HEADLINE

By CESAR JOLITO III A local workers’ group marked Labor Day with a sharp critique of government leadership, saying the annual celebration has lost its meaning for ordinary workers amid rising prices, stagnant wages and alleged corruption. In a press statement, Wennie Sancho, secretary general of the General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA), said the …

By CESAR JOLITO III Forty-two former employees of Vallacar Transit, Inc. have filed criminal complaints against company officials, alleging they were forced out of their jobs during an internal family dispute that rocked one of the country’s largest transport firms. The complaints, filed on the eve of Labor Day, include three counts of grave coercion …

By CESAR JOLITO III The National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) is asserting that the deaths of 19 individuals at Barangay Salamanca in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town on April 19 constitute a “massacre,” disputing the military’s claim that the incident resulted from armed encounters. In a statement, NUPL spokesperson Atty. Julianne Agpalo said they are …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Toboso municipal government has officially declared the Communist Terrorist Groups and the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as “persona non grata” within its territorial jurisdiction. The declaration follows the April 19 armed encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed both criminal and administrative complaints filed against former mayor and now Bacolod Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and 18 others in connection with the city government’s purchase of portions of Hacienda Conchita in Barangay Granada. In a joint resolution dated April 14, the …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has launched an independent investigation into the recent armed encounter in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town that left 19 people dead, as conflicting narratives continue to emerge from the military and various groups. In a statement, the CHR said its office in the Negros Island Region …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) asserted that the armed encounter in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town that killed suspected remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) was lawful, intelligence-driven and conducted in accordance with established rules of engagement. In a statement, the AFP said claims that troops from the 79th …

By CESAR JOLITO III Conflicting narratives have emerged following a deadly encounter at Barangay Salamanca in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town, with the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Philippine Army presenting sharply opposing accounts regarding the identities of those killed and the circumstances of the incident. Army spokesperson Colonel Louie Dema-ala stated that troops of …

By CESAR JOLITO The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has confirmed it cannot file tax violation charges against suspects arrested in recent raids on warehouses where alleged smuggled cigarettes were discovered in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental’s Bago City due to the agency’s absence during the police operations. In an interview, Atty. Roev Bryl Sobrejuanite, …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has renewed his call for remaining insurgents to surrender following a deadly clash between government troops and suspected communist rebels in Toboso town over the weekend. Lacson expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the encounter at Barangay Salamanca’s Sitio Plarending on Sunday, …