Carla P. Gomez

Apr152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NPA claims responsibility for killing former councilor

TThe New People’s Army has claimed responsibility for the killing of a former councilor of Isabela, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, April 12.The revolutionary court found Rodulfo Fajardo, also a former Army detachment commander (1985-1986) of Barangay Cansalungon, Isabela, guilty of various crimes, Ka Dionesio Magbuelas, spokesperson of the Romeo Nanta Command - New People's Army South Central Negros Guerrilla Front, said in a press statement on Monday.Fajardo was one of the key organizers of the armed group Alsa Masa in the area, with a long record of opposing the revolutionary movement, Magbuelas also said.“The recent implementation of revolutionary justice by the NPA reflects its mandate to uphold justice and protect the masses against any form of oppression an...

Apr152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

JV commits P100M for PRO-NIR headquarters

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Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito on Tuesday, April 14, committed to support the allocation of P100 million plus for the construction of a permanent Police Regional Office Negros Island Region headquarters.The PRO NIR currently has its office at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City where the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office is located.Ejercito visited the NIR PRO where he met with Regional Director Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomad Ibay on Tuesday.The site where the PRO NIR will be built will be determined by the police, he said.Bago City has offered a 5-hectare property but it could also be built somewhere in the south, like Kabankalan, so it will be close to both Negros Occidental and Oriental, the senator said.The senator also assured continued support for...

Apr152026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Panaad sales, crowd on Day 1 surpass previous records: Diaz

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Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson joins the huge crowd at the Panaad Stadium on Monday*Richard Malihan photoThe sales and crowd during the opening day of the Panaad sa Negros Festival at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City on Monday surpassed previous records, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Tuesday.Sales at the festival on Monday hit P3.3 million compared to P1.8 million in 2025, and P2.2 million in 2024, he said.The festival also drew a crowd of 24,150 on opening night, Diaz said.“Holding this festival is proving to be doing something more than just entertainment. As in the previous years, Panaad Festival continues to improve Negrosanons' economic, social, cultural, and even spiritual conditions,” Diaz said.Negros Occidental Gov Eugenio Jose Lacso...

Apr142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

San Carlos gov’t to sue owner of refrigerated van in fatal cras

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The refrigerated van involved in the crash.* San Carlos CDRRMO photoSan Carlos City is filing a case against the owner of a refrigerated van that collided with a government truck leaving one dead and 11 injured, Mayor Renato Gustilo said Tuesday, April 14.A City Health Office (CHO) employee died and nine others from the city government were injured in the crash at Sitio Punod, Barangay Rizal, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Friday, April 10.They were headed for Brgy Quezon for a bloodletting activity.An 80-year-old female contract of service doctor at the CHO and a male nurse are set to undergo surgery, the mayor said.The other injured city government employees are confined at the San Carlos City Hospital.The driver and helper of the refrigerated van were also i...

Apr142026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Talisay mayor calls for vigilance versus increasing grassfires

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Thick smoke from a grassfire near La Costa Brava in Talisay City reached parts of Barangay Banago in Bacolod City, Tuesday afternoon, April 14, the Bacolod Fire Station reported. Another huge grassfire was also reported in the BREDCO area in Bacolod Tuesday afternoon. Talisay Mayor Rowena Lizares, in a Facebook post, urged the public to be vigilant, especially now that the weather is so hot. “Please avoid throwing cigarette butts, playing with matches, burning and anything else that could start a fire”, she said. The Talisay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Bureau of Fire Protection are closely monitoring the grassfires that are “unfortunately happening almost every day”, she said.* ...

Apr142026 by Carla P. Gomez and Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

678 violators booked in Negros Oriental ‘Safer Cities’ drive

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Motorcycle riders wear helmets as they ply the streets of Dumaguete City*PNA/Mary Judaline F. Partlow file photo Police in Negros Oriental reported Monday that 678 violators of local ordinances have been fined or issued warnings under the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) “Safer Cities” program.Capt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO), said that authorities recorded the violations in the province’s six cities and 19 municipalities on April 10 to 12.“This is the result of the immediate implementation of a directive from the DILG secretary against drinking alcohol in public places, shirtless individuals roaming city streets, the imposition of curfew hours, and regulated videoke activities, especially ...

Apr132026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Panaad showcase of Negrense unity, we don’t waver amid global crisis: JV

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Board Members Hadji Trojillo, Marxlen dela Cruz, Jeffrey Tubola and Nicholas Yulo, Vice Governor Jose Benito Alonso. Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor and Vice Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan, and Charina Magallanes-Tan (l-r) ring the bell to signal the start of the Panaad sa Negros Festival.*Andrew Altarejos photoNegros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson officially opened the 30th Panaad sa Negros Festival at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City Monday afternoon, calling the milestone a testament to the shared history and unity of Negrenses.The governor, who rang the bell to officially signal the start of the festival, said despite the unrest in the Middle East that has triggered a global surge in fuel prices, N...

Apr132026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod transpo strike still on; LPG, kerosene excise tax lifted

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The strike organizers at a press conference Monday.* Bayan Negros photoThe transportation strike in Bacolod City will push through despite the rollback in fuel prices, Rodolfo Gardoce, chairperson of the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center-Piston (UNDOC-Piston) said on Monday, April 13.He said the majority of the traditional jeepney groups are joining the strike from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to call for a further rollback in fuel prices.They are trying to also convince the operators of the modern jeepneys to join their protest, Gardoce added.He reiterated that they are calling for the abolition of Value Added Tax (VAT) and excise taxes on petroleum products, and for the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law.Among the transport groups joining the strike ar...

Apr132026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

PRO NIR seizes ₱25M in illegal cigarettes; driver arrested in Himamaylan crackdown

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Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) operatives seized ₱25 million worth of smuggled cigarettes and arrested a truck driver during a pre-dawn raid in Barangay To-oy, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, Monday, April 13.The operation was spearheaded by the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) in coordination with the Provincial Intelligence Unit, the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office, Himamaylan City Police, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).Acting on a tip from a confidential informant regarding a 10-wheeler wing van unloading contraband, operatives conducted surveillance and caught the suspect in the act.The interception led to the discovery of approximately 500 master cases of cigarettes, which PRO NIR reported bore unauthorized tax seals an...

Apr132026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Ejercito to meet with sugar groups on SIDA amendments, industry plight

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Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito on Monday, April 13, said he is consulting with sugar groups in Negros to discuss ways to further address the plight of the sugar industry.Ejercito, one of the authors of the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA), said he wants to listen to their inputs on amendments to further improve the law.He said it is frustrating that seven years after the passage of the law, the industry has not attained self-sufficiency. The senator said he wants to get feedback from industry stakeholders on why the funds granted under the SIDA are underutilized.He also noted that the industry’s problems have been exacerbated by the over-importation of sugar.Ejercito is scheduled to meet with the sugar industry groups in Negros on Tuesday, April 14.“Rest assured th...