Top Stories

The Department of Social Welfare and Development prepositions food packs for  flood victims at its warehouse in Bacolod City with more rains expected.*DSWD photoWork in government offices and classes at all levels in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will resume on Thursday, July 23, but the Office of Civil Defense said more rains could still hit the province.Malacañang ordered the suspension of classes at all levels in Metro Manila and 37 provinces on Thursday due to the combined effects of the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storms Dante and Emong, but Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were not included on the list.Local government units outside the listed areas may declare class or work suspensions based on prevailing conditions, Memorandum Circular (MC) 91 signed b...

Chiqui Gonzales, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) in Negros Occidental, said the provincial government has distributed P1.9 million worth of food assistance to 3,200 flood-affected families.*Barbara Mijares photoHeavy rains and widespread flooding late last week have inflicted an estimated P44,498,871 in damage to agriculture across Negros Occidental.The damage to 1,385 hectares of rice, high value crops, and corn affected 1,784 farmers, a Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council report released by Regional Director Donato Sermeno III of the Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region on Wednesday, July 23, said.Livestock damage was placed at P865,400.The flooding also destroyed 41 homes and damaged 308 others.Sermeno said...

In what was supposed to be a routine day of collecting waste, a garbage collector came across a shocking find – a dead newborn baby boy hidden inside a stainless steel cooking pot at a materials recovery facility (MRF) in Purok Makiangayon, Barangay Punta Taytay, Bacolod City, Tuesday afternoon, July 22.The baby was discovered by a worker of IPM Construction and Development Corporation, the city government’s garbage collection contractor, while sorting trash at the site.Capt. Andy Ofalia, Police Station 9 commander, said the newborn’s placenta and umbilical cord were still attached, suggesting that the infant was freshly delivered before being abandoned.The police responded to a call from a concerned citizen who reported that a baby had been found inside a pile of garbage behin...

More than P540,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in two separate buy-bust operations in Bacolod City that led to the arrest of a former drug offender and a school administrative staff, the police reported on Wednesday, July 23.Alias “Jepay,” 30, a resident of Purok Kabugwason, Brgy. Mansilingan, was arrested in a buy-bust operation conducted by Police Station 7 and the Regional Intelligence Unit–Negros Island Region at around 1:18 p.m. on Tuesday.Jepay, who previously availed of a plea bargaining agreement for a drug-related case, was again arrested for alleged violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.Police recovered about 30 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of P204,000, one sachet used as the buy-bust item, seven other sachets in her posses...

Negros Island Region OCD Regional Director Donato Sermeno III*The Department of Social Welfare and Development is determining whether the approved livelihood assistance for displaced residents living in evacuation centers in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, can cover those who went home, an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) official said on Wednesday, July 23.The number of recipients included in the list was based on those living in evacuation centers at the time it was made, so the DSWD is seeking clarification from its head office, Negros Island Region OCD Regional Director Donato Sermeno III said.That is because 586 families with 1,850 families, some of whom were included in the list, have since returned to their homes in Barangay Cabagnaan located beyond 5.2 kilometers of Kanl...

The MOA signing on Wednesday.*Horizon photoIn a move to expand cancer care across Negros Occidental, the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) and Riverside Medical Center Inc. (RMCI) signed a renewed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Wednesday, July 23.The signing ceremony took place at RMCI’s Centers of Excellence Building.This renewed agreement significantly expands a successful partnership initiated in 2024, a CLMMRH statement on its Facebook page said.What began as a program exclusively for breast cancer patients, benefiting approximately 108 women over the past year, will now offer radiation therapy for all types of cancer.This expansion aims to provide essential treatment to a wider range of patients through public healthcare channels, CLMMR...

The scene of the crime in Brgy. 35, Bacolod City*A man was injured after being shot by an unidentified assailant while driving a motorcycle in Brgy. 35, Bacolod City, on Tuesday afternoon, July 22.The victim, identified only as alias “Jay,” sustained multiple gunshot wounds.After the shooting, he reportedly ran into a nearby house to seek cover.Lt. Marbert Veloso, Bacolod Police Station 1 commander, said the investigation is still ongoing.Authorities are reviewing nearby CCTV footage to gather possible leads on the suspect.The victim was in stable condition on Wednesday, Veloso said.The police are also verifying reports that the victim may have been involved in theft cases.*

The Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) is on alert for potential outbreaks of diseases following last week's heavy rains and widespread flooding."We are still on Code White," Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Provincial Health Officer, said on Wednesday, July 23.While no cases of flood-related diseases have been reported yet, Pinongan reminded residents to avoid wading in floodwaters.She specifically warned against leptospirosis, a bacterial blood infection spread through rat urine, which can be contracted by exposure to contaminated water.Pinongan warned that children playing and swimming in floodwaters are vulnerable.The PHO has already distributed doxycycline capsules, a prophylaxis for water-borne diseases especially leptospirosis, and other medications, she said. ...

The Diocese of San Carlos unequivocally supports the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in its call to end online gambling, Bishop Geraldo Alminaza announced on Wednesday, July 23."The Diocese of San Carlos, through its bishop, clergy, consecrated persons, lay leaders, and faithful, expresses its full, strong, and unwavering support for the pastoral statement of the CBCP," Alminaza said.He described online gambling as a "silent virus"—a "social and moral pandemic that quietly spreads across households, parishes, and communities, enslaving hearts and distorting values."He said the Diocese of San Carlos is calling for:• The immediate banning and criminalization of all forms of online gambling.• Stricter regulation of online platforms, payment systems, and e-wa...

The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NORRPO) arrested 600 individuals for ordinance violations and nine illegal drug suspects during its province-wide Simultaneous Anti-Criminality Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) last week, July 18 to 20.During the three-day operations, police units conducted nine anti-illegal drug operations that led to the arrest of nine personsAuthorities also seized approximately 40.7 grams of suspected shabu, with a total standard drug price of P276,760.In their campaign against illegal gambling, NORRPO conducted 15 operations that resulted in the arrest of 30 individuals and the confiscation of P3,779 in bet money.Meanwhile, 34 operations targeting wanted persons led to the arrest of four individuals listed as most wanted and 30 others wi...