TOP STORIES

Negros Occidental topped the ranking in terms of growth in local source revenues among all the provinces in the country in 2023, based on the list released by the Department of Finance-Bureau of Local Government Finance (DOF-BLGF). “We have been recognized. It’s even more a challenge for us to be able to continuously increase our …

By JEN BAYLON Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego called “political harassment” the proposed congressional investigation into the P1.5 billion loan secured by the city government for the construction of the new city hall and other facilities. “I believe this is political harassment, given the proximity to the elections,” Gallego said. He said there are no anomalies …

By JEN BAYLON The Supreme Court (SC) has directed the Office of the Solicitor General to make a comment on the petition questioning the enactment of the Negros Island Region (NIR). “The Court required the respondents to file their comment to the petition and prayer for a temporary restraining order within a non-extendible period of …

The Bacolod City government is seeking to establish a P2.2-billion centralized command system for crime, fire, traffic, and disaster response under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme. In a press conference on Monday, September 9, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said construction is ongoing for a building worth P60 million at the site of the commander center in …

The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) started the implementation of the 45-day free parking experimental proposal on Lacson Street yesterday. The experiment will focus on areas near restaurants from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. on weekdays, through the entire Saturday and Sunday, and ends at 5:00 a.m. on the following Monday. It will cover Lacson …

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has established a research laboratory in Negros Occidental to increase production of beneficial microorganisms (BMO) as a supplement to inorganic fertilizer to bring down the expenses of sugarcane growers. In a statement on Sunday, September 8, the SRA said the P6-million facility was inaugurated at the La Granja Agricultural Research …

A married couple and their nine children from a remote village in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental finally obtained birth certificates on official security paper (SECPA) through the Birth Registration Assistance Project (BRAP) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Residing in mountainous Sitio Bula, Barangay Carol-an, geographical limitations partly caused the delay in the birth registrations …

Top leaders of Negros Occidental paid homage to former Governor Daniel “Bitay” Lacson Jr., who passed away due to a lingering illness at his family home in Bacolod City on Friday night, September 6. Lacson, 77, was appointed by then-President Corazon Aquino as the post-EDSA governor and went on to lead the province from 1986 …

The month-long anti-drug operations conducted by various units of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas) last month yielded P72.8 million worth of suspected shabu and P1,680 worth of marijuana, according to a police report on Friday, September 6. The regionwide campaign confiscated approximately 10,707 grams of shabu and 14 grams of marijuana during …

A man was arrested after holding his family hostage in Bacolod City’s Barangay Estefania on Saturday afternoon, September 7. Police Station 4 chief Captain Francis Depasucat said the 38-year-old suspect entered inside his sister’s house by climbing an adjacent wall. Depasucat said the suspect, armed with two knives and a hammer, entered the living room and …