HEADLINE

By CESAR JOLITO III Public schools in the Negros Island Region (NIR) lost a total of 19 school days due to class suspensions linked to climate-related events in a three-month period last year, data from the Department of Education during the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) hearing revealed yesterday. The EDCOM 2 report …

  By CESAR JOLITO III Many young people eventually become estranged from their families once they start as activists or members of advocacy groups to become armed operatives, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said, raising concern over what it described as the long-term emotional and familial impact of the …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Cauayan municipal government prepares to formally declare the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) persona non grata following a deadly encounter that left five alleged rebel leaders dead in a recent military operation. Local officials said the move underscores the town’s firm stance against armed conflict …

By CESAR JOLITO III A timely tip from residents led to a series of armed encounters that resulted in the neutralization of five alleged remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) – South West Front at Barangay Abaca in Negros Occidental’s Cauayan town on Saturday, May 16. Troops from the 15th Infantry Battalion, under the …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson condemned the chaotic incident and reported gunfire inside the Senate during the tense standoff involving Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, describing the situation as “embarrassing and shameful” for the country. “What happened there — the disorder and the firing of weapons — must be fully …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Negros Occidental provincial government will push forward its proposed bulk water supply project, with a public consultation set in E.B. Magalona town on May 20 to discuss the use of the Malogo River as the project’s primary water source. Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the consultation aims to gather …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said sugar production for the next crop year is expected to decline by seven to nine percent but expressed hope that mill gate prices will improve due to the current oversupply of raw sugar. SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona explained that the country produced around 2.085 …

By CESAR JOLITO III Human rights advocates and progressive organizations gathered to honor the 19 individuals killed during the April 19 armed encounter in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town, renewing their call for justice for the victims. The tribute program, titled “Negros 19: Panaghoy at Paghihimagsik,” was organized by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Karapatan and the University …

By CESAR JOLITO III The appearance of a “crater glow” or “banaag” at the summit of Kanlaon Volcano is a possible precursor to a magmatic eruption, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. In an advisory released yesterday, Phivolcs said the glow was first visibly observed by the naked eye around 7:00 p.m. …

By CESAR JOLITO III The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has called on the public to await the complete investigation findings on the April 19 encounter in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town, stressing that conclusions should be based on full forensic and operational evidence. In a statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Ernesto …