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By CESAR JOLITO III Seven houses were gutted in a fast-moving fire that swept Burgos-Locsin Streets in Bacolod City’s Barangay 9 that displaced 22 families on Wednesday afternoon, December 10. The blaze, which broke out at 3:48 p.m. in the house of Roberto Maligdong in Purok Calachuchi, rapidly spread to surrounding structures made of both …

Victorias City in Negros Occidental is investigating the alleged irregularities in the distribution of cash aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) in one of its barangays. In a statement yesterday, Mayor Abelardo Bantug III said his office received information that beneficiaries received an amount less than what was due to them …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Negros Occidental provincial government has officially launched “Negros Jobs,” a digital employment portal designed to modernize the province’s job-matching system and ease unemployment through faster, data-driven connections between employers and jobseekers. The platform, developed by the Public Employment and Services Office (PESO), aims to centralize local employment opportunities and make …

A total of 18,253 families in Bacolod City affected by Typhoon “Tino” (international name “Kalmaegi”) will receive P114.9 million in Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) assistance from the national government within the week, the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) announced yesterday. “The initiative reinforces the DSWD’s commitment to providing timely …

By CESAR JOLITO III President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will visit Bacolod City on Friday, December 12, to personally inspect the city’s flood mitigation efforts, city officials confirmed yesterday. The visit, originally scheduled for December 5 for the official launching of Oplan Kontra Baha, was postponed due to Tropical Depression “Wilma,” Bacolod Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental’s P95 million financial aid from the Office of the President (OP) for Typhoon “Tino” recovery remains untouched, as key documentation requirements are still incomplete, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed this week. The amount — P50 million for the provincial government and P45 million for six affected local government units …

By CESAR JOLITO III Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos in Negros Occidental has appealed for the long-delayed passage of an anti-dynasty law, saying the country has reached a “moral reckoning” as corruption and ecological neglect continue to burden poor communities. Alminaza, who now serves as president of Caritas Philippines, said political …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson announced that the provincial government has begun releasing year-end benefits for Capitol employees, while other incentives are on hold pending national guidelines. Lacson said the 2023 Performance-Based Bonus (PBB) is now being processed following the late issuance of guidelines from the Department of the Interior …

In a significant move to bolster infrastructure development and secure its supply chain, top executives from the Philippines’ Primelectric Holdings, Inc. embarked on a strategic visit last week to South Korea’s manufacturing heartland. The delegation, led by President and CEO Roel Castro, toured the facilities of Taeyoung Electric Co., Ltd., a cornerstone of Korea’s industrial …

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) vowed justice for the violent death of a policeman in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, as pursuit operations continue for the arrest of the perpetrators. On December 7, the body of Senior Master Sergeant Rommel Aguilar, a member of the 3rd Maneuver Platoon of the 1st Negros Occidental Police Mobile …