Negros Oriental

 Commodore Christopher Auro (second from left) observes as PDEA staff administer a drug test on his urine sample during the random testing of more than 200 Coast Guard personnel in the Negros Island Region on Wednesday (June 17, 2026). Six personnel tested positive in the initial screening and will undergo confirmatory testing. *PNA /Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photoMore than 200 personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the Negros Island Region (NIR) underwent random drug testing on Wednesday, June 17,  with six personnel testing positive in the initial screening, the agency said.Commodore Christopher Auro, commander of the Coast Guard District Southern Visayas, said the activity is in line with the PCG's Zero Drug Tolerance policy, which seeks to eliminate illegal dr...

The arrested suspect (left)* PNP photoThe 9th Most Wanted Person in the Negros Island Region was arrested by the police in San Jose, Negros Oriental, on  Tuesday, June 16.The suspect, identified only as alias “Chris,” 19, was apprehended in Brgy. Tapon Norte during an Oplan Tracker operation conducted by the San Jose police.Police said the accused is facing a warrant of arrest for acts of lasciviousness and 25 counts of statutory rape.The  Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) said the suspect and his co-accused allegedly molested a minor.The accused was ranked No. 9 in the regional list of most wanted persons and was also listed as the Top 1 Most Wanted Person in Negros Oriental.PRO-NIR said the arrest underscores the continuing manhunt op...

Police Capt. Donicko B. Angeles is designated as the new chief of the Vallehermoso Municipal Police Station in a mass turnover of office at Camp Lt. Col. Francisco C. Fernandez Jr. in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, on Tuesday.*PNP photoThe Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO) installed new chiefs of police in three municipalities during a mass turnover of office ceremony held at Camp Lt. Col. Francisco C. Fernandez Jr. in Sibulan, Negros Oriental on Tuesday, June 16.The ceremony, led by NOrPPO Provincial Director Col. Timmar J. Alam, marked the transfer of command and administrative responsibilities in the municipal police stations of Bacong, Valencia, and Vallehermoso.Among those installed was Capt. Dino Catadman Padron, who assumed the post as officer-in-charge chief...

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) has started drone and manual spraying of insecticide to combat the highly destructive red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) in the sugarcane fields in Negros Occidental."We started our RSSI drone and manual spraying of insecticide last week. The whole of Negros is affected, so the spraying will continue," Sugar Board Member David Andrew Lizares Sanson said Sunday, June 14.The spraying of  fungus to fight the RSSI also started last month, he added.Sanson said  he is waiting for an update on the total areas affected and treated areas so far.An SRA report released on June 4 showed that the RSSI has hit 1,788.93 hectares of standing sugarcane across Negros and Panay, affecting 869 farmers in 172 barangays.Negros Occidental ...

Queenie Roda Futalan,*NORSU photoQueenie Roda Futalan, a magna cum laude graduate of Negros Oriental State University, achieved a perfect score of 800 on her first attempt at the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT), placing her in the 99+ percentile, NORSU announced on Friday, June 12.Futalan is an alumna of the Pharmacy Department under NORSU's College of Nursing, Pharmacy, and Allied Health Sciences (CNPAHS).The NMAT is a standardized examination required for admission to all medical schools in the Philippines.NORSU, in  a Facebook post, said  Futalan’s academic excellence spans her entire college career.She has been a Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) scholar, a consistent dean's lister, and an active student l...

The Negros Oriental provincial government is returning to a standard five-day work week, officially lifting the four-day Compressed Work Week (CWW).The transition back to regular government hours, mandated under Executive Order No. 38, Series of 2026, issued by Governor Manuel L. Sagarbarria, takes effect today, June 8.Under the new directive, all departments and offices under the provincial government are ordered to revert to the standard schedule. Officials and employees are required to report for work from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to ensure public services are fully available throughout regular operational hours.The CWW was originally implemented under Executive Order No. 28 as an energy conservation measure, in line with the Office of the President's...

A farmer  tagged as the Negros Island Region’s No. 1 most wanted person for the alleged rape of a minor was arrested in Sitio Layawan II, Barangay Bago, Tayasan, Negros Oriental, on Saturday, June 6.Operatives of the Regional Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) arrested as alias "Jim," 42 of  Sitio Layawan II by virtue of a warrant of arrest for four counts of rape.The PRO NIR said  the suspect allegedly sexually assaulted the minor on several occasions while she was tending to his goats.He reportedly threatened to kill the victim and her parents if she disclosed what he did  to anyone.The suspect was turned over to the Tayasan Municipal Police Station for proper documentation and custodial disposition.*

Policemen at a school in Ayungon, Negros Oriental.*PRO NIR photoThe Philippine National Police is deploying 1,612 personnel across the Negros Island Region to ensure the safety of students and teachers for the opening of classes on Monday, June 8.Officers will be stationed at public and private schools, major thoroughfares, transportation terminals, and pedestrian crossings to maintain order and provide immediate assistance, the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) assured on Saturday.These personnel will staff Police Assistance Desks and conduct foot and mobile patrols in support of Balik Eskwela 2026 activities, it said.The PRO NIR added that teams will assist in traffic management, monitor high-density student areas, and coordinate closely with school au...