By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental’s Moises Padilla town is preparing for a vibrant four-day celebration as it hosts the Magayon Hinuptanan Festival 2026 from March 21 to 24, highlighting local culture, talent and community spirit. The festival will open on Saturday, March 21, with a thanksgiving mass, followed by a grand parade and official …
Monthly Archives: March 2026
Escalante City tightens price watch to protect consumers
By CESAR JOLITO III Escalante City in Negros Occidental has stepped up efforts to protect consumers from unfair pricing practices following the issuance of a new executive order strengthening local price monitoring mechanisms. Escalante Mayor Melicio Yap signed Executive Order No. 16, reactivating and expanding the functions of the Local Price Monitoring Council (LPMC). The …
Eala reaches Miami Open’s next round
By ADRIAN STEWART CO Negrense tennis star Alexandra Eala progressed to the third round of the WTA Miami Open after outlasting Germany’s Laura Siegemund in a three-set battle at the Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday, March 19. Eala, seeded 31st in the tournament, recovered from a tough opening-set loss to prevail, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, …
Harden, Cavs hang on against Bulls
James Harden knocked down seven three-pointers on his way to 36 points, Evan Mobley added 26 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off a furious second-half rally to beat the host Chicago Bulls, 115-110, yesterday (Philippine time). Cleveland (43-27) used early 16-5 and 19-0 runs to build what was a double-digit lead for much of …
Doncic nets 60 points in Lakers’ win
Luka Doncic scored 60 points — the most ever recorded against the Heat — as the Los Angeles Lakers won their eighth straight game, defeating host Miami, 134-126, yesterday (Philippine time). James Harden had the previous record against Miami with 58 points. The Lakers (45-25) also got a triple-double from LeBron James, who had 19 …
Sabete, Nxled stun PLDT in PVL
By ADRIAN STEWART CO The Nxled Chameleons mounted a strong comeback to defeat the PLDT High Speed Hitters, 21-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-15, in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference preliminary round at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City on Thursday, March 19. Negrense Jonah Sabete-Escamillan finished with a double-double of 15 points and 13 …
DigiPlus Foundation Joins Forces with DICT for Nationwide ‘TechQuest’ Robotics Initiative, Enables Future-Ready Education for Filipino Youth
DigiPlus Foundation, the social development arm of DigiPlus Interactive Corp., is solidifying its commitment to digital inclusion, through its tech-education initiative FutureSmart, following a strategic partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to support TechQuest: Regional Robotics Challenge for Academia—a groundbreaking nationwide program designed to strengthen robotics education and empower innovative Filipinos. …
Inquiry triggers slump? Oversupply caused sugar price drop: solon
By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez rejected claims that a recent congressional hearing triggered the decline in sugar prices, stressing that market oversupply and policy decisions were the primary causes of the downturn. “Ang hearing nga ila ginabasol, amo ang nagprotekta sa aton,” Benitez said, underscoring that the inquiry …
Muntinlupa City @ 31 — A reflection on systems, service and people
By Ignacio R. Bunye If you had been at the newly refurbished Muntinlupa Sports Center during Muntinlupa’s 31st cityhood anniversary, you would have felt it right away — this wasn’t just another program with speeches and plaques. It felt more like a reunion of an entire ecosystem. City officials, councilors, barangay leaders, DepEd and court …
A nation on the edge
By Herman M. Lagon There was a time when a P1 fuel hike could already send transport and progressive groups to the streets — whistles, placards, radio voices full of urgency. Many Boomers and Gen Xers remember that. Today, diesel has crossed P100 in some areas, gasoline is also on its way, and the reaction …