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Police arrested two individuals, including a minor, during a buy-bust operation that led to the seizure of suspected shabu in Progresso Village 1, Zone 1, Brgy. Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, on Monday night, Feb. 17. Police identified the adult suspect as Hernanie Ditchon, 30 years old, single, and a resident of Barangay Vista Alegre. Authorities said the second suspect is a child in conflict with the law, whose identity was withheld. Police said the suspects were arrested for alleged violations of Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Recovered during the operation were 21 sachets of suspected shabu weighing around nine grams with an estimated street value of P61,200, a pouch, a P500 bill used as buy-bust money, and P400 in cash. Investiga...

Tanjay Mayor Jose Pepe Orlino talks to evacuees at the gymnasium in Barangay Sto. Niño.*About 45 families, or 152 individuals, have returned to their homes in a remote village in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, days after the weekend clashes between government troops and the New People’s Army (NPA).Brig. Gen. Jason Jumawan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade, said on Wednesday, Feb. 18, that he has assured Tanjay City Mayor Pepe Orlino of the safety of residents of Sitio Canggabi in Barangay Sto. Niño.“I talked to Mayor Orlino already and told him that residents in Sitio Canggabi have nothing to fear as the encounter sites are not populated and far from their homes and farms,” Jumawan said.As of Wednesday, no more evacuees were reported at the Sto....

A 49-year-old tricycle driver was shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle in Brgy. Sta. Rosa, Murcia, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday morning, Feb. 18.Police said the shooting happened in Purok La Roca while the victim was transporting student passengers.PCapt. Honey Labaro, Murcia police chief, said the victim was declared dead at a hospital.Initial investigation showed that two suspects riding a motorcycle tailed the victim before the shooting.When they reached Purok La Roca, the back rider allegedly shot the tricycle driver.Police said the suspects were wearing bonnets and hooded jackets.Authorities are now backtracking closed-circuit television footage in nearby areas to identify the suspects.Police said the motive for the killing has yet to be established....

The Bacolod City government has rolled out a house-to-house pet vaccination program to bolster its anti-rabies campaign. Led by the City Veterinarian's Office(CVO), the initiative aims to make the city rabies-free,  a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said. Mayor Greg Gasataya said “this is part of the program that has been implemented by the city vet, which is part of our commitment to further improve the services offered by the city government.” Dr. Janine Sarthou, Assistant City Veterinarian, said that the effort combines mass vaccination with enhanced education for pet owners to promote responsibility and maximize coverage. “We are doing this to eradicate, and achieve a rabies free city. This is also an opportunity for us to educate every pet owner”, she ...

The house where the three siblings were attacked*The police have submitted affidavits of witnesses and the parents of three children who were violently attacked with stones to the Silay City Prosecutor’s Office for evaluation. The attack left a 9-year-old girl dead and her two siblings injured in Hacienda Badiang, Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City, on February 7. The documents submitted include sworn statements from eyewitnesses and the parents, who are the complainants in the case, PCapt. Judesses Catalogo, spokesperson for the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said on Tuesday, February 18. Catalogo said that the prosecutors are now evaluating the material value of the testimonies to determine whether charges can be filed. Police are awaiting the prosecutor’s comments and potential ...

Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District)*House Bill No. 2033, which seeks to establish a Professional Regulation Commission office in Kabankalan City, was approved by the Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Feb. 18, Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District, said. The approval of HB 2033 highlights the importance of establishing a permanent PRC satellite office in the 6th District, she said.  “Its creation will ensure that PRC clients are served daily, without interruption and, ultimately, that government service is closer to the Filipino people.” Alvarez said in a Facebook post.  Once the committee approves the bill and files a Committee Report, it still needs to move to the floor for plenary action.*

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson*The Philippine Constitution is very clear that there should be no political dynasties, subject to law, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Wednesday, Feb. 18. “I just hope that this time around there will be a law already as far as anti-dynasty is concerned in answer to our Philippine Constitution, whatever version that may be,” Lacson said. Lacson noted that, in his case, the dynasty issue is not a problem. Since he stepped down as mayor of San Carlos City in 2010, he pointed out that no other Lacson has replaced him. He also said that while Daniel Lacson Jr. served as governor of Negros Occidental, it was long before he himself assumed the governorship.*

Col. Eugene Rebadomia*The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is pursuing new drug personalities amid intensified operations that resulted in the recovery of PHP1.75-million shabu in the past week. In a press conference on Wednesday, BCPO chief Col. Eugene Rebadomia said, as declared by his predecessors, there is no longer any active drug group operating in the city. “We can see in the reports that those who have been arrested are new drug personalities. The remnants, the prominent drug personalities who exist in Bacolod are no longer around. All those identified are new ones and are not even residents of Bacolod,” he added. Rebadomia said he directed the City Drug Enforcement Unit, now headed by Lt. Col. Albert Sy, to continue the intensified operations against illegal drugs, noting that...

The seized smuggled cigarettes in Escalante City*About ₱787,500 worth of smuggled cigarettes were seized in Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City, Monday night, February 16, the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) reported on Tuesday. Mobile patrollers and intelligence operatives from the Escalante City Coastal Police Station spotted a male suspect, identified only as alias "Sap," in Purok Margarita unloading boxes of cigarettes into a white utility vehicle. On noticing the approaching officers, the suspect fled and remains at large, the PRO NIR said. Authorities recovered 35 master cases of cigarettes along with the transport vehicle. To ensure full transparency and legal accountability, the entire recovery process was documented using ...

A pickup truck driver was temporarily detained after he crashed into a post at Lacson Street in Bacolod City early Tuesday, Feb. 17.  He was cited for  alleged drunk driving. The incident happened at around 12:10 a.m. and involved a Nissan Navara pickup traveling towards the south. Police identified the driver as “Conrad”, a resident of Brgy. Singcang Airport, Negros Occidental. Authorities said the vehicle hit and knocked down a sign post before crashing into a Negros Power steel post, causing damage to public property. The pickup sustained heavy damage to its front bumper, hood, windshield, engine parts, and right front tire. Police said the driver was observed to be under the influence of liquor at the ...