HEADLINE

By CESAR JOLITO III In light of the severe flooding that displaced more than 5,000 residents over the weekend, Bacolod Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Mayor Greg Gasataya have directed government agencies to take immediate and coordinated action to address the city’s persistent flooding problems. “We cannot afford to waste any more time. …

By MAE SINGUAY and CESAR JOLITO III A total of 441 families composed of 875 individuals from seven barangays in Bacolod City were evacuated due to floods brought by nearly four hours of continuous heavy rain on Friday night, July 11, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) said. The affected residents consisted …

By CESAR JOLITO III With rising cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Negros Occidental, the provincial Department of Education (DepEd) office is crafting its own health protocol to safeguard students and school personnel, even as local authorities implement emergency measures to contain the spread. Ian Arnold Arnaez, spokesperson for DepEd-Division of Negros …

By CESAR JOLITO III Health authorities in Negros Occidental are raising concerns over a significant spike in hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases across the province, with a staggering 246.44 percent increase recorded this year. Data from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) show that from January 1 to June 28, a total of 828 cases …

By CESAR JOLITO III The release of national government funds worth P203 million for local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano remains in limbo, leaving more than 6,000 evacuees in temporary shelters. “Until now, the funds have not been downloaded. The Department of Budget and Management [DBM] advised that only local …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has ordered the dismissal of a provincial government department head following a series of serious administrative charges stemming from complaints by job order workers, retirees and a fellow government employee. Lacson, in a decision dated June 17, dismissed Human Resource Department head Atty. Anabelle Palic after …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Commission on Human Rights in Negros Island Region (CHR-NIR) is validating claims and gathering evidence as they begin their motu proprio investigations into a series of killings allegedly carried out by the New People’s Army (NPA) in northern Negros Occidental, warning that the actual number of victims may be higher than …

By CESAR JOLITO III The results of the fact-finding committee’s investigation into a vehicular accident that killed seven individuals in Negros Occidental’s Silay City will be the basis for the city government to initiate legal proceedings, Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego said, vowing full transparency in the probe. “We owe it to the victims and their families …

By CESAR JOLITO III A disturbing series of body discoveries in Negros Occidental has put authorities on high alert this week, as police investigate the separate recoveries of two decomposing remains and a fetus in capital Bacolod City and Murcia town. The string of grisly finds began on Tuesday, July 1, when the decomposed remains …

By CESAR JOLITO III Amid the growing threat of the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in sugarcane farms across the Visayas, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) remains hopeful that the infestation will not drastically affect the country’s sugar output this year. “Hopefully, it won’t, but I can’t say for certain,” SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said, …