The Commission on Elections (Comelec) national office will decide if charges will be filed against erring candidates after 806 illegal campaign materials were taken down during the poll body’s Oplan Baklas operations in Bacolod City over the weekend. Comelec-Bacolod election officer Revo Sorbito said they had sent violation reports to representatives of senatorial and party-list candidates in …
Monthly Archives: February 2025
Will the Senate proceed ‘forthwith’?
By Ade S. Fajardo On Valentine’s Day, lawyer Catalino Gerenillo, Jr. filed a petition for mandamus with the Supreme Court seeking a writ to compel the Senate to proceed “forthwith” with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The petitioner cites Article 11, Section 3.1 of the Constitution which states that “in case the …
Unmasking martial law
By Herman M. Lagon February commemorates the Evelio Javier assassination (February 11) and the People Power Revolution (February 26 to 25), which changed Filipino history. Many rebelled against Marcos after Javier’s 1983 assassination. The People Power Revolution ended Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.’s rule in February 1986 by showing unity power. The years of martial law and …
BADACs need strong community engagement vs. illegal drugs —PNP
Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) need strong community engagement to complement intensified law enforcement operations against drug suppliers and syndicates, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday. PNP chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said village officials and residents are in the best position to identify those who require intervention and support. As the PNP exerts …
W. Visayas inflation rises to 3.6%
Inflation in Western Visayas accelerated to 3.6 percent in January 2025, up from 3.4 percent in December, making it the third-fastest rate among regions outside the National Capital Region (NCR) and surpassing the 2.9 percent national average. During a briefing, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Statistical Specialist Miguel Gallego, attributed the increase primarily to higher inflation …
P4-M ‘shabu’ seized from 2 drug bust ops
By JEN BAYLON An estimated P4 million worth of suspected shabu was confiscated in two separate drug buy-bust operations in Bacolod City over the weekend. The Bacolod City Drug Enforcement Unit seized P850,000 worth of suspected illegal substance in Barangay Cabug’s Purok Mainuswagon around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22. Authorities arrested 40-year-old Jhon Yulo, …
5 nabbed for illegal quarrying in NegOr
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested five suspects in unauthorized mineral extraction activities in Negros Oriental on Friday, February 21. According to the CIDG, suspects Segundino, Elizar, Armando, Romel, and Reymart Segundino were arrested in a joint Oplan Kalikasan operation in Barangay Isugan, Bacong, Negros Oriental. They were allegedly caught engaging …
PSA-W. Visayas begins nat’l ID authentication integration with LGUs
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is working on integrating the national identification (ID) authentication service with local government units (LGUs) in Western Visayas. PSA focal person for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) in Western Visayas, Jared Barile, said they met with officials of Escalante City in Negros Occidental on February 7, the first LGU to …
DILG chief pushes for faster emergency response
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla underscored the need for improved emergency response and public safety measures during his visit to Iloilo on Friday, February 21. DILG 6 (Western Visayas) Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero, in a press conference on Friday, said the visit was a meet-and-greet with the DILG …
Eastridge captures PAL Interclub crown
By ADRIAN STEWART CO Eastridge-Primehomes won its first Philippine Airlines (PAL) Interclub men’s championship division crown in wire-to-wire style and left the rest of the opposition biting its dust with a 21-point victory over the Manila Southwoods. “Finally. This is very sweet,” nonplaying skipper Gimo Asuncion said after the din of the celebration died down …