Carla P. Gomez

Jun152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

101 hired on the spot at DOLE job fairs in NIR

The job fair in Bacolod City* DOLE NIR photoA total of 101 applicants were hired on the spot during the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Trabaho Agad Job Fairs in the Negros Island Region on Independence Day, Friday, June 12.Of those hired, 44 were from Negros Oriental and 57 were from Negros Occidental, DOLE announced on Monday.The fairs served as platforms for job seekers— particularly fresh graduates, first-time applicants, and individuals seeking better career moves - to connect directly with employers and access jobs, the DOLE said.The job fairs were conducted simultaneously at Robinsons Place Dumaguete for job seekers in Negros Oriental, and at SM City Bacolod for those in Negros Occidental.In Negros Oriental, 10 participating employers offered 800 ...

Jun152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Cops seize P136K in shabu, nab Kabankalan resident

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Anti-illegal drug operatives seized approximately 20 grams of suspected shabu valued at ₱136,000 during a buy-bust operation at Lirazan Street, Barangay 3, Kabankalan City, Monday, June 15.The operation, spearheaded by the Kabankalan City Police Station and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office under the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR), also resulted in the arrest of a Street Level Individual (SLI).Police identified the suspect as alias, “Joe,” a 37-year-old unemployed resident of Purok Fatima, Barangay Tagukon, Kabankalan City.The police said the operation stemmed from a tip provided by a confidential informant regarding Joe’s alleged involvement in local illegal drug activities.Following careful validation through casing an...

Jun152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Supply shortage triggers Negros Power rate hike by P2.4609/kWh in June, higher amount projected in July

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Negros Power Assistant Vice President for Planning and Business Operations Leomel Tambanillo and Energy Sourcing Manager Christian John Villena during a press conference in Bacolod City on Monday,*Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power) consumers will face a power rate increase of P2.4609 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this June, with an even steeper hike expected in July due to nationwide generation shortages further exacerbated by a recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao.The adjustment will bring the June electricity rates for Central Negros consumers to P13.8417/kWh, up from P11.3808/kWh in May.The new rate takes effect on Tuesday, June 16.The figures were disclosed by Negros Power Assistant Vice President for Planning and Business Operations Leomel Tambanill...

Jun152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Destructive sugarcane pests hit more than 2,000 hectares in Negros, Panay

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SRA uses drones to spray insecticide on RSSI hit areas.*SRA photoA highly destructive insect infestation has hit 2,249 hectares of sugarcane fields across Negros and Panay, affecting 1,108 farmers.Data released by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Monday, June 15, showed Negros Occidental has taken the hardest hit by the increased Red-Striped Soft Scale Infestation (RSSI).The SRA's consolidated monitoring figures as of June 5 show that the sap-sucking insect has severely affected 1,108 farmers across 195 barangays. Negros Occidental bears the brunt of the devastation with over 2,000 hectares of infested crops.Bago City is currently the hardest-hit locality, logging 406.02 hectares of damaged crops affecting 321 farmers.It is closely...

Jun142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

All Regional Mobile Force personnel safe following clash with rebels in Calatrava: PRO NIR

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Troops in Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, tonight.*PRO NIR photoAll Regional Mobile Force personnel who engaged in an armed encounter with an alleged communist terrorist group (CTG) in Sitio Kabalagnan, Barangay Lalong, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, on Sunday afternoon, June 14, are safe and accounted for, the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) reported.The Regional Mobile Force Battalion – Negros Island Region (RMFB-NIR) said personnel from the 1st Platoon, 2nd Maneuver Company, engaged suspected CTG members while providing security assistance to a municipal local government operations officer.Upon receiving the report, a Quick Reaction Team (QRT) from the RMFB-NIR's 2nd Maneuver Company was immediately deployed to the area and succ...

Jun142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

SRA deploys drones, manual spraying to combat RSSI

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has started drone and manual spraying of insecticide to combat the highly destructive red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) in the sugarcane fields of Isabela, Negros Occidental."We started our RSSI drone and manual spraying of insecticide last week in several barangays in Isabela. The whole of Negros is affected, so the spraying will continue in other areas," Sugar Board Member David Andrew Lizares Sanson said Sunday, June 14.The spraying of fungus to fight the RSSI also started last month, he added.Sanson said he is waiting for an update on the total areas affected and treated areas so far.An SRA report released on June 4 showed that the RSSI has hit 1,788.93 hectares of standing sugarcane across Negros and Panay, affecting 869 f...

Jun142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod SP urges creation of task force to crackdown on public smoking violations

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In response to persistent smoking violations in Bacolod City, the Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved a resolution urging the local government to intensify the enforcement of Bacolod’s Comprehensive Anti-Smoking Ordinance through a coordinated multi-agency crackdown, Councilor Caesar Distrito said Saturday, June 13. The resolution, authored by Distrito calls on the Office of the City Mayor to strengthen the implementation of City Ordinance No. 641, Series of 2013, particularly in high-traffic public zones like school premises, public utility jeepneys (PUJs) and terminals, the downtown area, public plazas, hospital grounds, and gasoline stations.Distrito noted that the measure was prompted by rampant public complaints regarding smoking in areas heavily frequented by...

Jun142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NORSU alumna gets perfect score in National Medical Admission Test

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Queenie Roda Futalan,*NORSU photoQueenie Roda Futalan, a magna cum laude graduate of Negros Oriental State University, achieved a perfect score of 800 on her first attempt at the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT), placing her in the 99+ percentile, NORSU announced on Friday, June 12.Futalan is an alumna of the Pharmacy Department under NORSU's College of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Allied Health Sciences (CNPAHS).The NMAT is a standardized examination required for admission to all medical schools in the Philippines.NORSU, in a Facebook post, said Futalan’s academic excellence spans her entire college career.She has been a Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) scholar, a consistent dean's lister, and an active student l...

Jun142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod’s Painting Legion presents annual exhibit ‘On Becoming’

Lifestyle, Top Stories

The students exhibitors - The Painting Legion*The Painting Legion of La Consolacion College Bacolod (LCCB), the official club of the School of Fine Arts, has opened its annual exhibit “On Becoming” at Museo De La Salle Bacolod.The show captures the creative journey of fine arts students, each work reflecting a personal vision and evolving style. The exhibit emphasizes experimentation, transformation and the continuing process of artistic formation, a press release from Robert Harland said Sunday, June 14.Under the mentorship of Art Professor, Buglas Carreon, the students translate their learning into concrete visual expressions, showcasing the depth and diversity of Bacolod’s emerging talents.Edwin Rud Go, art and cultural advocate, Professor Buglas Carreon, Sandy Solinap a...

Jun122026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

PhilExport Negros urges immediate intervention as US crab ban threatens thousands of livelihoods

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The livelihoods of fishermen, like this one in EB Magalona, will be affected by the ban.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoThe Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PhilExport) Negros Chapter on Friday, June 12, said the decision by U.S. authorities to suspend the importation of Philippine crabmeat products threatens the livelihood of thousands of workers and fishing communities across the country, including those in Negros Occidental.PhilExport Negros Chapter, in a statement, called for immediate engagement between Philippine and U.S. authorities to clarify and resolve the issues that led to the suspension.Effective June 11, the United States National Marine Fisheries Service, pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, closed the U.S. market to Philippine blue swimming cr...