" was estimated based on all available data at 180 km East of Borongan City, Eastern Samar (11.7°N 127.1°E) with maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 55 km/h. It is moving Westward slowly. Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands and Camiguin Island will have rains with gusty winds due to TD Wilma. Possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains with at times intense rains. Minimal to minor threat to life and property due to strong winds. While the rest Northern Mindanao, the rest of Caraga, and Zamboanga Peninsula will have Cloudy skies with scattered rains and thunderstorms due to TD Wilma. Possible flash floods or landslides due to moderate to heavy rains. The rest of Mindanao will have Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms due to Localized Thunderstorms. Moderate to Strong winds from Northeast to Northwest will prevail over the western sections of Mindanao with moderate to rough seas (1.5 to 2.8 meters). Elsewhere, moderate to strong winds from the Northwest to Southwest with moderate to rough seas (1.2 to 2.5 meters). At 3:00 PM today, the center of Tropical Depression "WILMA" was estimated based on all available data at 180 km East of Borongan City, Eastern Samar (11.7°N 127.1°E) with maximum sustained winds of 45 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 55 km/h. It is moving Westward slowly. Northeast Monsoon affecting Luzon.


Wednesday, 3 January 2024

DBM hails PNP's recruitment on former MILF, MNLF

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, co-chairperson of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) that handles agreements between the national government (NG) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) on recruiting almost 300 former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). 

"This is a big step towards lasting peace in Mindanao," Secretary Pangandaman said in a statement. 

“Ang dating magkalaban, magkakampi na ngayon,”  the budget secretary underscored.

Pangandaman congratulated as well her counterpart for BARMM, Minister Mohagher Iqbal, as well as Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on this milestone.

“This motivates us to work harder together and really apply a whole of government approach to find our shared dreams for BARMM,” she added.

BARMM Deputy Senior Minister Abdullah Cusain, who represented Interim Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim in the ceremony held at the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) headquarters in Parang, Maguindanao on December 28, Thursday, said in his remarks that the recruitment of former MILF and MNLF members into the PNP is one of the byproducts of the Bangsamoro peace process and is indicative that the peace process is "working and forging a new path for progress and development in the Bangsamoro and the entire county." 

"There are 294 recruits, 39 of them are women. This shows inclusivity also in terms of gender," the budget chief, who is the only female Muslim in the Cabinet, also highlighted. 

The 294 former MILF and MNLF recruits compose the second batch of PNP new members who passed the NAPOLCOM Special Qualifying Eligibility (NSQE), as well as the rigorous screening process that included a body mass index test, physical agility test, as well as psychological, physical, and dental examinations. The NSQE examinations held last May 29, 2022, saw 11,062 registrants. A total of 7,145 applicants, composed of 2,183 MNLF and 4,962 MILF members, passed the exam. (DBM/PIA-Caraga)

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