Carla P. Gomez

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...

The mass graduation of 2,065 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority scholars at the Victorias City Coliseum*Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) announced that a P1 billion Negros Occidental Convention Center in Silay City is targeted for completion by late 2027 or early 2028, and that funds have been committed for the improvement of the Bacolod-Silay International Airport. Benitez made the announcement at the mass graduation of 2,065 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) scholars at the Victorias City Coliseum on Thursday, May 7, which he called a historic first for the Third District of Negros Occidental. “For the first time ever, we held a district-wide TESDA mass graduation ceremony, bringing together 2,065 gra...

The fire at 16th Lacson St., Barangay 7 on Thursday.* Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade photoA senior citizen was killed while her husband was injured in a fire that destroyed four houses and damaged two at Purok Maanyag 2, Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City, at about 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6.Killed was Rosa Magbanua, 69, while her husband, Jose Magbanua, 62, who sustained first degree burns on his back was able to escape, Fire Insp. Jemarie Tapiru, Bacolod deputy fire marshal, said on Thursday.The fire started from the room of the house owned by Flordeliza Lazalita where a power bank exploded, Tapiru said.The Magbanuas who were asleep did not know that there was a fire until they saw the flames and smoke next to their bedroom.They tried to escape by climbing the...

Chart Motus taking children on a tour of HOPEtopia*A vibrant forest filled with trees, animals and flowers has magically leapt from the pages of a children’s book into an ancestral home in Bacolod City.This is HOPEtopia, a newly opened interactive children’s museum, learning center, and activity hub located at 54th Lizares Avenue.Managed by the Negrense Volunteers for Change, the space serves as a whimsical sanctuary for environmental education and the love of reading books.The inspiration for the museum comes from the book “Our Common Home: A Laudato Si’ Story”, written by Australia-based Filipina author Bernadette Silvana.The book is inspired by an encyclical by Pope Francis detailing the importance of caring for the Earth, a message for people of all faiths....

Vice President Sara Duterte*Negros Occidental representatives are expected to vote in favor of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, lawyer Jesus “Jayvee” Hinlo, PDP-Laban deputy secretary general for Visayas, said Thursday, May 7.But while the Lower House is expected to vote for her impeachment, he does not believe the bid to remove her from office will succeed in the Senate, he said.Hinlo said that like what happened in the first impeachment against the vice president that did not proceed, Negros Occidental representatives voted in favor of her impeachment.They are expecting the vice president to be impeached by the Lower House because it only requires the votes of one-third of its members, Hinlo said. However, for it to succeed, it will not be easy to get two-...

The Pulitzer Prize winner is the grandson of Dr. Pablo Torre of the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital now Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City*Filipino-American podcaster Pablo Torre, who just won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting, has roots in Negros Occidental.The Pulitzer Prizes, on its website, announced that “Pablo Torre Finds Out” won the prize for “a distinguished example of audio journalism that serves the public interest, characterized by revelatory reporting and illuminating storytelling”.The “Pablo Torre Finds Out” team won P$15,000.“Pablo Torre Finds Out” was cited for “a pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism that investigated how the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly evaded the NBA’s salary cap rules by funneling mon...

Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, provincial consultant on energy, and NICE secretary general Joshua Villalobos (right) at a press conference on the Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026.*The Negros Occidental provincial government will launch three programs during the Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026 that kicks off at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod Thursday, May 7, to further accelerate the province’s RE transition.“I think we can rightly claim that Negros Occidental has become one of the RE capitals of the country. We are ahead of most other provinces in RE transition,” former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, provincial government consultant on energy and environment concerns, said at a press conference on Wednesday.During the Renewable Energy W...

The dengue-related deaths in Negros Occidental have increased to four this year, the Provincial Health Office reported on Wednesday, May 6.The dengue cases in the province from January 4 to April 25 have reached 601, representing a significant 66.8 percent decrease, or 1,207 fewer cases, compared to the 1,808 cases recorded during the same period in 2025, the PHO said.Despite this overall decline in infections, the virus remains widespread, with 30 out of 31 local government units reporting at least one suspected case of the disease.La Carlota City had the highest volume of infections at 59 cases, followed by Bago City with 56 cases and one recorded death.The PHO said the most affected demographic is children within the 1-to-10-year-old age group, although the overall ag...