Carla P. Gomez

May262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv lauds ANP at 40th Negros Trade Fair launch, cites MSMEs as strong economic drivers

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson today, May 26, thanked members of the Association of Negros Producers (ANP) for their steadfast commitment to empowering micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and for sustaining programs that open doors for local industries.Lacson joined the ANP for the opening of the 33rd Bulawan Design Award and Innovative Food Competition, the 4th Pilak Awards, and the 3rd Balik Salig Crafts Competition, as well as the launch of the 40th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) at SM City Bacolod.Also present at the launch were ANP chairperson Arlene Infante and NTF chairperson Mary Ann Colmenares.“As we launch the 40th Negros Trade Fair, may this milestone remind us of how far the Negrense entrepreneurial spirit has come—and how much more we can achieve toge...

May262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

2nd bulk water project hearing in EB Magalona June 1

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The Malogo RiverAnother public hearing for the Negros Bulk Water Supply Project in the Malogo River will be held in EB Magalona on June 1, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday. The first public hearing was managed by the Department of Energy and Natural Resources through the Environmental Management Bureau was very technical, which is mandatory, Lacson said. The provincial government will hold the second hearing where concerns will be explained in the dialect in simpler terms so the public understands what it is all about, he said. If EB Magalona agrees to the project proposed by the provincial government it will be given priority water s...

May262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Cadiz Councilor Frances Guanzon resigns due to health reasons

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Cadiz City Councilor Frances Guanzon, who is currently serving her second term, tendered her resignation today, May 26, due to health reasons.Guanzon, 72, a former prosecutor and outstanding Regional Trial Court judge, said she submitted her resignation to the Cadiz City Sangguniang Panlungsod, which will take effect on July 1.Guanzon said Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante had asked her not to resign, but she assured him that even without her council seat, she will continue to serve the people of Cadiz.Escalante described Guanzon as an irreplaceable public servant and a motherly figure to Cadiznons. He praised her for being an active, hardworking and performing councilor.He said Guanzon promised to remain "just a text away" whenever her help is needed, which will enable...

May252026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Negros ACE head open to localized peace talks

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Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante, Negros ACE president.*Negros Occidental officials are willing to be part of localized peace talks with communist rebels in the province, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said on Monday, May 25.“We are willing to sit down and be part of the peace process on the local level,” Escalante, Negros Association of Chief Executives (Negros ACE) president, said.Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who was in Negros Occidental on Saturday, rejected peace talks on the national level."There are localized peace mechanisms already, so why is there a need for peace talks on the national level?" Teodoro said.He also said that the government remains open to assisting returning rebels.Escalante also cited a call issued by Negros ACE following the Ap...

May252026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOcc officials back DA proposal for ₱12B farm-to-market road allocation

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The Provincial Development Council meeting last week.* Richard Malihan photoThe Provincial Development Council has endorsed a Department of Agriculture (DA) proposal for the allocation of ₱12 billion for farm-to-market roads in Negros Occidental for the approval of the Regional Development Council (RDC), Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said on Monday, May 25..The DA proposal includes farm-to-market roads for all local government units in Negros Occidental, said Escalante, who is also the president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives (Negros ACE).Negros ACE, which is composed of the mayors of Negros Occidental, will meet on Thursday to also pass a resolution supporting the DA proposal to the RDC, Escalante said.They will also submit their resolution to Agriculture ...

May252026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

House committees approve Albee’s National Autism Program bill

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Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez *Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said the House the Committee on Health and the Committee on Persons with Disabilities approved House Bill 3379, or the National Autism Program Act on Monday, March 25, marking an important step in strengthening support for individuals with ASD and their families.The bill seeks to expand access to free assessment and therapy, PhilHealth coverage, early detection programs, inclusive education and barangay-based therapy centers, for every Filipino with ASD, he said.It also grants TESDA training opportunities, additional leave benefits for parents, and other measures that promote dignity, inclusion, and better opportunities for Filipinos with ASD, he added.“We will continue to push ...

May252026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Toboso mayor says people fed up with poor NONECO services

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Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco*Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco slammed the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) for its lack of transparency in the election of the members of its board of directors.He said the election of the NONECO director in the Toboso area is overdue.The NONECO board and general manager should request for the holding of an election from the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and he does not know why this has not been done, Jaojoco said.He also noted that NONECO charges the highest electric rates among the three cooperatives in Negros Occidental.Jaojoco said he is open to a 70-30 privatization of NONECO to improve its services, similar to the Central Negros Electric Cooperative-Negros Electric and Power Corp. joint venture agreement (...

May242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Teodoro says no civilian casualties in encounters, rules out peace talks

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Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. meets with the Philippine Army troops in Negros Occidental.*DND photoDefense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. said on Saturday, May 23, that no civilians were killed in the encounter with the New People's Army (NPA) in Toboso, Negros Occidental.Teodoro said he is 100 percent sure of the legitimacy of the Army’s conduct during its encounters with the NPA in Toboso and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, amid deliberate efforts by communist groups to distort the truth.“There is a lot of misinformation coming out and I’m here to correct that,” said Teodoro, who met with Negros Occidental officials led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Capitol in Bacolod City, and visited the 79th and 15th Infantry Battalion troops at their headquarters.T...

May242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

GAWA dismayed over dismissal of WV, Negros wage hike petition

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The General Alliance of Workers Associations (GAWA) on Sunday, May 24, said it was dismayed over the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) -Western Visayas' decision to dismiss a petition for a wage increase for all private-sector workers in WV and Negros Occidental.Wennie Sancho, secretary general of GAWA, said the dismissal of the requested ₱250 daily wage hike—originally filed by the United Panay Labor Alliance—on a mere technicality was premature.The WV RTWPB decision also covers workers of Negros Occidental since no wage board has been created for the Negros Island Region, Sancho said. The dismissal of the wage petition on a technicality “is like using procedural moves to avoid a decision," Sancho said....

May242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NOCCI backs proposed modern Dumaguete public market

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Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Edward Du and Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Greg Uymatiao at a consultation on the proposed public market, recently.*Dumaguete SP photoThe Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) supports the proposed construction of a new Dumaguete City Public Market, NOCCI President Edward C. Du said on Saturday, May 23.In a manifesto issued Friday, NOCCI said that it "firmly supports and believes that the construction of a new Dumaguete City Public Market represents a transformative opportunity to strengthen the city's economy, improve public services, uplift local enterprises, and prepare Dumaguete for the demands of future urban growth."NOCCI also commended the vision of the Dumaguete City go...