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Bacolod protestors call for an end of the war in the Middle East.* Romeo Subaldo photoMilitant groups staged a protest in Bacolod City on Tuesday, March 17, following the government’s announcement of a ₱1 fare hike for traditional jeepneys and a ₱2 increase for modern units amid soaring fuel prices. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chair Vigor Mendoza II said the adjustment raises the minimum fare for traditional jeepneys to ₱14, with a ₱2 charge for every succeeding kilometer. Modern jeepney fares will rise to ₱17, with a ₱2.30 rate for every kilometer beyond the minimum. The Department of Energy reported that diesel prices surged by ₱20.40 to ₱23.90 per liter, while gasoline rose by ₱12.90 to ₱16.60 on Tuesday. Noli Rosales, Bayan Muna Negros secretary gen...

Kanlaon’s moderately explosive eruption on Sunday.* Marvin Escander photoKanlaon Volcano will remain under Alert Level 2 for now despite its recent moderately explosive eruption, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Director Teresito Bacolcol said on Tuesday, March 17.The recent moderately explosive eruptions at Kanlaon are consistent with its Alert Level 2 status, he said.“For now, we are not considering raising it to Alert Level 3… at this point, the assessment remains at Alert Level 2,” Bacolcol said.However, residents living beyond Kanlaon’s 4-kilometer permanent danger zone must be ready at any time should activities at Kanlaon escalate to Alert Level 3, Bacolcol added.Donato Sermeno III, Director of the Office of Civil Defense for the Ne...

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday, March 17, reminded the private sector of available flexible work arrangements -- such as a four-day/compressed workweek or work-from-home scheme -- that can help ease operational costs while protecting workers’ welfare. Under a compressed workweek arrangement, the standard 40-hour workweek may be distributed across four working days instead of five, with the corresponding hours added from Monday to Thursday if work is suspended on Friday. On the other hand, under a work-from-home arrangement, employees may follow a regular eight-hour onsite schedule from Monday to Thursday with work performed remotely on Friday, depending on the nature of work. DOLE spokesperson Assistant Secretary Lennard Constantine Serrano said such arrangements ...

A motorcycle rider refuels at a pumping station in Dumaguete City on Monday.* PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photoThe Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Negros Oriental said inflation in the province rose in February, compared to the previous month.PSA Negros Oriental provincial director and chief statistician officer Ariel Fortuito said on Monday, March 16, that the increase was also slightly higher compared to the same period last year.“The inflation rate in Negros Oriental for February 2026 is pegged at 1.8 percent versus the previous month, which was at 0.8 percent,” Fortuito said.Meanwhile, the inflation rate in February 2025 was 0.2 percent.The main drivers for the acceleration of last month’s inflation were the commodity groups: food and non-alcoholic be...

The fire at Barangay Biak-na-Bato, La Castellana town.*Mj Guardiano photo via PIA Negros Occidental.The moderately explosive eruption at Kanlaon Volcano on Sunday night triggered an estimated 65 hectares of forest and grassland fires, while ash and sulfuric odor hit 92 barangays across Negros.The eruption, which began at 6:07 p.m., lasted only a minute but emitted ash for 3 hours and 49 minutes, Mari Andylene Quintia, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) resident volcanologist stationed in La Carlota City, said.Kanlaon also had moderately explosive eruptions on February 19 and 26, and remains under Alert Level 2.Quintia said the fires on the slopes of the volcano were triggered by ballistic projectiles or pyroclastic density currents from the erupt...

Vehicles formed long lines at Bacolod gasoline stations Monday night ahead of another round of fuel price hikes on Tuesday, March 17.* Richard Caballero Jr. photoDomestic oil prices will rise by as much as P23.90 per liter this week, with five companies implementing increases on a staggered basis starting Tuesday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Monday, March 16.For gasoline products, the increase will be PHP12.90 to PHP16.60 per liter; for diesel, PHP20.40 to PHP23.90 per liter; and for kerosene, PHP6.90 to PHP8.90 per liter.This will bring gasoline prices to as much as PHP91.60 per liter, diesel to PHP114.90 per liter, and kerosene to PHP143.79 per liter.Department of Energy (DOE) data show that from March 10 to 16, gasoline prices ranged from PHP63.40 to PHP75 per li...

Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) announced on Monday, March 16, that it is implementing a fare increase per kilometer across all routes to sustain operations following recent spikes in global oil prices.This adjustment was approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Friday, amid the unstable movement of fuel prices in the world market caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.This has affected the operating costs of public transportation, VTI said.As fuel remains one of the primary expenses in bus operations, the continuous oil price hikes have made it necessary for the company to follow the LTFRB adjustments in fares in order to sustain daily operations, VTI said.The grant of provisional increase was made by virtue of Sec. 16 of CA 146, ...

Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District)*Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) has filed House Bill No. 6812, also known as the PROTECT (Prevention of Online Threats and Electronic Cruelty Toward Women and Children) Act, to address the growing landscape of digital violence.The measure seeks to modernize and expand the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act (RA 9262) by explicitly covering electronic or ICT-related violence, Benitez said in a Facebook post Monday, March 16.This legislative move acknowledges that abuse is no longer confined to physical spaces, as social media, messaging apps, and online accounts have become frequent tools for harassment and intimidation.The bill points out that digital abuse is a source of...

Bago City Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao (3rd from right) leads the distribution of rice subsidy to tricycle drivers in the southern Negros city on Monday.*Bago City in Negros Occidental on Monday, March 16, started the distribution of rice subsidy to nearly 3,000 members of various tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODAs) to help cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on the local public transport sector.An initial 1,245 tricycle drivers from three TODAs in Barangay Poblacion received 5 kilograms of rice each.Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao said the city government is extending the assistance to public transport drivers on top of the cash aid and fuel subsidy they will soon receive from the national government.“We are now preparing the list of tricycle drivers. Anytime...

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. (right) meets with Sugar Regulatory Administration officials led by Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona (left) to discuss government’s interventions for the sugar industry.* DA photoThe government has launched a preemptive push to safeguard fuel and fertilizer stocks for the sugar industry to shield the sector from Middle East-related supply shocks during its most resource-intensive harvest window, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said Friday, March 13.The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) are coordinating with other government agencies to ensure stable access to key farm inputs for sugar producers amid concerns that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could disrupt global pe...