Social media platforms and messaging services should have stronger obligations to prevent the online sexual abuse or exploitation of children, an official said, as the Philippine government strengthens its resolve to protect children from this. Barbara Mae Flores, the officer-in-charge executive director of the National Coordinating Center against Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children …
Monthly Archives: May 2026
Bacolod SP OKs deal for P4-B WTE project
By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has approved Mayor Greg Gasataya’s request to enter into an agreement with a private firm for a P4-billion waste-to-energy (WTE) facility, marking a significant step in the city’s push to modernize its solid waste management system. The approval, granted on April 29, authorizes Gasataya to sign …
Benitez: No filing counter raps in junked case
By CESAR JOLITO III Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez confirmed that the Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed all criminal and administrative complaints filed against him and other respondents over the city’s landbanking project during his tenure as mayor. In a statement, Benitez said the ruling effectively clears them …
Cadiz mayor warns public over fake account
By CESAR JOLITO III Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. has issued a public warning after a fraudulent Facebook account surfaced online impersonating him and attempting to interact with residents. In his Facebook post, Escalante said the fake account has been sending friend requests and private messages while falsely presenting itself as his official social …
NegOcc solon seeks House probe into Toboso clash
By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez has filed a resolution in the House of Representatives calling for a formal inquiry into the deadly armed encounter in Toboso town’s Barangay Salamanca. House Resolution No. 968 directs the appropriate House committee to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the …
Dead man floats off Tañon Strait
By CESAR JOLITO III The body of a 45-year-old man believed to have jumped from a passenger vessel was recovered in the waters off Negros Occidental’s San Carlos City on Thursday morning, April 30. The victim, identified as alias Jesse Ruben, a resident of Sagay City’s Barangay Lopez Jaena, was found floating in an advanced …
Toboso probe must ensure civilians not drawn to insurgency: NTF-ELCAC
A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said the body respects the proposed House inquiry over the April 19 clash in Toboso, Negros Occidental, even as they hope the investigation will see to it that no more minors or foreigners will be drawn into insurgency. NTF-ELCAC executive …
US issues security alert after 2 Americans killed in Negros clash
The United States Embassy in Manila yesterday issued a security alert for its citizens in the Philippines following the deaths of two Americans in a reported clash in Toboso, Negros Occidental. In the security alert, the US embassy flagged as “areas of heightened concern” the rural and mountainous parts of Leyte, Mindoro, Negros, and Samar. …
Valenzuela beats Negros in MPBL
By ADRIAN STEWART CO The Valenzuela Darkhorse went full throttle in the second half to rout the Negros Hacienderos, 85-67, and gain traction in the SportsPlus MPBL 2026 Season at the Batangas City Coliseum on Thursday, April 30. Barely ahead, 39-37, at the break, Valenzuela got the push from Shaq Alanes, Lester Reyes and Jay …
76ers dump Celtics again, send series to Game 7
Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points as the surging Philadelphia 76ers posted a 106-93 win over the visiting Boston Celtics, forcing a decisive Game 7 in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series yesterday (Philippine time). The second-seeded Celtics led the series, 3-1, following a 32-point win, but the seventh-seeded Sixers rebounded to post double-digit wins in …