Negros Oriental

Sep232026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

P102,000 shabu seized in Santa Catalina buy-bust

A 26-year-old man was arrested after authorities seized about P102,000 worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental.In a press release on Sept. 23, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Island Region identified the suspect as alias “Joseph,” a resident of Brgy. Tinago, Bayawan City.He was arrested in Brgy. Caranoche, Santa Catalina, at around 2:05 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20.Operatives recovered three medium-sized sachets containing approximately 15 grams of suspected shabu with a standard drug price of P102,000.Authorities also recovered buy-bust money, a transparent plastic container, black pouch, glass tube pipe and a mobile phone.The operation was conducted by PDEA-NIR's Negros Oriental Provincial Office, Intelligence and ...

Sep232026 by Mary Judaline PartlowNo Comments

PBBM peace program aids 131 PAMANA groups in NIR

Business, Community, Negros Oriental, Top Stories

A total of 131 livelihood associations in the Negros Island Region (NIR) have received or are scheduled to receive PHP300,000 each in seed capital under the government’s PAyapa at MAsaganang PamayaNAn (PAMANA) program, an official said Tuesday, Sept. 22.Dan Donald S. Candare, PAMANA Project Development Officer 3 of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-NIR, said the program has allocated PHP39.3 million for the 131 PAMANA Livelihood Project Associations (PLPAs) in the region.“The associations, with a combined membership of 1,969 individuals, are located in vulnerable and conflict-affected communities,” Candare said on Tuesday.The livelihood funding is provided by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) as part of Pres...

Sep222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Classes suspended in E.B. Magalona schools over online threat, cybercrime unit tapped

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Classes at two schools in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, were suspended Tuesday, Sept. 22, after an online message threatening students surfaced, prompting police to tighten security and seek the assistance of the regional anti-cybercrime unit to identify its sender.The threat, sent through Facebook messenger and reported at around 10 a.m., warned E.B. Magalona residents of deaths and claimed that no one would be spared.Police have yet to establish whether the threat is credible or identify the person behind the account.E.B. Magalona Police Chief Capt. Armel Lasap said investigators are validating the threat while treating it seriously as authorities work to trace the sender.“The first thing we are doing is validating the threat and assessing it. We are taking it serious...

Sep202026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

DSWD disburses over ₱410M aid to RSSI-affected sugarcane farmers in Negros, more to be released

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Negros Island Region has distributed ₱410,283,675 in Emergency Cash Transfers (ECT) to 39,847 sugarcane famers affected by the red-striped soft scale insects so far, DSWD NIR Regional Director Arwin Razo said Sunday, Sept. 20.More disbursements to Negros Island farmers will continue until the end of the year, Razo said.They are just waiting for the downloading of additional funds, he said, reiterating that the total disbursement could reach more than P1 billion.The RSSI damages sugarcane crops by feeding directly on the stalks and leaves, sucking out vital plant sap and causing severe nutritional depletion, the Sugar Regulatory Administration said earlier. As the insects feed, they excrete ...

Sep202026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

6 from Negros schools among top nursing board exam passers

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Six graduates from four Negros Island nursing schools were among the of top 10 passers in the August–September 2026 Philippine Nurses Licensure Exam (PNLE), the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Saturday, September 19.Two Negros universities also ranked among the country’s top-performing nursing schools, with St. Paul University Dumaguete securing third place and the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod City ranking tenth.Leading the top-passer list from the island were fifth-place placers Allanah Beatriz Tubal of USLS and Therese Erika Aliboso Gomez of Colegio de San Agustin – Bacolod (CSA-B).Joining them were J. Eugene Christian Segura Jolito of CSA-B in eighth place, Joriel C. Racho of the State University of Northern Negros and Lyzel...

Sep202026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

DOH to establish mental hospital, drug rehab center in Sipalay

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Negrense philanthropist Merceditas Montilla and Health Undersecretary Mary Ann Maestral (seated, 2nd and 3rd from left) show the signed the deed of donation for a 30,000-square meter lot during a signing ceremony in Bacolod City on Saturday.*DOH photo The Department of Health (DOH) will establish a mental hospital and drug rehabilitation facility in southern Negros to expand access to specialized mental health care and substance use treatment in the Negros Island Region (NIR).The proposed institution, to be called the Merceditas J. Montilla Mental Hospital and Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, will be the first of its kind in Negros and Siquijor.On Saturday, the DOH formally accepted the donation of a 30,000-square meter lot for the site of the twin healthcare facility ...

Sep182026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

P170,000 shabu seized in Dumaguete buy-bust

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

A 42-year-old man was arrested after authorities seized about P170,000 worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, the police reported Friday, Sept. 18.The suspect, identified as alias “Jester,” was arrested by personnel of the Dumaguete City Police Station’s City Drug Enforcement Unit in Purok 4-B, Brgy. Batinguel, on Thursday.Police said Jester is a resident of Purok Amihan in the same barangay.Operatives recovered four medium-sized sachets containing about 25 grams of suspected shabu with a standard drug price of P170,000.The suspect and the seized evidence were placed under police custody for proper disposition.Jester is expected to face charges for alleged violations of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dange...

Sep182026 by Mary Judaline PartlowNo Comments

NegOr biz group bats for long-term solutions to power woes

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The geothermal power plants in Valencia, Negros Oriental provide clean and renewable energy 24/7 and are operated by First Gen's Energy Development Corporation.*PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow file photoThe Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) has welcomed the additional baseload power secured by the province’s two electric cooperatives, saying it will help meet consumers’ growing electricity demand.NOCCI president Edward Du said in a Friday interview that the additional supply for Negros Oriental I Electric Cooperative (NORECO I) and Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative (NORECO II) is a positive development, but it may not be sufficient once major investors establish operations in the province.“Having a total of 5.2 MW (Megawatts) for both electric coop...

Sep182026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Mabinay’s No.1 most wanted arrested for carnapping

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

A 22-year-old man listed as the No. 1 most wanted person in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, was arrested for a carnapping case on Wednesday, Sept. 16.Police arrested the accused in Sitio Cansati-an, Brgy. Canggohob, for alleged violation of Republic Act 10883, or the New Anti-Carnapping Act of 2016.Authorities withheld the identity of the accused.Police also identified the arrested man as a person of interest in a separate robbery with homicide case that occurred in Brgy. Bajumpandan, Dumaguete City, on Sept. 2.Being identified as a person of interest does not establish his involvement or guilt in the robbery with homicide case, which remains subject to investigation, the police said.The court set bail at P300,000 for his temporary liberty in the carnapping case.The accus...

Sep182026 by Mary Judaline PartlowNo Comments

Comelec-NIR moves BSKE COC filing to bigger venues

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) has authorized the transfer of Certificate of Candidacy (COC) filing venues in several local government units (LGUs) to accommodate the expected surge in aspirants for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec-NIR regional election director, said in an interview Friday, Sept. 18, that COC filing is typically handled by the Office of the Election Officer in each town or city.However, he said larger venues have been designated in some areas in anticipation of the number of candidates who will file their COCs.“The Office of the Election Officer is not suitable to accommodate the large number of potential candidates; that is why we have to look for a venue with...