DAVAO CITY — House ways and means committee chairman and Davao City’s third district Representative Isidro T. Ungab said he and his committee are trying to speed up discussions and public hearings on sin tax in the committee level.

COTABATO CITY — World Bank (WB) officials extolled the ARMM Social Fund Project (ASFP) for its good governance practice centering on strong collaboration among its stakeholders in the region, particularly the local government units (LGUS).

BULUAN, Maguindanao, Feb. (PNA) -- Local officials of Rajah Buayan municipality, in coordination with the Army’s 1st Mechanized Brigade (BDE), settled here Thursday a long-standing conflict between two former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commanders-cum-village chiefs that stemmed from an 18-hectare contested land situated between their barangays.

BUTUAN CITY — Commissioner Heidi Mendoza of the Commission on Audit (COA) vowed to dig deeper into the missing P53.3-million trust funds of regional office of the Department of Agriculture in Caraga region.

DAVAO CITY — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Davao will finally have its first drug forensic laboratory after Senator Antonio Trillanes IV agreed to release P1.6 million from his Priority Development and Assistance Fund (PDAF) for the construction of a two-storey multi-purpose building.

DAVAO CITY — Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Friday supported a proposal to defer the barangay elections in 2013 to give the incumbent officials ample time to finish their respective projects.

CARMEN, Agusan del Norte — Evacuation plan is being readied for some 300 villagers here due to huge land cracks following a strong earthquake that jolted big part Visayas as well as Caraga region last February 6.

DAVAO CITY — The city's top cop ordered all policemen to keep an eye on the proliferation of loose firearms which might be used in criminal activities like robbery.

DAVAO CITY — The city government here is targeting a total of 22,222 pre-schoolers to benefit the government's Supplementary Feeding Program this year.

COTABATO CITY — The tourism industry in Gen. Santos City is expected to grow this year with the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) deciding to let the city host the 7th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two provinces in Mindaanao and one in the Visayas will soon benefit from improved road conditions through a partnership between Canberra and Manila.

COTABATO CITY — The torrential rains brought about by the Low Pressure Area (LPA) in Mindanao have brought damages to at least three bridges in Zamboanga del Norte after rivers overflowed.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Zamboanga City Fire District has earned a total of P3.85 million in collections for fire safety code fees paid by small and big business corporations, establishments and companies in this city, last year.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will start next month a comprehensive survey of the boundaries of the city’ 98 barangays to facilitate delivery of services and clarify boundary matters.

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), thru its Technology Innovation for Commercialization(TECHNICOM) Program is inviting network institutions to submit project proposals for possible TECHNICOM funding assistance.