The newest Premier Volleyball League (PVL) conference is fast approaching. The 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference will kick off on October 7, promising high-quality women’s volleyball play featuring 12 professional teams. In a press launch, PVL president Ricky Palou expressed his excitement for yet another action-packed conference. “We’re looking forward to a very exciting conference,” said …
Monthly Archives: October 2025
Pag-IBIG Fund, DHSUD, DSWD Turned Over 4PH Homes to 4Ps Beneficiaries in San Mateo, Rizal
Pag-IBIG Fund, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) turned over new housing units on Monday, 29 September, to graduating qualified beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) who are also active Pag-IBIG Fund members. The turnover ceremony, held at the Abuab …
Policy divide: 82 groups press NegOcc to uphold GMO entry ban
By CESAR JOLITO III A broad coalition of 82 organizations and companies has urged the Negros Occidental provincial government to stand firm against the entry of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), warning that the proposed ordinance could undermine the province’s hard-won reputation as the Philippines’ “Organic Capital.” The groups submitted four position papers to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Tuesday, …
1 in 4 people lack access to safe drinking water: UN
More than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely-managed drinking water, the United Nations (UN) said, warning that progress towards universal coverage was moving nowhere near quickly enough. The UN’s health and children’s agencies said a full one in four people globally were without access to safely-managed drinking water last year, with over …
Disaster resilience is a moral imperative — not just a metric
By Ignacio R. Bunye The Philippines has once again been named the most disaster-prone country in the world. For the third consecutive year, we topped the World Risk Index — scoring 46.91 out of 100, the worst among 193 nations. This is not just a statistic. It is a sobering reflection of how vulnerable our …
Tourism beyond slogans
By Herman M. Lagon It hurts to say this about a place we love, but many of us whisper it on jeepney benches, in faculty rooms, and in airport lines that barely move: It is hard to love you right now, Philippines. The sea is still the kind of blue that calms the chest, the …
DAR: Property in violent Cadiz dispute under legal contention
By CESAR JOLITO III The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental assured farmer-beneficiaries of continued coordination with its central office on the long-running land dispute at Hacienda Escholastica in Cadiz City’s Barangay Mabini, following a violent incident on September 30 that left seven agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) injured. DAR Chief Legal Officer Atty. Jeremiah …
100 NIR cops, firefighters augment search and rescue ops in Cebu
A total of 100 police and fire personnel in Negros Island Region (NIR) have been deployed to Cebu province since Wednesday, October 1, to augment search and rescue (SAR) operations in areas devastated by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Tuesday night, September 30. Of the number, the Police Regional Office – NIR dispatched 80 policemen, including 41 …
Comelec suspends BSKE preps pending SC ruling
By CESAR JOLITO III The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) said their preparations for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in 2025, originally scheduled on December 1, have been temporarily suspended. The move comes as the Supreme Court deliberates on a petition questioning the constitutionality of postponing the elections to …
PCG to activate 4 new substations in Negros Oriental
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Negros Oriental is set to activate four new substations in the province to ensure faster response, an official said. Lt. Marionne Abigail Enopia, commander of the Coast Guard Negros Oriental Station, told the Philippine News Agency that they are awaiting the activation of substations in Vallehermoso, Bindoy, Tanjay City, …