Carla P. Gomez

Slow Food International Councilor Ramon “Chinchin” Uy Jr. (center) at the Senate Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform hearing on Wednesday.*As chemical fertilizer prices skyrocket by 35 percent in a single week, Slow Food International Councilor Ramon “Chinchin” Uy Jr. told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform Wednesday that the secret to national food security lies in "waste, not oil."Testifying during a Senate inquiry on the impact of rising oil prices on agricultural and fisheries production, Uy, who represents Slow Food in Southeast Asia and operates the Fresh Start Organic Farm in Negros Occidental, pointed out that agroecology acts as a shield against global economic shocks.At the hearing to evaluate the preparedness of go...

Ben & Ben will perform at the Panaad sa Negros Festival Monday evening*  The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council   Emergency Operations Center  will go on Blue Alert starting Friday, April 10, to ensure the safety of the 30th Panaad sa Negros Festival in Bacolod City, which kicks off this Monday.  The Blue Alert will be in effect from 8 a.m. Friday until 8 a.m. on April 20.  Under this status, disaster response teams and medical personnel are placed on standby for immediate deployment, and the EOC is partially activated to provide 24/7 monitoring of the large crowds expected at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City. A gun ban in Bacolod City will also ...

Kanlaon Volcano spewing ash at 6:24 a.m. Thursday.* Mj Guardiano photoKanlaon Volcano spewed ash six times on  Wednesday and Thursday, April 8 and 9, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported.  Mari Andylene Quintia, the PHIVOLCS resident volcanologist stationed at the La Carlota City observatory, said  that the highest grayish plume reached an altitude of 1,200 meters above the crater at 6:24 a.m. on Thursday. The volcano  activity consisted of a single ash emission on Wednesday followed by five additional events on Thursday, indicating that the volcano's vents remain open, she said.  The  emissions on Thursday occurred at 2:47 a.m., 6:24 a.m., 6:30 a.m., 7...

The area where the shooting occurred.*PNP photoAn Indian national and four others were wounded in a daytime shooting spree along the Hacienda Buyong-Buyong Road in Brgy. Bagtic, Silay City Negros Occidental, at about 10:25 a.m. Wednesday, April 8.A Silay police investigation report said the primary target was a 42-year-old Indian national residing in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City, who was traveling on a motorcycle driven by her 45-year-old employee.While enroute from Brgy. Guimbalaon to Brgy. Bagtic in Silay, the pair noticed a motorcycle trailing them.The suspect—identified as the victim’s brother-in-law, also an Indian national, suddenly opened fire, hitting the woman in the left side of her stomach, the police said.The driver sustained abrasions on his left hand ...

Cash Relief Assistance being distributed in Bacolod City on Wednesday*DSWD NIR photoThe Department of Social Welfare and Development distributed Cash Relief Assistance to 27,045 tricycle drivers in 19 Negros Island Region cities on Wednesday, April 8, DSWD NIR Regional Director Arwin O. Razo said.He said each tricycle driver receive P5,000 for a total of ₱135,225,000 disbursed.The disbursement of cash assistance will continue on Tuesday with the NIR beneficiaries totaling 34,000.Negros Occidental received the bulk of the assistance, with Cadiz City recording the highest distribution in the province at ₱16,425,000 released to 3,285 tricycle drivers.Bacolod City followed with ₱12,965,000 distributed to 2,593 beneficiaries across four major venues.Other key ...

The Philippine National Police will deploy about 1,500 personnel across the Negros Island Region (NIR) to ensure the safe and orderly observance of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) on Thursday, April 9.Policemen will be strategically positioned in key areas of convergence, including major thoroughfares, transportation hubs, public spaces, and the specific venues hosting commemorative activities, the Police Regional Office NIR said.The security framework consists of fixed police visibility, motorcycle and mobile patrol units, and dedicated traffic assistance personnel, it said.To further enhance coverage and deter potential threats, the PNP will also establish checkpoints and border control points throughout the region.Specialized units, such as the Civil Disturbance Manage...