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By CESAR JOLITO III Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who died after falling from the fifth floor of a mall in Bacolod City on January 7, with authorities saying it is still too early to determine whether the incident was accidental, suicide-related or involved foul play. Bacolod City Police Station 1 …

By CESAR JOLITO III In a bid to prevent recurring water service interruptions during power outages, the Bacolod City council has unanimously approved on second reading an ordinance requiring all water service providers in the city to install standby power generators in their wells and pumping stations. The proposed measure, titled the Permanent Power Generators …

By CESAR JOLITO III The La Castellana municipal government has begun transferring evacuees of Typhoon “Tino” from public school classrooms to temporary family tents as part of efforts to resume face-to-face classes while a longer-term relocation is being prepared. Municipal public information officer Remuel Lajo said the local government will start relocating displaced families this …

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has vowed strengthened coordination and continued proactive response as the leadership of Regional Task Force Kanlaon (RTF) was transferred from Western Visayas to Negros Island Region (NIR) yesterday. In a ceremony held at Seda Capitol Central in Bacolod City witnessed by Civil Defense Administrator Harold Cabreros, OCD-Western Visayas Director …

By CESAR JOLITO III A labor and industry advocate has warned that the continued liberalization of sugar imports could lead to the collapse of the local sugar industry, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers in the Negros Island Region and other sugar-producing areas nationwide. In a statement issued yesterday, Wennie Sancho, convenor …

By CESAR JOLITO III The number of fireworks-related injuries in Negros Occidental rose by 8.41 percent during the recent holiday season, with health authorities recording 116 cases from December 21, 2025 to January 6, 2026, surpassing last year’s figures despite intensified police enforcement against illegal firecrackers. According to the Provincial Health Office’s (PHO) fireworks-related injury …

A total of 452 leptospirosis cases were reported in the Negros Island Region (NIR) in 2025, a health official said. Adrian Hort Ramos, Assistant Director of the Department of Health – Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR), in an interview with the media, said the number is subject to change after the inclusion of delayed reporting and …

Negros Occidental’s new online jobs portal is receiving a positive response, with 31 employers posting 86 vacancies and nearly 4,700 active jobseekers registered since its December launch. Provincial Public Employment Services Office manager Karen Dinsay said yesterday the Negros Jobs portal is easy to navigate and accessible for both employers and applicants. “They said the …

By CESAR JOLITO III Business owners in Bacolod City will have more time to renew their permits after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved an ordinance extending the deadline for the application and renewal of business permits and licenses to March 31, 2026. The measure, passed on final reading, grants the request of Mayor Greg Gasataya to …

By CESAR JOLITO III Nearly 500 residents displaced by Typhoon “Tino” continue to stay in evacuation centers in Negros Occidental’s La Castellana town, almost two months after the storm devastated the municipality, local disaster officials said. John de Asis, head of the La Castellana Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the figure is …