Mary Judaline Partlow

Lawyer Eddie Aba (holding mic), Negros Oriental provincial election supervisor, briefs Police Regional Office-Central Visayas Director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan on the current situation in the province on Sunday, Feb. 2.*The majority of the cities and municipalities in Negros Oriental are likely to be placed under the yellow category for the May 12 elections, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said on Tuesday, Feb. 4.Comelec-Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castillano said that 23 of the 25 local government units imm;Negros Oriental will be under yellow category, while the remaining two will be under orange and red.“The Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC), headed by Negros Oriental provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba, is now preparing a r...

The Police Regional Office-Central Visayas sends 200 police officers to Negros Oriental to augment local forces in disaster operations and poll duty.*NOPPO photoThe first batch of augmentation forces from the Philippine National Police (PNP) that will assist in disaster response and perform election duties arrived in Negros Oriental during the weekend, an official said on Monday, Feb. 3.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said 200 officers arrived over the weekend at Camp Fernandez in Sibulan town and were presented to the visiting Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, director of Police Regional Office-Central Visayas.One hundred came from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion while the other 100 were from three cities of Cebu provinc...

Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano of the Commission on Elections-Negros Island Region.*PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photoTeachers from the Department of Education (DepEd) serving in the May 12 national and local elections will receive higher pay this time plus a service incentive, a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said Friday, Jan. 31.Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec-Negros Island Region (NIR) regional director, said that the poll honoraria comes following requests for higher rates as well as other benefits.“The teachers will also receive a service incentive leave, recommended at 5 to 7 days and a monetary incentive increase,” Castillano said.He stressed the importance of the teachers being remunerated for their efforts, especially for those i...

Dr. Jessy Navidad, assistant city veterinarian of Bais City, Negros Oriental, conducts a post-mortem examination on a dolphin recovered from a mangrove area on Tuesday *Two more dead dolphins were found in Bais City, Negros Oriental, following a mass stranding, bringing the total number of fatalities to five.Authorities suspect the dolphins died from lung trauma caused by blasting sounds.City Veterinarian Dr. Melanie Pescadilla said Wednesday, Jan 29, that necropsy results revealed lung lacerations in three of the four examined dolphins, consistent with injuries caused by intense underwater pressure or loud explosions."They died of drowning secondary to blast trauma," Pescadilla said, noting that dolphins' auditory organs are located near their lungs, making them vulnerable...

Commission on Elections-Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castillano (middle) warns candidates in Negros Oriental on Tuesday that non-filing of their Statements of Contributions and Expenses (SOCEs) could result in perpetual disqualification from holding public office.* PNA/Judy Flores Partlow photoThe Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday reminded candidates in Negros Oriental to file their Statement of Contributions and Expenses (SOCE) immediately after the May 12 elections to avoid sanctions.Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec-Negros Island Region (NIR) Director, said during the Kapihan Forum in Dumaguete City that repeated non-filing of the SOCE by candidates could lead to perpetual disqualification from holding public office.Thirty days after the elect...

 One of the dead dolphins found in a mangrove area in Barangay Canlargo, Bais City in Negros Oriental on Sunday * Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Negros Oriental photoAnother dead dolphin was recovered in Bais City, Negros Oriental, following a mass stranding of the marine mammals in Sitio Pambutan, Barangay Canlargo over the weekend.The dolphin was found late Sunday, Jan. 26, several hours after two others were found dead at a mangrove area, Col. Roland Desiree Lavisto, Bais City Police chief, said on Monday.Lavisto said the authorities were no longer around at sundown when it was found by the residents. They buried it immediately, he added.Three other dolphins in the same pod were treated for injuries but were immediately returned to the sea.Lavisto sa...

A dolphin being brought to shore after it was stranded in Sitio Pambutan, Barangay Canlargo in Bais City, Negros Oriental.*  Bais City Police Station photoTwo dolphins were found dead, trapped in a mangrove area in Sitio Pambutan, Barangay Canlargo, Bais City, Negros Oriental, following a reported mass stranding on Sunday, Jan. 26.A third dead dolphin remained unrecovered while three others were rescued and treated for injuries, Col. Roland Desiree Lavisto, Bais City police chief, said.Lavisto said the retrieval efforts for the third dolphin were halted due to rising tides but will resume once weather conditions become favorable.“We will resume by tomorrow (Monday) during low tide and when the weather allows us,” he said.Coast Guard staff, police officers and civilians...

Emergency responders rush to the site where a long bed truck loaded with sugarcane fell off a bridge in Barangay Tamisu, Bais City.*NOPPO photoFour people were rushed to the hospital for treatment after the long bed truck they were riding fell off a bridge in Bais City, Negros Oriental, on Friday, Jan. 24.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said the truck was driven by a resident of Barangay Nangka in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.The truck, which was loaded with sugarcane, was traveling from Mabinay towards Bais City. While traversing a descending curb at Cang-Abok Bridge in Barangay Tamisu, Bais City, its brakes malfunctioned, causing it to fall over.Aside from the driver, three male passengers, all of legal age and f...

Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas discusses "Oplan Exodus" with Office of Civil Defense Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno on Jan. 15.*Canlaon City in Negros Oriental is developing a "Cash-for-Work" program for residents displaced by the Dec. 9 eruption of Mount Kanlaon.“I've seen how the evacuation has disrupted lives," Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas said on Tuesday, Jan. 21. "It's not just about being away from home; it's about losing jobs, routines, and normalcy”, he said.“I know how hard it is to worry about both safety and putting food on the table.”Cardenas said the program would allow people to earn money while helping the community recover.Edna Masicampo, Canlaon City information officer-designate, said hiring, which will prioritize evacuees, will likely begi...

Farmers displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon discuss their concerns  with Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental*The ongoing unrest of Mt. Kanlaon threatens to impact at least 16,000 farmers from five localities across Negros Island, an official from the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.Engineer Albert Barogo, DA-Negros Island Region (NIR) regional executive director, said that that they have compiled data on internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are farmers, in preparation for assistance should a major eruption occur.Barogo said 7,171 affected farmers are from Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, while 8,841 are from La Carlota City, La Castellana, Bago City, and Murcia in Negros Occidental.The identification of these farmers is ...