Negros Oriental

Jun302026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOcc declared under state of calamity due to severe sugarcane pest outbreak; NegOr to follow suit – Sagarbarria

Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria and SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona (right) meet in Dumaguete City on Tuesday.*SRA photoThe Sangguniang Panlalawigan declared the entire Negros Occidental under a state of calamity Tuesday, June 30, due to the outbreak and continuing spread of the highly destructive Red Striped Soft-Scale Insects (RSSI) in the province’s sugarcane fields that has reached “critical levels.”Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria on Tuesday also said a state of calamity will be declared in Negros Oriental where sugarcane fields have also been hit by RSSI.The Negros Occidental SP’s declaration of a state of calamity was in response to Resolution No. 5 of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) recommending the declaration, which was submit...

Jun302026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

Search on for missing flood victim in NegOr as 2 towns suspend classes

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Coast Guard personnel scour areas along a river in Barangay Maloh, Siaton, Negros Oriental on Monday afternoon after a 66-year-old male was reported missing.* Photo courtesy of Coast Guard Station Negros OrientalThe Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Negros Oriental on Tuesday, June 30, intensified its search and rescue operations for an elderly man who went missing after being swept away by flash floods in Barangay Maloh, Siaton.Lt. Senior Grade Marionne Abigail Enopia, commander of the Coast Guard Station Negros Oriental, said search teams have expanded their operations to nearby coastal areas, including the waters off the adjacent town of Zamboanguita and Siaton."Our personnel are conducting search operations at sea while other responders, together with local disaster r...

Jun302026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

42 new police lieutenants deployed across Negros Island Region

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region welcomed 42 newly commissioned police lieutenants who will be assigned to different units across the region.The officers are members of the Philippine National Police Academy “Silang-Paglaom” Class of 2026.They were formally received during a courtesy call and send-off ceremony at Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod City, on Monday, June 29.PRO-NIR Regional Director PBGen. Romano Cardiño led the ceremony.Of the 42 officers, 10 will be assigned to the Bacolod City Police Office, 10 to the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, 13 to the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, two to the Siquijor Police Provincial Office, and seven to the Regional Mobile Force Battalion.PRO-NIR said the deploym...

Jun292026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

NegOr police seize P23-M shabu in first half of 2026

Negros Oriental

The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO) confiscated nearly PHP23 million worth of suspected shabu during intensified anti-illegal drug operations in the first half of 2026, a police official said Monday, June 29.NOrPPO spokesperson, Capt. Stephen Jaynard Polinar, said police conducted 290 anti-drug operations across the province from Jan. 1 to June 29, resulting in the arrest of 301 individuals.Of those arrested, 35 were classified as high-value targets, 264 as street-level individuals and two were not included in the police roster of drug personalities.The operations led to the seizure of more than 3,249 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of PHP22.78 million, Polinar said.The largest drug haul was recorded in Zamboanguita town, whe...

Jun292026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Kabankalan mayor to seek state of calamity over insect infestation, pig deaths

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda discusses the RSSI infestation in his city with SRA Administrator Paul Azcona.*SRA photoMayor Benjie Miranda on Monday, June 29, said he will recommend that the Kabankalan Sangguniang Panlungsod declare a state of calamity due to red striped soft-scale insect (RSSI) attacks on sugarcane farms and the death of pigs in his city.Miranda, who attended an RSSI forum held by the United Sugar Producers Federation and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay, said the Kabankalan City government will support SRA’s efforts to curb the spread of RSSI, including the aerial spraying of insecticides.Meanwhile, he noted that the cause of the pig deaths in his city has not yet been determined.An SRA report as of F...

Jun292026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

Negros Oriental probes Amlan hog deaths

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

PNA file photo courtesy of Board Member Woodrow Maquiling Sr.Authorities are investigating the deaths of about 30 hogs in Amlan, Negros Oriental, even as the provincial government intensifies measures to prevent the entry of African swine fever (ASF) into the province.Amlan Mayor Manjoe Sycip said Monday, June 29, it is premature to conclude the hog deaths were caused by ASF, noting that the municipal government is still gathering information and conducting surveillance."Our Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) is conducting surveillance and monitoring in areas where the pig deaths were reported," Sycip told the Philippine News Agency. "Based on our initial reports, the symptoms vary and are not consistent with those usually associated with ASF."As a precaution, the may...

Jun262026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

P60-M hyperbaric chamber seen boosting tourism, healthcare in NegOr

Negros Oriental

Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid (4th from left) is joined by local government and Department of Tourism officials at the inauguration and blessing of a new PHP60-million hyperbaric chamber in Dauin,*PNA/Mary Judaline F. Partlow photoA PHP60-million hyperbaric chamber center in Dauin, Negros Oriental, is expected to strengthen the province's tourism industry, particularly its diving sector, while expanding access to specialized medical treatment and wellness services, an official of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) said.TIEZA Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid, speaking during the opening of the Dive Dauin Festival on Thursday evening, said the Dauin facility is one of the 10 hyperbaric chamber c...

Jun262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOr bans pork entry to block ASF, Bacolod reports pig deaths

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The Negros Occidental provincial government has declared a total ban on the entry of live pigs and pork products from areas affected by African Swine Fever (ASF).The directive was made through Executive Order No. 46, Series of 2026, signed by Governor Manuel L. Sagarbarria on June 24, and released Friday, June 26.The strict measures were triggered by recent reports of resurging ASF cases in the neighboring province of Negros Occidental.Sagarbarria deemed the order necessary to block the virus from entering Negros Oriental and to prevent devastating economic losses for backyard raisers, commercial farms, and local consumers.Executive Order No. 46 bans the entry in to Negros Oriental of live pigs, pork products, pork by-pr...

Jun262026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

DepEd-NIR to map out comprehensive framework for safety in schools

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Department of Education-Negros Island Region Assistant Regional Director Anthony Liobet visits the learner injured in a stabbing incident at the hospital in San Carlos City.*DepEd-NIR photoThe Department of Education-Negros Island Region (NIR) is set to map out a comprehensive framework to ensure the safety of schools in the region while continuing to implement existing measures to protect the learners.DepEd-NIR spokesperson Almyr Caesar Dequiña said on Friday, June 26, that before the opening of classes on June 8, a memorandum was issued by Regional Director Ramir Uytico to ensure the safe return of learners for the school year 2026-2027.“This is our directive to our 22 schools division offices (SDOs) to protect learners from any form of abuse and violence,” Dequiña said.O...

Jun252026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

NegOr, Siquijor execs back PNP’s 911 hotline

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño (4th from left) leads the launching of the S.A.F.E. NIR Dial 911 initiative at the convention center in Dumaguete City, Thursday.*PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photo Hundreds of officials from Negros Oriental and Siquijor, together with government agencies and civilian partners, pledged on Thursday, June 25, to support a Philippine National Police (PNP) initiative to make Negros Island Region (NIR) safe through the 911 hotline.The commitment came during the launch of the S.A.F.E. NIR Dial 911 initiative at the Negros Oriental Convention Center, spearheaded by the Police Regional Office-NIR headed by its acting regional director, Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño.S.A.F.E., which stands for Seen, Appreciated, Felt, and Extraordinary, is an in...