Carla P. Gomez

Kalinaw News photoA former student at the University of the Philippines Cebu was among five alleged rebels killed in an encounter between the 15th  Infantry Battalion and  the New People’s Army (NPA) in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Saturday. Vince Francis Yncierto Dingding, alias Poy, 30, was an active student leader who joined  the  Kabataan Partylist Cebu and was later allegedly recruited into the underground movement Kabataang Makabayan The Army  on Monday said he was a political instructor of  the NPA's  Southwest Front-D  in Negros and a  resident of Capitol Site Poblacion, Cebu City. The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said publicly available records show that Dingding once moved within student leadership circles and was associ...

The voters registrants' line at Robinsons Place in Bacolod City on Monday* Comelec Bacolod photoLong queues and a last-minute rush in cities marked the conclusion of the voter registration period in Negros Occidental, with 7,548 registrants processed on Monday, May 18, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said.There were long lines observed in the cities, and less registrants in the towns, he said.The highly urbanized city of Bacolod recorded the highest volume of registrants by a wide margin, logging 1,236 , Commission on Election data furnished by Ananoria Monday night showed.Major northern and southern hubs also posted strong turnout figures, led by Silay City with 408, followed by Bago City - 354, Talisay City - 334, Sagay City -333, Kabankalan City -...

The taxi drivers and operators holding up their statament at a press conference in Bacolod City on Monday, May 18.*Local taxi drivers and operators may stage a caravan rally to protest what they call the "unfair" distribution of government fuel subsidies, claiming that unregistered "colorum" tricycles and Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) are being prioritized over legitimate public utility vehicles.The Samahan ng mga Taxi Drivers sa Bacolod (SMTDB) and the Taxi Operators Negros Occidental Association (TONO) at a press conference in Bacolod on Monday, May 18, called on government to include their 520 members in the fuel subsidy program and assistance from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD...

The bodies of the  five slain rebels being processed by the Scene of the Crime Operatives.*Cheng Santillan photoFive alleged New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, linked to the murders of 26 civilians since 2025, were killed during a series of clashes with the 15th Infantry Battalion in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, Saturday, May 16.The fatalities were  members of the  NPA’s South-West Front, Komiteng-Rehiyon Negros, responsible for the liquidation of 23 civilians in 2025  and three this year in Negros Island,  Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the Army's 302nd Infantry Brigade, said Sunday. They killed innocent civilians whom they tagged as government informants, he said. The f...

Cauayan  Mayor John Rey Tabujara* Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara on Sunday, May 17, condemned the “violence, intimidation and disturbance” caused by the New People’s Army in his town.The local government of Cauayan in Negros Occidental will not tolerate any threats to civilian safety, he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.Tabujara issued the statement following encounters between 15th Infantry Battalion soldiers and NPA fighters in Cauayan on Saturday that left five alleged rebels dead.The Army has linked the slain rebels to the liquidation of 26 civilians in Negros Island since 2025.  Actions of the NPA have disrupted the peace of Cauayan’s communities and placed innocent civilian...

Joint law enforcement operatives intercepted an illegal shipment of contraband cigarettes worth over P40 million and arrested 10 individuals in Basay, Negros Oriental,  at 11:15 p.m.  Saturday, May 16. The operation stemmed from a verified intelligence report regarding the illicit unloading of tobacco products from a 10-wheeler closed van in Sitio Labugon, Barangay Nagbo-alao, Basay, the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) reported on Sunday. Following surveillance and verification operations, the joint team moved in to intercept the cargo and apprehend the suspects on site. Seized were 700 master cases of "Bosqu" brand cigarettes with unauthorized tax seals and lacked the mandatory graphic health warning labels required unde...

A child being rescued by Coast Guard and Philippine Red Cross personnel.*PRC photo Bago City residents traveling to a relative's funeral in Guimaras were rescued at sea Friday night after their pump boat capsized, Coast Guard Station Northern Negros Occidental Commander Artzell Anacan said.The vessel departed from Bantayan Park in Bago City around 4 p.m. on Friday, carrying a crew of two and nine family members from Barangay Binubuhan.The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Substation in Pulupandan received a distress call at 5:37 p.m. reporting that the vessel had overturned in the waters between Negros and Guimaras , Anacan said. Anacan said rescue bancas and a Coast Guard tugboat were immediately deployed, but responders faced initial difficulties ...

The national fact-finding and solidarity mission in Toboso.*Six of 19 killed in the April 19 Toboso encounter were known civilian peasant advocates and organizers, directly contradicting the military's narrative that all of the dead were combatants, a national fact-finding and solidarity mission (NFSM) said on Friday, May 15.Witness testimonies showed that the six were RJ Ledesma, Alyssa Alano, Errol Wendel, Maureen Santuyo, Lyle Prijoles, and Kai Sorem, Deputy Secretary General of Karapatan Sol Taule said at a press conference in Bacolod City.The Armed Forces of the Philippines has maintained that the 19 were killed in a legitimate encounter with members of the New People’s Army.More than 100 human rights workers, Makabayan lawmakers, church workers, and activists joined t...

Voter registration in Bacolod City.* Comelec photoThose who wish to vote in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) have only until Monday, May 18, to register, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official reminded the public on Friday.Negros Island Region Comelec Regional Director Lionel Marco Castellano stressed that there will be no extension to the registration period.Applicants to vote only have Saturday and Monday left to register.While voter registration typically runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Castellano noted that on Monday, election staff will list down the names of those still in line by 3 p.m. to ensure they are all accommodated.The poll body expects a heavy upsurge of registrants during the final two days.To ensure an orderly proc...

Senator Risa Hotiveros said the gunshots and chaos at the Senate building Wednesday evening were a “historic low for our country.”“We need to get to the bottom of this. The Filipino people deserve a full, independent, and unobstructed accounting. There should be no cover up, ” Hontiveros said Thursday afternoon.Hontiveros, who was in Bacolod to speak at the opening of the 35th Visayas Area Business Conference, said a through inter-agency investigation must be conducted to determine who started the terrible incident at the Senate and caused it to escalate.“The whole Senate as an institution is placed on the spot leaving the task of accountability at what happened at the door of the Senate leadership”, she said.“Unfortunately, the Senate, The People's House, the hallowed...