HEADLINE

By JEN BAYLON The Negros Occidental provincial government called for a national intervention following a Supreme Court (SC) ruling that allows commercial fishing vessels access to municipal waters. “We would like to make sure that our position will also be heard by the SC,” Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said in an interview yesterday. “But I …

By JEN BAYLON Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said funding immediate response efforts in managing the situation at Kanlaon Volcano emerged as a critical concern. “We talked about the short- and long-term solutions, and the short-term was basically funding,” Lacson said yesterday. He noted that local chief executives in the province indicated that their eruption …

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) national office will decide if charges will be filed against erring candidates after 806 illegal campaign materials were taken down during the poll body’s Oplan Baklas operations in Bacolod City over the weekend. Comelec-Bacolod election officer Revo Sorbito said they had sent violation reports to representatives of senatorial and party-list candidates in …

  By JEN BAYLON The Negros Occidental provincial government has strongly expressed its support for the rights of small-scale fisherfolk and the protection of marine resources across the province. This stance follows the recent Supreme Court (SC) decision allowing commercial fishers to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal waters previously reserved for local fisherfolk. In an …

By JEN BAYLON Six deaths due to dengue have been recorded in Negros Occidental amid the sharp rise in cases, data from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed yesterday. A total of 849 dengue cases were recorded as of February 15, a staggering 387.93 percent increase, higher than 174 cases recorded in the same period …

BY JEN BAYLON The Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) said the designation of evacuation centers for evacuees in La Castellana town in case Kanlaon Volcano erupts depends on the municipal government. This comes after the La Castellana municipal government has yet to finalize and establish its evacuation contingency plans if Kanlaon suddenly …

By JEN BAYLON The Commission on Elections in Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) is 80 percent ready for the May 12 midterm elections, stating that they are “on time” in their preparations. Comelec-NIR Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said they are still finalizing the contingency plans for the elections, which will include security preparations as well …

By JEN BAYLON Water sources in nine barangays in Negros Occidental’s Bago City are no longer safe for drinking after they were contaminated by ashfall from Kanlaon Volcano’s minor eruption over the weekend. Dr. Merijene Ortizo, head of the Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said volcanic ashfall has affected Barangays Mailum, …

By JEN BAYLON The Sandiganbayan has issued an arrest warrant against former Valladolid Mayor Romel Patalita Yogore, who has been convicted of graft. Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office director Police Colonel Rainerio de Chavez said, despite their efforts to serve the warrant, they were unable to locate Yogore at his residence at Barangay Poblacion in …

The 303rd Infantry Battalion (303IB) of the Philippine Army is formulating a contingency plan to utilize soldiers in case Kanlaon Volcano erupts during the May 12 midterm elections. Brigadier General Ted Dumosmog, 303IB commanding general, said on Thursday, February 13, that 1,045 303IB soldiers and Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) officers will be mobilized to secure the midterm …