By Dennis Gorecho “Basically, your school has all the big fishes that came out of a small pond. You cannot always be the top student. It is impossible.” This is a line from the Netflix Korean drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” told by Yang Gwan-sik (Park Hae-joon) to his daughter Geum-myeong (IU) about the …
Monthly Archives: April 2025
The disruptive pope
By Herman M. Lagon Pope Francis, the beloved 266th head of the Catholic Church, passed away last Monday at the age of 88, and the world fell into a collective pause. For many of us, especially in the Philippines, where faith runs deep and personal, his death felt like losing a dear Lolo Kiko — …
NegOcc posts sharp 341% rise in dengue cases
By JEN BAYLON Negros Occidental is facing a dramatic rise in dengue fever cases this year, as the Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported a total of 1,692 cases as of April 19. This marks a staggering 341.78 percent increase, higher than the 383 cases recorded in the same period last year, PHO said. Bago City …
Bacolod to get add’l 3 MLD supply from river project
Bacolod City is expected to get up to three million liters of water per day (MLD) for areas with limited water supply with the operationalization of PrimeWater’s Matab-ang River Surface Water Supply and Filtration Project in the coming days. In a press conference yesterday, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the injection of water supply from …
Security forces in Negros ready for May 12 polls
Government forces in Negros Oriental province yesterday assured the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that they are now fully prepared for the May 12 midterm elections. The assurance from the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army and the Philippine Coast Guard were made during the final meeting of the Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) at …
Public invited to witness final testing, sealing of ACMs in Dgte
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is inviting the public to witness the final testing and sealing (FTS) of automated counting machines (ACMs) to be used in the May 12 elections at a shopping mall in Dumaguete City on May 6. Lawyer Ian Macaraya, Comelec election officer of this Negros Oriental capital, said the FTS will …
Kanlaon-displaced Antiqueños told to coordinate to get aid
Antiqueños working or temporarily residing in Negros Island Region but displaced by the Mt. Kanlaon unrest should coordinate with their respective municipal disaster risk reduction and management offices (MDRRMOs) in Antique province for possible assistance from the provincial government. Antique Provincial DRRM Officer Broderick Train, whose team is currently in the NIR to augment the …
Dumaguete prelate calls for prayers for the late Pope Francis
Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete on Monday, April 21, called on the Catholic faithful to pray for Pope Francis, who passed away due to a lingering illness at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta in the morning (local time). Cortes, who read his message during a Holy Mass on Easter Monday at his …
Pons thrilled to represent PH in indoor volleyball
By ADRIAN STEWART CO Negrense Bernadeth Pons is thrilled with the opportunity to represent the country through indoor volleyball with the Creamline Cool Smashers in the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Champions League. According to Pons, she is happy with this rare chance before she returns to the Alas Pilipinas national women’s beach volleyball team, which …
2 Bacolod Tay Tung cagers join WV secondary boys basketball team
By ADRIAN STEWART CO Two standouts of the Bacolod Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts have been selected to reinforce the Western Visayas secondary boys basketball team that will compete in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. Paul Barcelona and Alfred Ysulan, Jr. are among the three additions to the Region 6 squad, which is to be represented …