Murang Kuryente party-list Rep. Arthur Yap is pushing to institutionalize and strengthen the School of Medicine at Bohol Island State University, saying the move would expand access to quality medical education and support efforts to improve health care delivery in the province.
The House bill is scheduled for deliberation before the Committee on Higher and Technical Education on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026.
Yap earlier held an online consultation with BISU officials led by university President Anthony Penaso on strengthening and institutionalizing the school, which opened May 28, 2023.
The BISU Board of Trustees and the Commission on Higher Education have approved the school.
The school’s pioneer batch of Doctor of Medicine students began their clerkship rotation at Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Medical Center on July 1, marking the start of their final phase of clinical training.
During the school’s third founding anniversary, Dean Marvie Darbandi cited milestones including hosting national academic conventions, top placements in medical competitions, and a simulated Physician Licensure Examination conducted for the pioneer batch, along with continued efforts to strengthen faculty and academic programs.
The school was also elected as host institution for the Philippine Society of Physiologists Annual Convention, set for June 2027.
Darbandi said the school remains committed to providing quality, disciplined and compassionate health care education for Bohol and to serving underserved communities across the province and the country.
Yap separately announced that the Committee on Higher and Technical Education approved two other BISU-related measures he filed in the current Congress.
House Bill 8874 would convert the BISU Dauis Campus into a regular campus and designate it the system’s Technical, Architecture and Engineering Education Center.
House Bill 8875 would establish the BISU Tourism and Sports Institute to support Bohol’s tourism and sports sectors and prepare Boholano youth for future careers and leadership roles.
Lite Ferries deploys new vessel on Batangas-Caticlan route, part of Western Nautical Highway expansion
Lite Shipping Corporation, operating under the brand Lite Ferries, has deployed the newly built MV Lite Ferry Twenty on the Batangas City-Caticlan route, adding passenger and cargo capacity to a key corridor linking Luzon and the Visayas.
The vessel is the company’s largest brand-new Ro-Ro passenger ship acquisition to date, measuring 90 meters long with a gross registered tonnage of 3,923 tons. It can carry up to 578 passengers, 30 12-meter trucks and six cars.
Lite Shipping President Lucio Lim Jr. said the company’s entry into the Batangas-Panay corridor reflects its broader push to strengthen inter-island connectivity and support economic activity in the areas it serves, noting that the move completes the company’s presence along the Western Nautical Highway.
Maritime Industry Authority Administrator Sonia Malaluan attended the vessel’s blessing and inauguration on Aug. 7, 2026 and called it a modern addition to the domestic fleet that reflects the industry’s push toward safer and more reliable maritime transport.
She said every new vessel brings not just passengers and cargo but also opportunities and livelihoods for Filipinos.
MARINA has granted the ship pioneering status in recognition of its upgraded service and contribution to the modernization of domestic shipping.
Lite Shipping operates routes across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and has continued investing in new and retrofitted vessels, including through its Golden Green program, which upgrades ships with more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly engines.
The company said its fleet expansion aims to give passengers and commercial partners greater capacity, comfort and reliability, and it has also received repeated recognition from MARINA and the Bureau of Quarantine for maintaining clean ships.
Lim said Lite Ferries plans to deploy another vessel on the Batangas-Caticlan route before the end of the month, with the goal of eventually offering daily trips.
Aklan 2nd District Rep. Florencio Miraflores welcomed the new vessel’s arrival, calling it a significant boost to commerce between Luzon and the Visayas and highlighting Caticlan’s role as a gateway to Panay for tourism and trade.
He voiced support for Lite Ferries’ continued operations and expansion in the province.
Beyond transport services, Lite Ferries said it supports more than 50 scholars at any given time, accepts hundreds of nautical and marine engineering graduates annually for onboard training, and has provided free shipment of relief goods to disaster-hit communities.
The company said it will continue expanding its fleet and network while focusing on safe, efficient and dependable sea travel across the Philippine archipelago.
Updates on shipping schedules are available through Lite Shipping Corporation – Lite Ferries on Facebook.