Mary Judaline Partlow

Internally displaced persons in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, queue up for a P5,000 cash assistance from the Negros Oriental provincial government.* SALTA Canlaon photoThe Negros Oriental provincial on Tuesday, March 18, distributed cash assistance to more than a thousand families in Canlaon City displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in December.Hilton Edrial, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), said about 1,200 families staying in evacuation centers and those living with relatives are covered in the second payout amounting to P5,000 each."This is the fulfillment of the promise of the governor following the Dec. 9 volcanic eruption that the province will give financial aid to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) living within the 4- to 6...

Policemen stand guard at the gate of the Bayawan City East Elementary School in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, on Monday.*NOPPO photoThe police in Negros Oriental on Monday, March 10, guaranteed the safety of thousands of delegates to the 2025 Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) meet, which will be held in Bayawan City from Tuesday to Sunday, March 11 to 16.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said 300 police personnel were deployed over the weekend to Bayawan City and nearby towns to secure the venues for the games and the delegations' billeting.“The sporting events will primarily be held at the Bayawan-Sta. Catalina campus of the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), while the Department of Education...

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is reconductoring existing transmission lines of its Amlan 69kV line in Amlan, Negros Oriental, to minimize brownouts in Dumaguete City as well as in nearby towns.Michelle Visera of NGCP-Visayas said on Thursday that the reconductoring started on Feb. 16, resulting in a 13-hour power interruption.Two more power interruptions are scheduled for March 9 and 22, Visara said.The reconductoring, which allows linemen to replace existing transmission lines, is expected to be completed by the end of March.Visera said the NGCP will replace existing transmission lines with larger cables to supply more power to areas serviced by the Amlan 69kV line and avoid brownouts.“This is just a stop-gap measure to prevent manual load she...

The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) on Monday, Feb. 24, guaranteed the safety of thousands of visitors of two overlapping major events scheduled in March.The Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) meet will be held March 9 to 17 and the Regional Junior/Senior/Cadet Encampment of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) from the entire Visayas will be on March 10 to 14.Lt. Stephen Polinar, NOPPO spokesperson, said that on top of the security measures relative to the May 12 elections, there are enough officers to secure the visitors at different venues and billeting places.Polinar said an estimated 3,000 athletes, coaches, and other delegation members are coming for the CVIRAA while more than 1,000 participants are expected during the GSP event....

A whole roast pig or lechon is a staple during Filipino festivities.*PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photoThe Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Oriental is appealing to hog suppliers to sell their animals in Dumaguete City to bring down the prices of pork, an official said Thursday, Feb.13.Jaymar Vilos, PVO information officer-designate, said pork in Dumaguete City is being sold at P400 or more for one kilogram of lean meat, which is higher than the P320 to P380/kg. in other areas.“Hog suppliers, such as in the northern towns of Negros Oriental, prefer to sell their animals to nearby Cebu City where the buying price for live pigs [is] higher,” Vilos said.With this, traders here are forced to buy the hogs at a competitive price offered by their Cebu counterpart...

Crime scene operatives process the site of an encounter in Barangay Tala-on in La Libertad, Negros Oriental *62IB  photoThe family of a suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebel who was killed in an encounter with government forces in Barangay Tala-on, La Libertad, Negros Oriental has claimed his body and buried it immediately, a police official said on Wednesday, Feb. 12.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) “retrieved the body on Tuesday afternoon and brought it to the town proper for autopsy.”In the evening of the same day, relatives and the village chief of Barangay Tala-on claimed the body, brought it back to the mountains, and buried it around midnight.The suspected NPA rebel ...

 Police and military personnel manning a checkpoint in Bais City, Negros Oriental, apprehend a man after he was found in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Monday evening.*NOPPO photoTwo persons were arrested in Negros Oriental for violation of the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) gun ban this week, a police official said on Tuesday, Feb. 11.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said the suspects were arrested separately Monday evening.One was arrested at a checkpoint and the other during a request for police assistance after the suspect allegedly fired a gun, he said.These two arrests bring to five the total number of apprehended gun ban violators in Negros Oriental since the start of the election period on...

Commission on Elections, police, military and church officials sign a pledge of commitment for clean and peaceful elections in Negros Oriental on Friday, Feb. 7.* PNA/Judy Partlow photoThe Commission on Elections (Comelec) has placed Guihulngan City and Basay town under heightened election hotspot categories in Negros Oriental, citing previous incidents of violence and intense political rivalries.Guihulngan City is classified under red category, the most critical level, due to past election-related violence, including the killing of a candidate.Basay town falls under the orange category, having experienced political tensions and a shooting incident during the 2022 elections.Of the 25 cities and municipalities in the province, the remaining 23 are under the yellow category o...

Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas (left) leads the inauguration of  the  locally-funded wet market  worth P20 million on Wednesday.*Salta Canlaon photoThe local government of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, has begun nighttime evacuation drills for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other residents in case of a major eruption at Mt. Kanlaon.Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon City information officer-designate, said on Thursday, Feb. 6, that the nighttime simulated exercise (SIMEX) was held Wednesday and would be regularly undertaken.“We have been regularly conducting evacuation drills during daytime but residents are clamoring for an evening scenario in case the volcano will erupt during nighttime,” she said.It is also during this time that the husbands and other male family memb...

A dead dolphin found in a mangrove area in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, on Feb. 2.* PNA photo courtesy of Gaspar VillegasThe Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Negros Oriental is urging local governments in the province to spearhead and fund training on marine mammal stranding for a seamless response.BFAR can facilitate the training but lacks the resources, its provincial chief Florencia Mepaña said on Wednesday, Feb. 5.“We cannot do it alone as training requires inviting experts on marine mammal stranding as resource speakers, not to mention other logistical requirements,” Mepaña said.“Dr. Lemuel Aragones, who heads the Philippine Marine Mammal Stranding Network (PMMSN), is willing to share his expertise and we can invite him over,” she added.Mepaña ...