Negros Oriental

Jun292026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

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

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...

Jun252026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

P206-M aid released to 38K indigent patients in Negros, Siquijor – DOH

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Infographics courtesy of Department of Health-Negros Island Region The Department of Health-Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) has extended PHP206.26 million in financial assistance to beneficiaries in Negros and Siquijor after the establishment of the country’s newest administrative region in June 2024.The amount was released to 38,204 patients under the agency’s Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) Program.Data on Thursday showed the bulk of the assistance went to patients in Negros Occidental, amounting to PHP157.38 million, followed by Negros Oriental, PHP23.98 million.Siquijor received PHP14.54 million while Bacolod City received PHP10.36 million.“Access is also about financial protection. For many families, the barr...

Jun252026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

Negros Region LGUs to plant 200K trees in 2026: DENR exec

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Students, government agencies, and other stakeholders make their way to Lake Balinsasayao, a protected upland area, in Sibulan, Negros Oriental on Thursday for a tree-planting activity to commemorate Philippine Arbor Day.*DENR photo The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Negros Island Region (DENR-NIR) targets to plant around 200,000 native trees this year, an official said on Thursday, June 25.DENR-NIR regional director Charlie Fabre said that the tree-planting program will kick off as part of Philippine Arbor Day celebration as mandated by the national government.“We will hold simultaneous tree-planting activities across the region in celebration of Arbor Day, but this is just the beginning of a bigger target to plant more trees this ye...

Jun242026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

DAR to hand out land titles, debt condonation certificates to 4k ARBs

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

PNA/Joan Bondoc file photo More than 4,200 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Negros Oriental will receive land titles and Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during a mass distribution activity in early July, an official said Wednesday, June 24.Manuel Galon, provincial agrarian reform program officer of DAR-Negros Oriental, said 4,242 ARBs are set to benefit from the distribution scheduled at the Negros Oriental Convention Center in Dumaguete City.Of the total beneficiaries, 350 recipients of land titles and 1,150 recipients of COCROMs will attend the ceremonial turnover, while the remaining awardees will receive their documents through simultaneous releases on the same day.“The number o...

Jun242026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

47 police officers deployed to 5 isolated Negros barangays

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region deployed 47 police personnel to five geographically isolated barangays in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental on Wednesday, June 24.The personnel were organized into five Revitalized Pulis sa Barangay teams that will be stationed in Brgy. Pinapugasan, Escalante City, Brgy. Winaswasan, Calatrava, and Brgy. Bug-ang, Toboso, in Negros Occidental.The remaining teams will be assigned to Brgy. Budlasan, Canlaon City, and Brgy. Caigangan, Santa Catalina, in Negros Oriental.The deployment was formally launched during a send-off ceremony at Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod City.PRO-NIR Acting Regional Director BGen. Romano Cardiño led the ceremony, which was attended by regional and provincial police offici...