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By CESAR JOLITO III Alarmed by the rising number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections across Negros Island, the Bacolod City government has intensified its prevention and awareness efforts, starting with a focused campaign in Barangay Handumanan on July 18. “Our goal is not only to raise awareness but to remove the stigma surrounding HIV …

Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has called out those behind the disinformation on social media regarding announcements on weather-related suspension of classes in this highly urbanized city. In a press briefing yesterday, Gasataya said there were those spreading wrong information that the city government announced classes had been suspended, but no such announcement came from him …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod City Population Office (CPO) and the Commission on Population and Development in Negros Island Region (CPD-NIR) are ramping up efforts to curb teenage pregnancies and improve youth mental wellness through the implementation of a data-driven system that streamlines service delivery and advocacy. Together with various stakeholders, CPO and CPD-NIR …

By CESAR JOLITO III Recovery operations are far from over even as the majority of evacuees in Negros Occidental’s Kabankalan City have already returned home following widespread flooding in the locality over the weekend. In an interview with Watchmen Daily Journal on Saturday, July 19, Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda said about 70 to 80 percent of evacuees from …

By CESAR JOLITO III Crop damage in sugarcane caused by fast-spreading red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in Negros Occidental could reach up to P350 million, prompting calls for the declaration of a state of calamity to enable emergency interventions. The warning came from David Andrew Sanson, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board member and head of …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Central Philippines State University (CPSU) Moises Padilla Campus will remain in its current location after a payment for the disputed property has been settled. Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed that the provincial government has already paid the landowner, former Moises Padilla Mayor Frank Nazareno, for the two-hectare property …

Food assistance and temporary shelter have been extended by local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies to families displaced by floods in at least 13 cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental. A report by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Council as of 11:00 a.m. yesterday showed 4,227 families composed of 11,688 …

The Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) has assured Negrenses that cases of hand, food and mouth disease (HFMD) in the province are manageable despite rising cases among young children. In an interview on Thursday, July 17, Dr. Ma. Girlie Pinongan, provincial health officer, said since the cases reported are mostly among schoolchildren, they should …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod City council called on schools and child development centers to strengthen preventive measures against hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) following a spike in local cases. In a resolution authored by Councilor Em Ang, chairperson of the Committee on Health, and approved on Wednesday, July 16, the city council …

By CESAR JOLITO III Hog raisers in Negros Occidental are seeing new opportunities after Cebu province lifted its ban on the entry of live pigs and livestock, a restriction previously imposed to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF). Dr. Ryan Janoya, chief of the Provincial Veterinary Office’s Animal Health and Meat Inspection Services, …