Carla P. Gomez

May202026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

BSWM sets P6M for Negros, WV cloudseeding operations

The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) has a P6 million budget for cloudseeding operations to induce rain in Western Visayas and Negros Occidental, a Department of Agriculture official said Wednesday, May 20.The BSWM has completed the validation of the request for cloudseeding to mitigate the effects of the dry spell on crops in the area, DA Negros Island Region Director Jose Albert Barrogo said.Barrogo said he is waiting for the BSWM notification on when the cloudseeding operations will start.Sugarcane crops will be affected by the dry spell that is why cloudseeding is needed, he said.*

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

PCCI Visayas backs 5 ‘game-changing’ resolutions for Negros, Siquijor growth

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Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Visayas members meet*The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Visayas has unanimously approved five game-changing resolutions aimed at driving economic resilience, technological advancement, and tourism growth across the newly formed Negros Island Region (NIR), PCCI official said on Tuesday, May 19.The endorsement of the resolutions to the national government was finalized during the conclusion of the 3-day 35th Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC) in Bacolod City last week, which brought together regional business leaders and public officials, Edward Du, PCCI Philippine Chamber Development Institute Visayas vice chair, said.Originally drafted and presented by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Negro...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Benitez takes oath as Deputy Speaker, vows to ground work on peoples’ needs

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Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez took his oath as Deputy Speaker before House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Tuesday, May 19.Benitez was elected to the post on March 18.“ I accept this role not only as a privilege, but as an opportunity to serve more meaningfully and help shape policies that uplift communities across the Visayas and the entire country. I remain committed to listening, working, and delivering for our people, while helping strengthen trust in public service and our institutions,” Benitez said.He thanked Dy and his colleagues in the House of Representatives for their trust and confidence.“As Deputy Speaker, I take on this role with a clear responsibility to Bacolod, the Visayas, and the country. It is a reminder to keep our work grounded on the needs ...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Parents of slain rebel won’t claim body, NPA hails 5 slain in Cauayan as martyrs

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Fr. Philip Palacios blesses the coffins of the rebels slain in Cauayan.* Philippine Army photo"P.S. We decided that we will no longer claim his remains in Negros Occ."This was contained in a letter from the parents of Vince Francis Dingding, 30, a former student leader at the University of the Philippines Cebu turned rebel, who was killed in a 15th Infantry Battalion encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA) in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said Tuesday.Dingding was the secretary of the Southwest Negros Guerrilla Front, the NPA confirmed in a statement also on Tuesday.The handwritten letter from Romulo and Rica Dingding, addressed “To whom it may concern” and dated Monday, May 18, asked t...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

SSS issues notices of violation to 5 employers for P1.8M delinquency

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SSS officials serving a notice of violation on Tuesday.*The Social Security System (SSS)-Bacolod branch conducted RACE (Run After Contribution Evaders) operations Tuesday, May 19, and issued notices of violation to five establishments.The amount of delinquency is P1,858,835.53 affecting 35 employees employed by a school, construction supplier, contractor, auto service center and a packaging supplier, Josefa Pineda, SSS Regional Communications Officer, said.SSS Bacolod branch Head Brenda Cruz and Harry Solinab of the Operations Legal Department served the notices of violation.Delinquent employers were given 15 days to settle their obligations either in full or through installment.Republic Act No. 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, mandates employers to register t...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv seeking cloudseeding to combat NegOcc dry spell

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The effects of the dry spell are already being felt in farms in Negros Occidental and a mitigation plan is being readied, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, May 19.The provincial government is working with the Bureau of Soils and Water Management for cloudseeding operations to induce rain, he said.“If it is possible we hope to start with that,” he said.They are also looking at using Disaster Risk Reduction and Management funds for possible financial assistance to the affected farmers, Lacson said.The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. is also there to extend help to farmers, and we are also looking at the possibility of adding to that fund so the recovery of the farmers will be faster, Lacson added.The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said th...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Comelec-NIR logs over 241,422 voter applicants for November BSKE

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The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) has officially concluded its voter registration period, recording 241,422 applications across the region from Oct. 20, 2025, to May 18, 2026.The registration drive is in preparation for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in November.Comelec data showed a last-minute surge on Monday — the final day of registration —with 12,385 applications processed in the NIR in a single day.The final-day turnout saw more female applicants at 6,424 beating out their male counterparts at 5,961.Throughout the seven-month registration period, female registrants consistently outnumbered males region-wide, accounting for 126,180 of the total applications compared to 115,242 malesNegros Occi...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv appointing Hugnatan new prov’l health officer

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Dr. Ayessa Hugnatan and Dr. Von Andre Aposaga *The Municipal Health Officer of Cauayan will be the new Provincial Health Officer of Negros Occidental.Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, May 19, that Dr. Ayessa Hugnatan will assume the PHO post in about two weeks.Dr. Josephine Pahamtang, chief of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, has been appointed OIC of the PHO in a concurrent capacity until Hugnatan arrives, he said.The post became vacant after Dr. Girlie Pinongan retired as Provincial Health Officer on Friday.Lacson also named Dr Von Andre Aposaga as the OIC for public health service of the PHO.Hugnatan and Aposaga are young doctors whose passion is for public health, Lacson said.*

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Governor: Senate can redeem integrity at impeachment trial

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Senators take oath as impeachment court judges*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, May, 19, that if the members of the Senate want to redeem their integrity they should prove it during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.“The public will really be closely monitoring or watching this to find out if they really can redeem themselves,” he said.Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday called on the public to remain vigilant after the Senate convened as an impeachment court Monday.Lacson described the convening as a "breath of fresh air," especially in contrast to last week’s tense events, including the "smell of gunpowder" from a shooting incident in the Senate building.On Monday, the Senate formally convened into an impeachment court to tr...

May192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Hinigaran reverts to 5-day workweek

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Mayor Mary Grace S. Arceo*The Hinigaran municipal government in Negros Occidental has officially returned to its regular five-day work schedule, moving away from its previous alternative arrangement to ensure more accessible and seamless public service delivery.Through Executive Order No. 0020, Series of 2026, signed by Mayor Mary Grace S. Arceo, all local government offices, departments, divisions, and units reverted to the standard Monday-to-Friday schedule effective May 18.Under this directive, official working hours are now set from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in strict accordance with Civil Service Commission laws, rules, and regulations.The mayor said the restoration of the regular work week was deemed necessary to improve day-to-day coordination among local departments, facil...