By CESAR JOLITO III The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has rejected claims of non-transparency surrounding the planned export of 100,000 metric tons of sugar to the United States, saying the agency followed established procedures and acted in response to persistently low domestic sugar prices. SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said the agency itself was awaiting …
Monthly Archives: January 2026
Cadiz’s Dinagsa Festival offers fresh faith experience
By CESAR JOLITO III Cadiz City officially opens the 52nd Dinagsa Festival today, ushering in 10 days of religious devotion, cultural pride and festive activities anchored on the city’s deep faith in Señor Sto. Niño de Cadiz. Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. said this year’s Dinagsa is designed to offer fresh experiences while staying true to …
The Black Nazarene: Why millions walk every January 9
By Ignacio R. Bunye Every January 9, Manila becomes a city transformed. Streets that usually echo with jeepneys, vendors and office workers are swallowed by a sea of humanity. Barefoot men push forward, women clutch rosaries, children ride on their fathers’ shoulders, and elderly devotees lean on companions. All surge toward one image: the Black …
Santo Niño, revisited
By Herman M. Lagon January has a peculiar way of turning our streets into moving sanctuaries. Drums replace bells, barefoot dancers claim asphalt, and traffic gives way to prayer — sometimes clumsy, sometimes loud, often beautiful. From Kalibo to Iloilo City to Cebu City, the calendar thickens with devotion. Ati-Atihan, Dinagyang, Sinulog, Halad, Sakay Sakay, …
Can dogs really sense danger?
Countless clips of heroic dogs rescuing humans are circulating on social media. But do dogs really have a magical sixth sense, or are their “superpowers” simply biology that’s being given outsized significance by their human owners? Spectacularly staged rescue videos get millions of clicks on social media, whether they are real scenes, cleverly edited clips …
Bacolod to expand sanitary landfill, eyes waste-to-energy project
Bacolod City is set to expand its sanitary landfill as it plans to work with the Department of Energy (DOE) to start a waste-to-energy project this year. Mayor Greg Gasataya, who led the inspection of the city’s sanitary landfill located within a 30-hectare compound in Barangay Felisa on Tuesday, January 13, said in an interview …
No active drug groups in Bacolod: BCPO
By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) announced that there are currently no monitored drug groups actively operating within Bacolod City, following sustained intelligence monitoring and anti-illegal drug operations. BCPO Director Police Colonel Joeresty Coronica said that the most recent drug group delisted in the city was the Caunda Drug Group, which, …
P1-M ‘shabu’ seized from drug stings
By CESAR JOLITO III Police operatives in Negros Occidental arrested several individuals and confiscated a large volume of suspected illegal drugs during separate buy-bust operations on Wednesday afternoon, January 14. In Pontevedra town, operatives arrested a 23-year-old laborer identified by the alias “Ver” at 3:55 p.m. in Purok Melendres, Barangay Antipolo. Police said “Ver” was …
Bacolod, NegOcc inflation rates rise in Dec.
Higher food prices pushed the December 2025 inflation rates up in Bacolod City and the province of Negros Occidental, data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed yesterday. In Bacolod, the headline inflation or overall inflation increased to 2.7 percent in December from 2.1 percent in November; while in Negros Occidental, it accelerated to …
Shootings in NegOr drop 20% to 53 in 2025
The number of shooting incidents in Negros Oriental in 2025 dropped 19.69 percent to 53 compared to 66 the previous year, an official said. Captain Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NORPPO), told the Philippine News Agency in an interview that this was due to their sustained enhanced police operations, especially …