HEADLINE

By JEN BAYLON Preparations are now finalized to ensure that internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the recent eruption of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Occidental can exercise their right to vote in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections. Donato Sermeno III, Office of Civil Defense in Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) regional director, said the coordination …

By JEN BAYLON The official ballots for the upcoming May 12 midterm elections arrived in Negros Occidental early yesterday morning, marking a crucial step in the province’s election preparations. Provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria confirmed that the ballots were unloaded from the vessel yesterday. They were immediately transported to a secured hub managed by …

By JEN BAYLON The Negros Occidental provincial government is reaffirming its commitment to affordable rice for its residents, even as it navigates the complexities of the national government’s P20 per kilo rice program and the strictures of the election ban. Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II assured the Negrenses that the province will continue its long-running rice subsidy …

By JEN BAYLON Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia addressed the request of former Bacolod City mayor and congressional candidate Evelio “Bing” Leonardia to shift to manual counting of votes in the upcoming May 12 midterm elections. Garcia clarified that, despite the request, the law currently mandates fully automated elections. “Even if Comelec …

By JEN BAYLON The National Food Authority (NFA) in Bacolod City is awaiting official guidelines from its central office for the release of rice stocks to local government units (LGUs) for the P20 per kilo of rice program under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Food Security Emergency Program. NFA-Bacolod officer Benilda Fedil clarified in an …

By JEN BAYLON The Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) will be deploying additional personnel to augment the existing police forces in Negros Oriental, guaranteeing a safe and secure electoral process in the May 12 midterm elections. During the NIR Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center meeting on Monday, April 28, Lionel Marco Castillano, …

By JEN BAYLON The recent armed battle between government troops and remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental’s Kabankalan City is not expected to disrupt the upcoming May 12 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) said. “Wala namang voting center na magiging affected. Wala namang problema for …

By JEN BAYLON The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) is intensifying security preparations ahead of the May 12 midterm elections by deploying more than 1,700 police officers across the province. The provincial police and local authorities are working closely to ensure a peaceful and orderly voting process for the province’s 2,014,000 registered voters, ranking …

By JEN BAYLON The government’s highly anticipated plan to sell rice at P20 per kilo — a key campaign promise of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. — will not be implemented immediately, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said yesterday. “It might take a while. Although the idea was to implement it immediately, I don’t think …

By JEN BAYLON The Environmental Management Bureau in Western Visayas (EMB-6) has issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (Biscom) following a molasses spill that threatens the Binalbagan River in Negros Occidental. “Biscom is hereby ordered to cease and desist from discharging molasses in its perimeter canal, which ultimately leads to the Binalbagan …