TOP STORIES

By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has approved Mayor Greg Gasataya’s request to enter into an agreement with a private firm for a P4-billion waste-to-energy (WTE) facility, marking a significant step in the city’s push to modernize its solid waste management system. The approval, granted on April 29, authorizes Gasataya to sign …

By CESAR JOLITO III Deputy Speaker and Bacolod City Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez confirmed that the Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed all criminal and administrative complaints filed against him and other respondents over the city’s landbanking project during his tenure as mayor. In a statement, Benitez said the ruling effectively clears them …

By CESAR JOLITO III Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. has issued a public warning after a fraudulent Facebook account surfaced online impersonating him and attempting to interact with residents. In his Facebook post, Escalante said the fake account has been sending friend requests and private messages while falsely presenting itself as his official social …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez has filed a resolution in the House of Representatives calling for a formal inquiry into the deadly armed encounter in Toboso town’s Barangay Salamanca. House Resolution No. 968 directs the appropriate House committee to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, into the …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (ACCESS) has raised alarm over what it describes as a “converging storm” threatening power stability in the Visayas, citing thin supply reserves and escalating global oil risks as key drivers of a potential energy crisis in the coming months. In a …

By CESAR JOLITO III As the country marks the eve of Labor Day, agrarian reform beneficiaries, small farmers and workers in the sugar industry have issued a strongly worded appeal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., calling for urgent government intervention amid what they describe as a deepening crisis caused by excessive sugar importation. In an …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Central Negros Power Reliability Incorporated (CENPRI) has expressed strong support for the national government’s energy conservation campaign, aligning its operations with austerity measures promoted by the administration of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. CENPRI, which operates a diesel power plant at Barangay Calumangan in Negros Occidental’s Bago City, plays a key role …

By CESAR JOLITO IIII A wildfire continues to spread within Kanlaon Volcano’s permanent danger zone (PDZ), affecting more than 100 hectares of forestland, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said. The grass fire, which started around 10:00 a.m. on April 19, is burning within Kanlaon’s three- to four-kilometer PDZ. Affected areas include Sitio …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental has significantly expanded its primary healthcare network, now operating 24 Department of Health (DOH)-licensed primary care facilities across its 31 local government units (LGUs). Provincial Health Officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan announced the development during the Provincial Leadership and Governance Program Colloquium and Universal Health Care Summit 2026, noting that …

By CESAR JOLITO III A pet owner is preparing to file charges against a neighbor who allegedly burned her dog, an act that animal welfare advocates say may constitute cruelty under Philippine law. Pet owner JB Castillo said her family last saw their dog, Joker, a mixed breed, on April 18. The dog was known …