Community

Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he is looking forward to the completion of Bacolod City’s first underground cabling project soon, almost two years since the groundbreaking.Initiated by the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power), the kilometer-long Lacson Street Underground Distribution System Project is 85 percent complete, based on the overall progress report.“We have been working with the Negros Power and major telco and internet companies to transfer overhead cables to underground facilities. Soon, we will enjoy a safer, more reliable and better connection,” he said in a statement on Thursday, August 13.Benitez, who pushed for the project when he was the city mayor from 2022 to 2025, thanked Negros Power, along with the major telec...

Mayor Greg Gasataya, in coordination with the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO), met with representatives of Ikthus Bacolod and JQua Construction, developers of the old dumpsite along Buri Road in Barangay Mandalagan, to discuss measures for the proper disposal of extracted waste exposed at the site on Thursday, August 13.Gasataya assured the developers that the city will assist in clearing the stockpile of waste, pending the recommendation of the Environmental Management Bureau-Negros Island Region (EMB-NIR), a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.“This concern has been brought to my attention as early as October of last year,” Gasataya said, recalling how the absence of a clear disposal plan resulted in the city’s issuance of a sto...

Ten retiring Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) in Bago City  received gratuity incentives ranging from ₱13,000 to ₱42,000 based on their length of service during a simple ceremony at the Mayor’s Office on Tuesday, August 11.Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao led the distribution alongside Councilors Leonilo del Carmen and Robert Javellana.The initiative was realized through City Ordinance No. 26-07, or "An Ordinance Granting Gratuity to all Qualified Accredited Barangay Health Workers in Bago City," which provides eligible BHWs a gratuity incentive of ₱1,000 for every year of service. Councilor del Carmen, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Health, authored the measure granting financial recognition to retiring health personnel, a press release from Bago City said Wednesday...

Twenty-three qualified families in Barangay Cansilayan, Murcia,  officially secured titles to their own property lots during a turnover ceremony at the PASPAS Asenso Village.Murcia Mayor Gerry Rojas and Sangguniang Bayan Member Kedy Yu led the conferring of the Certificates of Lot Award under the municipality's Handog Pabahay (PASPAS Asenso Shelter Program). They were joined by Cansilayan Punong Barangay Edgar Daquipil and members of the Barangay Council.The flagship local government housing initiative, launched under the administration of Rojas, reflects the Municipality of Murcia’s ongoing commitment to help deserving families attain safe, decent, and secure housing while driving community development, a press release from the town said Tuesday, August 11."Providing thes...

Marking four years under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Kabataan Party-list Negros slammed the administration’s alleged failure to address youth concerns during the State of the Youth Address (SOYA) 2026 at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish-Kinder School in Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, on Saturday, August 8.Gathering student leaders and campus journalists under the theme “Lapis o Bala? Pasismo at mga Suliraning Kinakaharap ng Kabataang Pilipino,” the group highlighted rising campus censorship and systemic education issues, including:Soaring educational costs and lack of accessible schoolingInsufficient student financial aid and resourcesShrinking democratic spaces and excessive administrative oversightIn response, participants officially launched the Students Alliance for L...

The UNO-R delegation with Chinese partners and the BrainCo Team.*The Academics, Research and Internationalization Team of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos Inc.  (UNO-R), led by University President Rev. Fr. Joel A. Alve visited the AI District in Hangzhou, China on Monday, August 10.Introduced by its Chinese partners, the delegation visited BrainCo, a Hangzhou-based technology company specializing in brain-computer interface (BCI) and artificial intelligence technologies, where they received an orientation and toured its innovation center.The visit supports  Alve’s thrust to expose UNO-R students, particularly those in Engineering, Information Technology, and other technology-related fields, to emerging technologies and global innovation ecosystems. It al...

Celebrating its second anniversary under the theme “Stronger Together,” Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) conducted a river cleanup at Prk. Paghidaet, Barangay Salvacion , Murcia, on August 4.Led by Negros Power Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Engr. Joe-Mel Zaporteza, the early morning initiative brought together company personnel, local officials, and civic groups to collect and properly dispose of waste along the waterway to help restore local aquatic ecosystems.It was participated in by representatives from the   Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the Municipality of Murcia, the Barangay Council of Salvacion headed by Captain Jenny Jimenea, and The Guardians of the Environme...