Carla P. Gomez

Former rebels and residents of Toboso, Negros Occidental gather for a peace rally in front to Toboso Municipal Hall to condemn the killings of 48 civilians by the New People's Army since last year.* Buklod Kapayapaan photoThe National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said on Monday, April 27, that the recent incidents in Negros Occidental and Samar show a troubling shift in the recruitment practices of the New People’s Army (NPA)The task force said the increasing involvement of foreign nationals and minors in active combat is a development that raises serious concerns regarding the trajectory of the armed movement.Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr., NTF-ELCAC Executive Director, said that during an armed encounter in Toboso on April 19, two Ame...

The Philippine Army assisting the families of the dead in Toboso claiming the bodies of their relatives.* 3CMO "Peacemaker" Battalion photoThe Communist Party of the Philippines on Monday, April 27, identified all 19 casualties in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, claiming 10 were armed revolutionaries and nine were civilians.The Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines have yet to release the full list of names of the 19 casualties whom they said were killed in a series of encounters between the 79th Infantry Battalion soldiers and the NPA in Barangay Salamanca on April . 19.They have maintained that all 19 were armed NPA combatants.Meanwhile, CPP said the 10 NPA fighters killed in the encounters were:· Roger Fabillar (K...

The Philippine Army helps return the remains of the Toboso 19 to their families.*79th IB photoThe Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has launched an independent investigation into a deadly April 19 armed encounter in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, which resulted in the death of 19 individuals.Among the dead were University of the Philippines student leader Alyssa Alano, community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma and alleged ranking members of the New People’s Army in northern Negros.Also among the casualties were two Filipino- Americans identified as Lyle Prijoles, 40, of San Francisco, a country council member of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, and Kai Sorem, 26, of Steilacoom, Washington State, one of the founding officers of Ana...

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. at the illegal cigarette factory in Bago City on Friday.*Ronnie Baldonado photoMembers of the Philippine National Police protecting crime syndicates will not be tolerated, PNP officials said Sunday, April 26.Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, Police Regional Office Negros Island Region Police director, and Col. Eugene Rebadomia, Bacolod Police Director, said the police major protecting a Chinese syndicate manufacturing illegal cigarettes was not from their units.Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla said on Friday that an active police major from Bacolod City in now under government custody and currently undergoing debriefing because investigators believe he was not acting alo...

An E-Transportation Loan Program was rolled out in Bacolod City on Friday, Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez said.Together with Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque, Bacolod Vice Mayor Kalaw Puentevella and Councilor Bobby Rojas they rolled out the program at the Villamonte Gym, Benitez said in a Facebook post on Saturday.The program is designed to provide drivers with access to financing and support as the city transitions toward more sustainable transport, he said.Benitez said the initiative offers flexible loan options, including up to ₱3 million in funding, a one-year grace period, and manageable terms tailored for the transport sector.The program also includes plans for charging stations to support the growing number of e-vehicles, he said.This...

An unattended lighted candle triggered a fire that hit Purok Tahong, Brgy 2, Bacolod City, at 11:27 a.m. Saturday, April 25, FSupt. Jenny Mae Masip, Bacolod Fire Marshal, said.The fire destroyed four houses with estimated losses placed at P22,500, she said.Four families with 15 individuals were rendered homeless, Masip said.*

Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla (left) inspects an illegal cigarettes factory in Barangay Calumangan, Bago City,  Friday afternoon, April 24.*Ronnie Baldonado photo The Philippine National Police has successfully busted a Chinese crime syndicate engaged in the manufacture of billions of pesos worth of illegal cigarettes and the operation of E-sabong in Negros Occidental, Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla said Friday, April 24.“We uncovered a large criminal enterprise right here in the NIR (Negros Island Region),” Remulla said.Remulla, at a press conference at the illegal cigarettes factory in a warehouse in Barangay Calumangan, Bago City, said  an active police major  from Bacolod City allegedly was pro...

 The e-sabong broadcast studio in Talisay City* Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-led operatives raided an online cockfighting or 'e-sabong' facility in Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, early Thursday, Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla said Friday, April 24. Remulla, who held a press conference in Bago City, Negros Occidental, linked the operators of the e-sabong to the Chinese syndicate involved in the illegal manufacture of cigarettes in Negros. They are also believed to be  the cause of the rampant theft of fighting cocks on Negros Island, which they buy at ₱1,500 to ₱2,000 for their e-sabong operations, he said. The operators of the Talisay e-sabong put up signs in foreign la...

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) expressed its condolences over the reported death of an American citizen of Filipino descent who was among those killed in recent armed encounters in Toboso, Negros Occidental."While full identification and circumstances remain subject to proper verification, we recognize the profound grief that accompanies such loss—especially when it involves a life cut short far from home and under circumstances of armed conflict," Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., NTF-ELCAC executive director, said in a statement on Friday, April 24.Initial information reaching authorities indicates that the 40-year-old individual was from California and was reportedly linked to Anakbayan-USA, a matter that must likewise be established t...