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Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (BADACs) need strong community engagement to complement intensified law enforcement operations against drug suppliers and syndicates, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday. PNP chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said village officials and residents are in the best position to identify those who require intervention and support. As the PNP exerts …

Inflation in Western Visayas accelerated to 3.6 percent in January 2025, up from 3.4 percent in December, making it the third-fastest rate among regions outside the National Capital Region (NCR) and surpassing the 2.9 percent national average. During a briefing, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Statistical Specialist Miguel Gallego, attributed the increase primarily to higher inflation …

By JEN BAYLON An estimated P4 million worth of suspected shabu was confiscated in two separate drug buy-bust operations in Bacolod City over the weekend. The Bacolod City Drug Enforcement Unit seized P850,000 worth of suspected illegal substance in Barangay Cabug’s Purok Mainuswagon around 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22. Authorities arrested 40-year-old Jhon Yulo, …

The La Castellana municipal government identified four barangays as possible evacuation areas in case Alert Level 4 is raised at Kanlaon Volcano. La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan identified these areas as Barangays Lalagsan, Nato, Talaptap, and Manghanoy as possible evacuation sites if Kanlaon erupts. Mangilimutan said the identification of the sites is part of their …

The government will continue monitoring the situation and providing assistance to affected individuals amid the restiveness of Mt. Kanlaon, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said yesterday. During his visit to Kanlaon victims temporarily housed at the La Carlota City South Elementary School II Evacuation Center in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Marcos said the government …

The Court of Appeals (CA) has turned down an appeal filed by two of the alleged assailants in the March 4, 2023 assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. In a 33-page decision dated February 19, the appellate court’s 4th Division dismissed the petition filed by accused Joric Labrador and Benjie Rodriguez, who were allegedly …

By JEN BAYLON The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reminded Negrenses, especially those living inside Kanlaon Volcano’s danger zone, to remain vigilant as the volcano remains restless. “With Kanlaon Volcano being an active threat to the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, it is essential that both the authorities and the public …

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Western Visayas (DENR-6) called on candidates in the May 12 midterm elections to become environmentally conscious and spare trees from their campaign materials. “We ask all the candidates to utilize designated posting areas for their materials and spare the trees; protect our trees from harm,” said DENR-6 …

A college student was killed in a hit-and-run incident at Barangay Magallon Cadre in Negros Occidental’s Moises Padilla town on Wednesday, February 19. Police identified the victim as 22-year-old Deserie Tadena, a third year college student of the Central Philippines State University-Moises Padilla Campus. Moises Padilla police chief, Major Romulo Gepilango, said Tadena was hit …

By JEN BAYLON Three clusters of national government offices in the Negros Island Region (NIR) will be located in Negros Occidental, according to the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 12000, or the NIR Act. The agriculture, peace and order, and governance clusters will be located in Negros Occidental, Department of Interior and Local Government-Negros …