Top Stories

Jul222026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

NegOr police to deploy CDM teams for peaceful SONA assemblies

The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOrPPO) will deploy Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) teams and special reserve police officers to maintain peace and order across the province as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday, July 27.NorPPO spokesperson Capt. Stephen Jaynard Polinar said police are closely monitoring groups expected to hold rallies, motorcades, and protest marches in Dumaguete City.“We have already identified groups that may conduct rallies and possible venues such as the Freedom Park and the Pantawan People’s Park here,” Polinar said.Polinar said CDM units and reserve personnel will be deployed a day before the SONA, pending the regional director of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region declaring a r...

Jul222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Etorne assumes post as officer-in-charge of Victorias police

Top Stories

Col. Dennis Wenceslao and PMaj. Ernesto Etorne Jr.(left) at the assumption-of-office ceremony.*PNP photoPMaj. Ernesto Etorne Jr. has assumed office as the new officer-in-charge of the Victorias City Police Station.Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office Director Col. Dennis Wenceslao led the assumption-of-office ceremony and symbolic turnover of command attended by Victorias Vice Mayor Francis Frederick Palanca, local officials and police personnel on Tuesday, July 21.Etorne thanked police officials for the trust placed in him and pledged to lead the station with integrity, dedication and professionalism while strengthening partnerships with the community.Palanca assured the city government’s support for the programs and initiatives of the Philippine Natio...

Jul222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Farmer shot dead in Cauayan

Top Stories

A 44-year-old farmer was shot dead by an unidentified man in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday evening, July 21.The shooting happened at around 6 p.m. in Sitio Gabok, Brgy. Basak, Cauayan police reported.The police said the victim, identified only as alias “Doming,” was drinking with several companions when the armed suspect arrived.A witness told investigators that the suspect first fired a shot into the air before challenging those in the area and shooting the victim on the right leg.The witness and the other companions fled, while the suspect escaped in an unknown direction.The victim was rushed to the Cauayan District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival due to severe blood loss from the gunshot wound.The witness said he did not know the suspect’s name...

Jul222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Student behind fake shabu prank in Bacolod school identified

Top Stories

Bacolod City Police Office Director Col. Eugene Rebadomia*School authorities have identified the student who allegedly placed two packets of a substance resembling shabu inside another student’s bag at a high school in Brgy. Banago, Bacolod City.The substance tested negative for shabu following examination by the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region Regional Forensic Unit, Bacolod City Police Office Director Col. Eugene Rebadomia confirmed Wednesday, July 22.Secretary to the Mayor Atty. Jose Marty Go said the school identified the student allegedly responsible for the prank while authorities were awaiting the confirmatory test result.Go, citing information from Bacolod City Schools Division Superintendent Dennis Develos, said the prank may have stemmed from a dispu...

Jul222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

SK kagawad arrested after man killed in Calatrava fight

Top Stories

The scene of the crime.*PNP photoA Sangguniang Kabataan kagawad was arrested after a man was killed during a fight in a remote community in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, late Tuesday night, July 21.The incident happened at around 11:30 p.m. in Sitio Binanigan, Brgy. Ilaya, the Calatrava police reported.The police identified the suspect as “Michael”, 22, an SK kagawad and a Brgy. Ilaya resident.Investigation showed that the suspect and the victim, identified as “Rodrigo”, had been drinking with several neighbors near the suspect’s house.Police said the victim allegedly attempted to force his way into the house after the drinking session and repeatedly threw stones when the suspect ignored him.The suspect went outside to stop the victim, resulting in a fistfight betwe...

Jul212026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

NegOr under state of calamity as pest hits 17K hectares of sugarcane

Business, Top Stories

Farmers inspect sugarcane leaves affected by the red-striped soft scale insect at a farm in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.*SRA file photoAll sugarcane fields in Negros Oriental, including those not yet affected by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), will undergo chemical spraying following the province's declaration of a state of calamity.Provincial Agriculture Office Chief Emmanuel Caduyac said the preventive spraying aims to contain the spread of the sap-sucking pest and protect unaffected plantations from infestation."We will be coordinating with the local government units down to the barangay level and the farmers to help us in the spraying as the PAO does not have enough manpower to do this," Caduyac told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday."The spraying must b...

Jul212026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv leaving it to mayors to decide on aerial spraying vs. RSSI in their areas

Top Stories

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson*Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, July 21, that he is leaving it up to the mayors of Negros Occidental to decide if they want to allocate funds for the proposed massive aerial spraying of pesticides against the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) attacking sugarcane fields in their areas.“I said we (the provincial government) will not fund the proposal to use airplanes for aerial spraying, but that is not the same as saying we oppose it,” Lacson said.“The contribution of the provincial government to the fight against RSSI will be biological control. If the SRA says there is a need for massive aerial spraying, I will let the LGUs, through their local chief executives, decide what is best for their communities,” he said.Lacson noted that opi...

Jul212026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

₱1.57B proposed under 2026 Kanlaon Recovery and Development Program

Top Stories

OCD Regional director Donato Sermeno III*A total of ₱1.57 billion in projects under the Kanlaon Recovery and Development Program (KRDP) has been proposed for 2026, an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) official said Tuesday, July 21.Donato Sermeno III, director of OCD Negros Island Region, said the funds for recovery from the damage caused by Mt. Kanlaon’s unrest will come from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.Sermeno said his office will submit the project proposal documents to the OCD central office on Friday, July 24, to facilitate the downloading of funds.The proposed allocation includes ₱1.2 billion for infrastructure, ₱312 million for housing and resettlement, ₱62.5 million for social welfare, and ₱50,000 for governance, he said.*

Jul212026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod treasurer’s office employee issued show cause order for alleged unauthorized amusement tax collections

Top Stories

Mayor Greg Gastaya has issued a Show Cause Order against a male regular employee of the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) following allegations of illegal and unrecorded collection of amusement taxes from two bars in Bacolod City.The order that was served on Tuesday, July 21, stems from sworn affidavits submitted by owners and managers of two local bars detailing unauthorized collections totaling ₱8,500. The CTO employee allegedly solicited funds on multiple occasions under the guise of official tax collection.In the first incident between December 2025 and January 2026, the employee allegedly visited an establishment on two separate dates, claiming authorization from the City Treasurer's Office and collecting ₱2,500 on each visit while failing to issue...

Jul212026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Sugar leader condemns ‘smear campaign’ vs. Valderrama

Business, Top Stories

Enrique D. Rojas and Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. (right)*The president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) on Tuesday, July 21, condemned what he called a smear campaign against Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr., president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED).“Industry stakeholders know that Mr. Valderrama, as president of CONFED and as a key member of the Sugar Council to which NFSP also belongs, has been very vocal in criticizing erroneous sugar policies, particularly on sugar importation, which has caused billions in losses to sugar farmers. This smear campaign apparently aims to discredit and silence Mr. Valderrama,” NFSP president Enrique D. Rojas said in a press release.Rojas issued the statement after media reports sur...