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Sagay Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva, right, said perpetrators would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.*Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva has ordered immediate security upgrades following reports of sexual harassment of students near the State University of Northern Negros (SUNN) in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.Cueva on Wednesday, May 6, warned all transport drivers and operators that the city will not tolerate any form of exploitation or harassment of students.Any perpetrator found involved in such incidents would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, he said.The concerns were brought to the mayor’s attention by SUNN president Dr. Renante Egcas on Tuesday prompting an urgent meeting with the Peace and Order Committee, the Sagay Philippine National Police, and various Tricy...

The Pulitzer Prize winner is the grandson of Dr. Pablo Torre of the Dr. Pablo O. Torre Sr. Memorial Hospital now Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City*Filipino-American podcaster Pablo Torre, who just won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting, has roots in Negros Occidental.The Pulitzer Prizes, on its website, announced that “Pablo Torre Finds Out” won the prize for “a distinguished example of audio journalism that serves the public interest, characterized by revelatory reporting and illuminating storytelling”.The “Pablo Torre Finds Out” team won P$15,000.“Pablo Torre Finds Out” was cited for “a pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism that investigated how the Los Angeles Clippers seemingly evaded the NBA’s salary cap rules by funneling ...

Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Inc. president: Danilo A. Abelita, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters president Enrique D. Rojas and Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. president Aurelio J. Valderrama Jr. (l-r) of the Sugar Council.*“The call by 93 leaders from the sugar industry for the Sugar Board to be replaced cannot be wrong,” the Sugar Council said Wednesday, May 6.The Sugar Council, in a press statement, said it was referring to a manifesto signed by 93 industry leaders from all over the country, and published in a national newspaper on Tuesday, May 5.The 93 sugar industry leaders represent stakeholders in various fields, it said.“The Sugar Board’s failure to manage sugar supply and demand, particularly due to its import replenishment p...

Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, provincial consultant on energy, and NICE secretary general Joshua Villalobos (right) at a press conference on the Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026.*The Negros Occidental provincial government will launch three programs during the Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026 that kicks off at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod Thursday, May 7, to further accelerate the province’s RE transition.“I think we can rightly claim that Negros Occidental has become one of the RE capitals of the country. We are ahead of most other provinces in RE transition,” former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, provincial government consultant on energy and environment concerns, said at a press conference on Wednesday.During the Renewable Energy W...

Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez and NACUSIP president Roland C. de la Cruz (right)*The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry in the Philippines (NACUSIP) on Wednesday, May 6, thanked Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez and Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito for pushing for an overhaul of the Philippine sugar industry.Ejercito has introduced a series of legislative measures aimed at investigating and revitalizing the nation's struggling sugar sector, focusing on alleged importation irregularities and systemic industry support.Ejercito filed Senate Resolution 369, which directs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform to launch an inquiry into the alleged over-importation of sugar.The resolution seeks to determine the impact of these imports on local producer...

A 53-year-old man was shot dead by three unidentified armed men inside his home in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday morning, May 5.Police said the incident happened at around 9 a.m. in Sitio Agbalatuan, Brgy. Dolis.Initial investigation showed the victim and his wife were preparing to leave their house when three armed suspects suddenly appeared and approached them.Authorities said the suspects asked the victim to step outside, claiming they wanted to talk.After a brief exchange, the victim ran back inside their house, but the suspects followed him and shot him multiple times.The victim sustained gunshot wounds to the head and stomach, resulting in his immediate death.He was rushed by responding Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personn...

The dengue-related deaths in Negros Occidental have increased to four this year, the Provincial Health Office reported on Wednesday, May 6.The dengue cases in the province from January 4 to April 25 have reached 601, representing a significant 66.8 percent decrease, or 1,207 fewer cases, compared to the 1,808 cases recorded during the same period in 2025, the PHO said.Despite this overall decline in infections, the virus remains widespread, with 30 out of 31 local government units reporting at least one suspected case of the disease.La Carlota City had the highest volume of infections at 59 cases, followed by Bago City with 56 cases and one recorded death.The PHO said the most affected demographic is children within the 1-to-10-year-old age group, although the overall ag...

Police operatives arrested a 22-year-old woman classified as a High Value Individual (HVI) and seized approximately P340,000 worth of suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation in Barangay 3, Bacolod City, early Wednesday morning, May 6.The suspect, identified only by the alias “Mimi,” was apprehended at around 3:13 a.m. in Purok Lubi after intelligence reports suggested she had allegedly taken over the illegal drug trade from her husband, the police reported.The operation was spearheaded by the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) of the Bacolod City Police Office, with support from the City Intelligence Unit and Police Station 2.During the sting, authorities recovered eight heat-sealed plastic sachets containing roughly 50 grams of white crystalline substance, along with the P...

The municipality of Toboso in Negros Occidental will return to the regular five-day work week starting May 11.Mayor Richard Jaojoco announced the transition on Wednesday, May 6, citing the need for improved operational efficiency.The mayor said the 4-day compressed work week had created "operational bottlenecks," which ultimately slowed down the delivery of essential services and hindered the municipality's overall progress."More services can be provided in a standard eight-hour day than in the two extra hours added to a four-day schedule," Jaojoco said, emphasizing that the return to the 5-day schedule will better serve the public's needs.*

The impact of a wind energy project in Bago City, Negros Occidental, on known migratory bird paths is being evaluated, former governor Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela, provincial consultant for environment and energy, said on Wednesday, May 6.They have asked the Philippine Biodiversity and Conservation Foundation’s help in determining its impact, he said.Bago-Negros Energy Corp. has already obtained a resolution of no objection for its 150 MW wind power project from the barangays. The project is expected to cover Barangay Calumangan, Napoles, Taloc, Sampinit, Busay, Balingasag and Lag-asan in Bago City.The provincial government has not issued a resolution of no objection (RONO) yet as the submission of the reports on the results of hearings on the project are being awaited, Coscol...