HEADLINE

By CESAR JOLITO III Continuous heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon or habagat over the weekend have affected 871 families or 2,832 individuals while displacing hundreds across four local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said. As of 5:00 p.m. yesterday, PDRRMO reported that at least 222 …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Kabankalan Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has approved Mayor Benjie Miranda’s proposal to secure a P2-billion loan for a “flood-free” project, but the decision immediately triggered questions on its legality and raised concerns over transparency and planning. In a closely split vote, seven councilors voted in favor of the loan while six …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) has declared that Negros Island is now free of active New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla fronts, marking a significant milestone in the government’s decades-long counterinsurgency efforts in the region. “We are relentlessly putting pressure on the remnants of the NPA. We are making their …

By CESAR JOLITO IIII The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in the Negros Island Region (BJMP-NIR) has launched an investigation into allegations of harassment, intimidation and other rights violations of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the Negros Occidental District Jail – Male Dormitory (NODJ-MD). This came after PDLs at NODJ in Bago City’s Barangay Tabunan staged a noise …

By CESAR JOLITO III Heavy rains triggered by a low pressure area and habagat or the southwest monsoon forced the evacuation of more than 100 families and the suspension of classes in parts of southern Negros Occidental. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that a total of 106 families, or about 270 …

Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has pressed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and project contractor Almana Construction to fast-track the completion of the Burgos diversion channel, the city’s flood control project at the Reclamation Area, setting a year-end target for it to become operational. During a coordination meeting at the Bacolod City …

By CESAR JOLITO III A Bacolod City lawmaker has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to actively seek out and protect whistleblowers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) who can help expose what he described as a “massive corrupt conspiracy” involving public funds for flood control projects. Bacolod Lone District Representative Alfredo …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod City council has urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to intensify its campaign against illegal gambling, particularly the unauthorized operations of Small Town Lottery (STL) within the city. The move came after the city council approved a resolution authored by Councilor Dindo Ramos, chairperson of the Committee on Transportation …

By CESAR JOLITO III While government records show that more than P10.7 billion worth of flood control projects have been implemented across Negros Occidental since 2022, the provincial government is shifting focus towards alternative disaster preparedness measures to better respond to recurring floods. Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II said the Capitol has invested its …

By CESAR JOLITO III To stop the wave of killings attributed to New People’s Army (NPA) remnants in northern Negros, the Philippine Army has joined forces with five local government units (LGUs) to build a grassroots intelligence network reaching even the remotest sitios. “The goal is to enable communities to alert authorities about the presence …