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Andrea Nicole Sumugat, Keana Marie Bartolome, Venus Nicole Jucal and Alvord Valencia (l-r)*A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in Bacolod City topped the board examination for elementary teachers, the Professional Regulation Commission announced Friday, May 19.Andrea Nicole Sumugat, 24, of Paglaum Village in Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City, was among the six takers who topped the licensure examination for elementary teachers with a 92.20 percent rating.Together with Sumugat, Kabankalan Catholic College’s Silverio Tortocion III, also placed ninth in the board examination for elementary teachers.Andrea Nicole Sumugat, who graduated summa cum laude from the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, with her parents Noel and Christine Su...

One of the houses destroyed by the whirlwind.* Oscar Mangao Abajon photoA whirlwind destroyed three houses and damaged seven others in Puroks Lower Baras, Upper Baras and Kalubihan in Brgy. Bantayan, Kabankalan City, Thursday afternoon, Mayor Benjie Miranda said Friday, May 19.No one was injured as most of the children were in school and their parents, who are mostly farmers, were working in the fields, he said. The whirlwind that flattened houses also destroyed trees and plants in its path, Miranda said.He said food assistance has been delivered to the victims who started to rebuild their homes on Friday.The city government will give P4,000 each to those whose houses were destroyed and P3,000 for those with damaged houses, Miranda said.He also gave P1,000 to each of t...

The Victorias City government sealed its partnership with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – Asia (IFOAM-Organics Asia) and will conduct the Organic Foundation Course (OFC), a training program on organic agriculture for stakeholders of the Local Government Units.Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez signed a memorandum of agreement with IFOAM-Organics Asia Vice President Edgardo Uychiat to launch the Organic Foundation Course on Friday, May 19.IFOAM-Organics Asia is an organization that develops and promotes organic markets and organic foods, a press release from Victorias said.One of their projects is the Asian Local Government for Organic Agriculture (ALGOA) which led to the formulation of the OFC.Through the MOA signing, Victorias LGU wi...

Skittles was shot at Greenplains Subdivision in Brgy. Singcang, Bacolod City on February 20.*The Bacolod resident accused of allegedly killing Skittles, a Siberian Husky, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment at Branch 1 of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities at the Bacolod Hall of Justice on Thursday, May 18.Dominador Divinagracia Bangero Jr. is facing a criminal case for violation of the Republic Act 8485 or the "Animal Welfare Act" before Judge Jose Paolo Ariola.He has been accused of allegedly shooting Skittles, the dog of his neighbor, at Greenplains Subdivision in Brgy. Singcang, Bacolod City, on February 20.The Community Animal Rescue Efforts (CARE) Inc. is calling for justice for Skittles.*

The Negros Occidental Incident Management Team (IMT) will color code areas with hog deaths and set up quarantine zones to prevent the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 2,421 pigs in the province.The IMT created by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday began operations at its headquarters at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City on Thursday, May 18, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.Diaz is the IMT action officer, and its incident commander is the provincial veterinarian, Dr. Placeda Lemana.Hog cholera has been identified as the cause of the pig deaths in the province, with no positive African swine fever (ASF) case detected yet, he said.Also called swine fever or classical swine fever, hog cholera is an often fatal viral disease of pigs characterized by hi...

The SRA is urging block farming in the sugar industry.*Andrew Altarejos photoThe Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Thursday, May 18, urged farmers to form cooperatives to pursue block farming for the sugar industry.SRA Acting Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said this strategy would help local producers increase their yield by 5 tons to 10 tons per hectare, referring to 30 hectares to 50 hectares of block farming.“To make it more efficient, we need to group the beneficiaries into farms, a minimum of 30 hectares… The efficiency of a tractor is about 90-95 horsepower. That’s why if their group is that big, we can give them a tractor. We can also help them with technology because they will be able to plan the planting and harvesting into one farm,” Azcona said.“We also e...

The Department of Education (DepEd) has reported that 2,179 of the 4,048 public schools in Western Visayas have shifted to alternative delivery modes (ADM) of learning as a precautionary measure against the effects of hot weather.“Modular distance learning is allowed under DepEd Order No. 37, series of 2022 in cases of unfavorable weather and environment, such as but not limited to extremely high temperatures, which could considerably affect classroom learning and put learners’ health and well-being at risk,” Hernani Escullar Jr., the department’s regional information officer, said Thursday, May 18.Escullar added that 441 schools are into modular distance learning, 138 adopted online distance learning, and 1,600 shifted into blended learning or a combination of distance and in-pers...

Bacolod City officials and organizers conduct an inter-agency coordination meeting on Thursday for the Chicken Inasal Festival.*Bacolod City is all set to celebrate its three-day Chicken Inasal Festival on May 26 to 28, Bacolod Councilor Celia Flor said Thursday, May 18.“We will show the entire Philippines that Bacolod’s chicken inasal is really the best in the country,” she said.The festival will be fun as it will also include concerts and other entertainment activities at its event sites at the North Capitol Road, Megaworld Upper East, and Manokan Country, she said.The city government aims for a successful and safe celebration, she said.The police will be deploying 596 personnel to secure the festival, Flor said.*

Rice farmers during a harvest season in Bago City, Negros Occidental.*PNA photoBago City, the top rice-producing local government unit in Negros Occidental and Western Visayas, has begun preparations to counter the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon that could cut farm yield.Known as the rice granary of the province for its vast rice plantations, Bago produces more than 30 percent of the rice supply of Negros Occidental.Marvin Blance, city agriculturist-designate, said on Thursday, May 18, that the Office of the City Agriculturist has laid out an El Niño action plan that includes interventions to cushion the impacts of the dry spell on crops, particularly rice.“We encourage our farmers to plant early-maturing and drought-resistant varieties and to practice direct see...

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said he will look into an alleged sexual harassment incident committed by a Capitol employee during the recent Panaad sa Negros Festival at the Panaad Park in Bacolod City.He was not aware of such incident as no complaint had been lodged before his office, Diaz said Thursday, May 18.The incident allegedly involved a drunk employee who inappropriately touched a female supplier of the provincial government, a source said.There have allegedly been previous misbehaviors by the employee but no complaints were filed by the victims out of fear of losing their jobs.Diaz said the provincial government has no sacred cows, if a complaint is filed the case will be heard.*