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Mar162026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Kanlaon eruption sparks 65-hectare fire; ash, sulfuric odor hit 92 Negros brgys

The fire at Barangay Biak-na-Bato, La Castellana town.*Mj Guardiano photo via PIA Negros Occidental.The moderately explosive eruption at Kanlaon Volcano on Sunday night triggered an estimated 65 hectares of forest and grassland fires, while ash and sulfuric odor hit 92 barangays across Negros.The eruption, which began at 6:07 p.m., lasted only a minute but emitted ash for 3 hours and 49 minutes, Mari Andylene Quintia, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) resident volcanologist stationed in La Carlota City, said.Kanlaon also had moderately explosive eruptions on February 19 and 26, and remains under Alert Level 2.Quintia said the fires on the slopes of the volcano were triggered by ballistic projectiles or pyroclastic density currents from the erupt...

Mar162026 by Joann VillanuevaNo Comments

DOE: Fuel prices up this week by as much as P23.90 per liter

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Vehicles formed long lines at Bacolod gasoline stations Monday night ahead of another round of fuel price hikes on Tuesday, March 17.* Richard Caballero Jr. photoDomestic oil prices will rise by as much as P23.90 per liter this week, with five companies implementing increases on a staggered basis starting Tuesday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Monday, March 16.For gasoline products, the increase will be PHP12.90 to PHP16.60 per liter; for diesel, PHP20.40 to PHP23.90 per liter; and for kerosene, PHP6.90 to PHP8.90 per liter.This will bring gasoline prices to as much as PHP91.60 per liter, diesel to PHP114.90 per liter, and kerosene to PHP143.79 per liter.Department of Energy (DOE) data show that from March 10 to 16, gasoline prices ranged from PHP63.40 to PHP75 per li...

Mar162026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Negros Power electricity rates for March slightly decrease

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Central Negros residents will see a slight reprieve in their power bills this month.Negros Electric and Power Corp. announced on Monday, March 16, that its average residential electricity rate this month is ₱11.4107/kWh, a decrease of ₱0.0335/kWh compared to the February rate of ₱11.4442/kWh.The price of electricity from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market increased from ₱4.4872/kWh to ₱5.4034/kWh, or by ₱0.9162/kWh. Negros Power said.The increase was attributed to the 17-day unexpected outage of Palm Concepcion Power Corp., which resulted in a shortage of power supply to the Visayas Grid and increased market prices, especially during peak demand hours.The rate of Green Core Geothermal Inc. also increased from ₱6.1424/kWh to ₱6.5265/kWh, or an increase of ₱0.3851/kWh, Neg...

Mar162026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Vallacar implements fare hike amid rising global fuel costs

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Vallacar Transit Inc. (VTI) announced on Monday, March 16, that it is implementing a fare increase per kilometer across all routes to sustain operations following recent spikes in global oil prices.This adjustment was approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Friday, amid the unstable movement of fuel prices in the world market caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.This has affected the operating costs of public transportation, VTI said.As fuel remains one of the primary expenses in bus operations, the continuous oil price hikes have made it necessary for the company to follow the LTFRB adjustments in fares in order to sustain daily operations, VTI said.The grant of provisional increase was made by virtue of Sec. 16 of CA 146, ...

Mar162026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

NIR cops nab 163 wanted persons, seize P12.8M in shabu, cigarettes

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Police arrested 163 wanted persons and confiscated P12.8 million worth of shabu and smuggled cigarettes in a series of anti-criminality operations conducted across the Negros Island Region from March 1 to 14.The accomplishments were part of its Simultaneous Anti-Criminality and Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO) aimed at intensifying the campaign against criminal activities in the region, the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) reported on Monday, March 16.Authorities reported that 151 operations against wanted persons led to the arrest of 163 individuals, including 43 most wanted persons and 120 other wanted persons.In the campaign against illegal drugs, the police conducted 107 operations that resulted in the arrest of 126 drug personalities.Those arres...

Mar162026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Javi files bill to protect women, children from digital violence

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Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District)*Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) has filed House Bill No. 6812, also known as the PROTECT (Prevention of Online Threats and Electronic Cruelty Toward Women and Children) Act, to address the growing landscape of digital violence.The measure seeks to modernize and expand the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act (RA 9262) by explicitly covering electronic or ICT-related violence, Benitez said in a Facebook post Monday, March 16.This legislative move acknowledges that abuse is no longer confined to physical spaces, as social media, messaging apps, and online accounts have become frequent tools for harassment and intimidation.The bill points out that digital abuse is a source of...

Mar162026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

Bago distributes rice subsidy to almost 3K tricycle drivers

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Bago City Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao (3rd from right) leads the distribution of rice subsidy to tricycle drivers in the southern Negros city on Monday.*Bago City in Negros Occidental on Monday, March 16, started the distribution of rice subsidy to nearly 3,000 members of various tricycle operators and drivers associations (TODAs) to help cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on the local public transport sector.An initial 1,245 tricycle drivers from three TODAs in Barangay Poblacion received 5 kilograms of rice each.Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao said the city government is extending the assistance to public transport drivers on top of the cash aid and fuel subsidy they will soon receive from the national government.“We are now preparing the list of tricycle drivers. Anytime...

Mar162026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

30th Sinigayan Fest kicks off, highlights creativity, culture

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Sagay City officials led by Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, DepEd Assistant Secretary Jerome Buenviaje and the Sinigayan Dancers at the opening of the 30th Sinigayan Festival at the Sagay City Public Plaza.*Creativity, education, and cultural identity took center stage during the grand opening of the 30th Sinigayan Festival as Department of Education Assistant Secretary Jerome Buenviaje framed the celebration as a reminder that festivals serve as spaces where communities reconnect with their heritage while nurturing future generations.Speaking on behalf of Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara during the festival opening at the City Public Plaza Monday, March 16, Buenviaje described festivals like Sinigayan as “living classroo...

Mar162026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

2 elderly women drown in Southern Negros

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A 73-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease was found dead in Brgy. San Jose, Sipalay City, on Monday morning.*Two elderly women were found dead in separate drowning incidents in Sipalay City and Ilog, Negros Occidental, on Sunday and Monday.A 73-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease was found dead after she drowned in Cansibit Pit in Purok Malipayon, Brgy. San Jose, Sipalay City, on Monday morning, March 16.Police identified the victim as Paula Sagmon, a resident of Don Jaime Village in Brgy. San Jose.The incident was reported to authorities at about 12:03 p.m. after the barangay captain informed police about a body found floating in the pit.The victim’s son, Thomas Sagmon, told the police the victim had left their house at around 3 a.m. on March 14.He sa...

Mar162026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

68-year-old watchman shot dead

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A 68-year-old watchman was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Purok Matam-is, Brgy. Busay, Bago City, Negros Occidental, Sunday afternoon, March 15.Police identified the victim as alias “Fred,” of Purok Gumamela in Brgy. Busay.Initial investigation by the Bago City Police Station showed that the victim was riding his Kawasaki motorcycle and had just left the residence of the barangay captain on his way to Hacienda Solinap where he worked as a watchman.While traveling along the road, the victim was shot by an unidentified suspect who immediately fled.Police said the suspect was riding a black Yamaha Mio motorcycle and was wearing a blue jacket and black helmet.The victim was rushed to Bago City Hospital but was declared dead by the attending physician.Authorities...