TOP STORIES

The much-awaited Panay-Guimaras-Negros (PGN) Bridges will proceed as planned, the top official of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) in Western Visayas confirmed yesterday. In a media interview, DEPDev Regional Director Arecio Casing, Jr. said the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) central office will …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is verifying reports that Hacienda Asia Plantations Incorporated (HAPI) has allegedly resumed certain activities at its palm oil plantation in Barangay Gatuslao, despite being under a cease-and-desist order (CDO) since June. According to Vicente Losbañes, officer-in-charge of …

By CESAR JOLITO III Cadiz City Mayor Salvador “Bading” Escalante has expressed frustration over what he described as the “slow” response of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in resolving the decade-long land dispute between security guards and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the city’s Barangay Mabini. Escalante said the ongoing conflict has persisted for …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod City government has reported that 90 percent of the clearing operations in Barangay 27 are now complete, nearly a month after a massive fire razed hundreds of homes in the area. City Administrator Mark Mayo said most of the major debris removal has already been finished, with continued assistance …

By CESAR JOLITO III The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has issued additional subpoenas to three more district engineers in Negros Occidental as part of its ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in flood control projects across the province. NBI-Bacolod executive officer William de Arca confirmed that the engineers from the Bacolod Lone District Engineering Office, …

The increase in the number of banks and the continued growth in loans and deposits indicate that financial resources remain sound in Negros Island Region (NIR), the country’s newest administrative region. The development was part of the summary of the region’s economic prospects presented by Regional Economic Affairs Staff acting head Roxan Mujeres during the …

By CESAR JOLITO III To ensure efficient use of government funds and avoid duplication of infrastructure initiatives, Bacolod City Councilor Caesar Distrito has filed a proposed ordinance requiring all national government projects to undergo consultation and coordination with the city government before implementation. Distrito, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s Committee on Ways and Means, said …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental assured farmer-beneficiaries of continued coordination with its central office on the long-running land dispute at Hacienda Escholastica in Cadiz City’s Barangay Mabini, following a violent incident on September 30 that left seven agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) injured. DAR Chief Legal Officer Atty. Jeremiah …

A total of 100 police and fire personnel in Negros Island Region (NIR) have been deployed to Cebu province since Wednesday, October 1, to augment search and rescue (SAR) operations in areas devastated by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Tuesday night, September 30. Of the number, the Police Regional Office – NIR dispatched 80 policemen, including 41 …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) said their preparations for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in 2025, originally scheduled on December 1, have been temporarily suspended. The move comes as the Supreme Court deliberates on a petition questioning the constitutionality of postponing the elections to …