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The Bacolod City government on Monday, June 22, warned business establishments against selling  "rugby" glue and other volatile substances to minors without written parental or guardian consent.The warning, which also strictly prohibits the sale of paint thinner, acetone, gasoline, and kerosene to children, comes amid a visible rise in inhalant abuse among youth in the city.City Administrator Mark Mayo issued a memorandum directing the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) to strictly enforce City Ordinance No. 328, Series of 2003.The memorandum to strictly enforce the ordinance that bans the sale of dangerous inhalants to minors was prompted by an increasing number of children seen openly sniffing solvents in public places, even in broad daylight, Mayo said.Rugby an...

Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo issued an executive order on Monday, June 22, strictly prohibiting the illegal and unauthorized selling of imported meat and meat products within Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental.Executive Order No. 293, Series of 2026,  comes in response to reported incidents of illegal trading, technical smuggling, and the rampant selling of imported meat products in local public markets, satellite markets, and online channels without the required quarantine certificates.As a designated "pink zone" actively enforcing preventive measures against transboundary animal diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF), the municipality enacted the order to safeguard the local hog and livestock industries, as well as public health, the mayor said.Under Section 2 of the...

Several key officials  within the Bacolod City Police Office have been reassigned as part of an organizational reshuffle, the BCPO announced Monday, June 22.Lt. Benjo Ballo-Allo was designated officer-in-charge of Police Station 3 following the temporary relief of station commander Capt. Rosalino Pugoy Jr., who will undergo schooling.Lt. Col. Edyliz Riche Crucero was also  moved from the Bacolod City Mobile Force Company (BCMFC) to the 2nd Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company based in Hinigaran.Crucero will now serve as force commander of the provincial mobile force unit covering the fourth, fifth, and sixth districts of Negros Occidental.Replacing her at BCMFC is Lt. Col. Joeffer Cabural, who previously headed the Mobile Patrol Unit (MPU).Capt. R...

 In a move to protect its local livestock industry and backyard hog raisers, the municipal government of La Castellana has officially implemented a temporary ban on the entry of all pork, pork products, and live swine originating from outside the municipality today, May 22.The directive was formalized through Executive Order No. 026-045, Series of 2026, signed by Mayor Añejo G. Nicor taking effect immediately.The measure was recommended by the Municipal Agriculture Office as a precautionary rule following reported livestock health concerns in neighboring local government units.Nicor emphasized that the temporary ban is not a declaration of any active animal disease outbreak within La Castellana itself, but is strictly a preventative barrier to secure the community's food supply...

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza (right, back row) at Matablas Island on Saturday*NICE photoSan Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza led the blessing and ceremonial lights-on of renewable energy facilities on Matabas Island in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, marking the formal operation of a solar-powered system that will provide electricity and potable water to the off-grid community on  Saturday, June 20.The activity, dubbed "Kapawa: Blessing and Ceremonial Lights-On of the Renewable Energy Facilities," gathered residents, project partners, local officials, and stakeholders on the island.The renewable energy facilities power a solar-driven water desalination system, community charging stations, streetlights, and lighting systems for the island chapel and educational facilitie...

The police clarified that the killing of a 54-year-old man earlier claimed by the New People's Army (NPA) did not occur in Isabela, Negros Occidental, but within the territorial jurisdiction of neighboring Binalbagan.In a report released Monday, June 22, the Isabela Municipal Police Station said it coordinated with barangay officials to verify information circulating on social media regarding the fatal shooting of Henry Pracio, a resident of Sitio Patuyo, Brgy. Makilignit, Isabela.According to the barangay official, the river traversing Sitio Patuyo serves as the boundary between Brgy. Makilignit in Isabela and Brgy. Amontay in Binalbagan.While Pracio was a registered voter of Brgy. Makilignit, police said both his residence and the actual location of the incident are geographi...

The motorist in the viral video.*LTO NIR photosA motorist has submitted a verified written explanation to the Land Transportation Office-Negros Island Region (LTO-NIR) following a viral social media video that allegedly showed a seatbelt violation.LTO-NIR said the explanation was formally received by its Intelligence and Investigation Unit (IIU) at the regional office in Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City on Friday,  June 19.The case stemmed from a Facebook video titled "Overheat Malas," which circulated online and allegedly showed both the driver and front-seat passenger  without seatbelts.The  LTO-NIR said  the written explanation will form part of the agency's ongoing evaluation of the case to determine whether traffic and road safety regulations were vi...