Carla P. Gomez

Superheated volcanic gas was causing the  red glow at the  crater of Kanlaon Volcano, Mari Andylene Quintia, PHIVOLCS resident volcanologist, said Sunday night, May  10.A superheated plume is magmatic gas being emitted by the volcano, she said.Close-up photos showing superheated volcanic gas from the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano were captured via DSLR Camera from  the Kanlaon Volcano Observatory - Canlaon City station at 11:40 p.m. Saturday, and 7:03 p.m. Sunday, May.While superheated volcanic gas plumes have been recorded since 2024, only on  Sunday  did it become visible to the naked eye, a phenomenon called crater glow or "banaag," the Negros Occidental Operations Center  said.The public is advised to stay alert and await further advisories from ...

Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez*Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) on Sunday, May 10, said he will not push forward with his call for a Congressional inquiry into the Toboso encounters that left 19 dead.“Multiple investigations are now underway by the proper authorities, including the Commission on Human Rights and the relevant agencies of government. The right course is to let these processes run their full course without political interference,” he said.“Justice is best served by institutions doing their work, not by Congress getting ahead of them,” he said.Benitez echoed Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson’s appeal to the remaining armed rebels to lay down their arms and return to the fold of the law while there is still time.“The era of viole...

Soldiers carrying a coffin of one of the 19 killed in Toboso*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson came to the defense of the Philippine Army on Friday, May 8, saying that its encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA) in Toboso that left 19 dead was a legitimate operation.Lacson, who chairs the Negros Island Region Peace and Order Council, said “we believe it was a legitimate encounter.”“We should realize that the Army could not have done that without information from the community. So, clearly, the community helped guide the Philippine Army to run after their target. We do not question the Philippine Army,” Lacson said.He added that the public should appreciate the men and women of the Philippine Army who are out there every day “sacrificing their lives for us to b...

PBGen. Romano V. Cardiño*PBGen. Romano V. Cardiño assumed the post of acting regional director of the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) during turnover of command rites at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, on Friday, May 8.Cardiño assumes leadership of the regional police force with a mandate to intensify law enforcement operations against criminality, illegal drugs, loose firearms, and wanted persons, a PRO NIR statement said.His vision for the region emphasizes a disciplined and community-engaged police force, utilizing intelligence-driven and proactive policing strategies to maintain peace and order across the Negros Island Region, it added.Cardiño took over the PRO NIR leadership from PBGen. Arnold Thomas C. Ibay.Ibay will...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson formally accepted Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during a turnover at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City on Friday, May 8.Lacson, in his speech, said the CBMS is "valuable tool" that will guide the Negros Occidental provincial government toward a more responsive and evidence-based governance.“When our decisions are guided by accurate information, our programs become more effective, our resources become better utilized, and our governance becomes more responsive,” he said.The newly acquired information will provide a deeper understanding of the specific conditions and gaps within local communities, serving as a vital foundation for strategic planning, budgeting, and the prioritizati...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Daniel del Rosario Jr. and the WeGen Energy Philippines team.*Richard Malihan photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government is projected to save ₱1 billion over the next 25 years by transitioning to solar power, an official of a renewable energy firm said.Daniel del Rosario Jr., sales and service partner at WeGen Energy Philippines Inc., lauded the province’s shift toward renewable energy during the opening of the Negros Occidental Renewable Energy (RE) Week Expo 2026 at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod on Thursday morning, May 7.Del Rosario noted that the provincial government has embarked on a significant transition to supply 30 to 40 percent of the power requirements for its buildings through RE.His firm has been responsible for installing t...

The opening of the Negros Occidental Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026 at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod.* Richard Malihan photo“Negros Occidental is not just participating in the energy transition, it is helping lead it. In many ways, it is already showing the country what a sustainable energy future can look like,” a Department of Energy (DOE) official said Thursday, May 7.Ruby de Guzman, DOE Renewable Energy Management Bureau assistant director, who was the keynote speaker at the opening of the Negros Occidental Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026 at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod, said the province holds an estimated renewable energy potential of 14,277.7 megawatts.She said its potential for wind is 12,396 megawatts, for solar - 1,787 megawatts, and for hydropower - 94.7 me...