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12 - Disabled persons gather for Unity March to celebrate ratification of CRPD

Persons with disabilities (PWD) gathered on Monday for a Unity March that signified their appreciation to the national adoption of the United Nations "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" (CRPD).

12 - DA to get second biggest allocation in 2009 national budet

The House of Representatives has vowed to give the Department of = Agriculture (DA) the second biggest allocation in the 2009 national budget.

Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, chairman of the House Committee on = Agriculture, made this announcement during the second leg of the committee=92s = consultation on food security in Cavite and Batangas.

Mitra cited the need to give DA more funds to boost the country=92s food production.

With only a few weeks remaining before the opening of classes, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Sunday assured it has built enough classrooms and acquired textbooks this year.

DepEd expects more than 20 million students to troop to some 42,400 elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the hike in this year's budget from the previous P132 billion to P149 billion has enabled them to address the problem of classroom and textbook shortages.

09 - DepEd expects 20M students to troop in public schools this school year

With the hike in tuition of private schools, the enrolment in public schools is expected to increase this coming school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday said.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said they are expecting the number to increase to 20 million, 17. 6 million comprises students in the public elementary and secondary schools.

Of this number, 2.6 million are incoming Grade 1 pupils while 200,000 are expected to attend private schools at the same level.

09 - PGMA to sign Cheap Meds Bill as soon as it reaches Malacanang - Bunye

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will sign the Cheap Medicines Bill as soon as it is submitted to Malacanang.

Thus assured Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye in his briefing yesterday (May 8, Thursday) with the Malacanang Press Corps.

"We can assure you that as soon as the enrolled bill reaches the President, she will sign this measure," stressed Bunye as he pointed out that the final copy of the bill has not yet reached the palace.

09 - Palace orders DAR to act on farmers' plight in Arroyo land

Malacanang on Friday directed the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to take appropriate action to address the plight of farmer beneficiaries in the Arroyo landholding in Negros Occidental.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo, in a statement, said the land distribution of the Arroyo landholding is underway.

At the same time, she appealed to concerned farmers for understanding and patience "given that the Arroyos have already placed their 157-hectare land under CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program)."

Fresh vegetables at an open market. Philippines President Gloria Arroyo has rejected an appeal by animal rights activists to convert to a vegetarian diet to help fight rising food prices, her spokesman said Thursday.

08 - Government mulls revising 1978 groundwater quality guidelines

Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) is proposing to revise groundwater quality guidelines government set in 1978.

The revision aims to further protect and preserve for future use groundwater which is a potable water source that needs no major treament.

The proposed guidelines also seek to restore and enhance, when feasible and necessary, quality of degraded groundwater.