Portions of the local area were rocked by earthquakes throughout the day. The first tremor struck a few minutes before 2:00 a.m. as a 2.1-magnitude quake was recorded in the waters off Basay, Negros Oriental. Later in the day, around 10:30 a.m., a 2.5-magnitude quake struck just north of San Joaquin, Iloilo; while a 1.8-magnitude …
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Chinese loans may fund Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge project –DOF
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The Department of Finance (DOF) recently announced the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge project may be funded through loans from China. In a statement by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, he assured the public that funds from the Chinese government will be used towards the benefit of the Filipino people. The …
Dry spell causes P15M in crop losses across Negros Occidental
Governor calls on local residents to ‘pray for rain’ By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist recently released a report showing the province lost P15.7 million in crops between January and last month as a result of the ongoing dry spell. According to the data, 408.53 hectares …
Earthquakes shake Antique, Negros
Three earthquakes were recorded last Tuesday with an early morning quake striking Antique and two afternoon tremors hitting both Negros provinces. At 5:00 a.m., the first earthquake, a 2.3-magnitude tremor, was recorded north of Belison, Antique. According to a subsequent Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) bulletins, no damages were reported nor were there …
Bacolod City pushes for ‘drug-cleared’ declaration
After the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) earlier confirmed the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) had re-declared all 61 barangays in the city as drug-affected, the Bacolod City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) recently called for a “drug-cleared” declaration for the city. “Try to see to it that we get the barangays declared drug-free,” stated Bacolod …
Nearly 400 Western Visayas barangays declared ‘drug-cleared’
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga During the 14th Regional Oversight Committee Deliberation, which recently took place at the Casa Real de Iloilo in Iloilo City, 393 barangays in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental were declared “drug-cleared.” The nearly 400 neighborhoods were cleared out of a total 522 initially submitted for review. The …
1,929 dog bites recorded in Bacolod City
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Recently released data from the Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) Animal Bite Center showed, between January and last Tuesday, March 19, there have been 1,929 recorded dog bites in the city. CHO Rabies Coordinator Gloria Parreño pointed out a downward trend in the number of dog bites reported …
ERC decision expected to increase Ceneco charges
Group seeks to pass tax expenses onto consumers By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga According to Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. (Ceneco) Regulatory Compliance Office officer-in-charge Norman Pollentes, if the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approves a petition by the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (Philreca) allowing for real property taxes (RPT) to be passed onto …
Bugs, rats contribute to over P11M in Negros Occidental crop losses
According to a report by the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, between November 2018 and last month, rice black bugs, rats, and bacterial leaf blight contributed to P11,544,350.40 in rice crop losses. Rice black bugs, which infested crops in La Castellana last March, kills plants by sucking out sap through the stem and …
Negros Occidental’s request for cloud-seeding under assessment
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) will assess the Negros Occidental provincial government’s request for cloud-seeding, which was made in response to ongoing El Niño conditions. According to AccuWeather, El Niño is a climate pattern that raises sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Such a system can …