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San Carlos City was hit by a cholera outbreak.The outbreak was confirmed by the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health central office following the upsurge in diarrhea cases in San Carlos City last month, Joe Recalex Alingasa, the city’s spokesman, said Thursday, March 16.He said of the 22 specimens sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, seven were confirmed to be cholera cases. Automatically all the other cases in the city were considered to be cholera cases, Alingasa said.The health emergency declared in San Carlos has already been lifted, he said.The number of cases in San Carlos have dropped, but last week a 64-year-old patient died from a water-borne disease, he added.They discovered some of the water sources in San Carlos were near drainage...

Two persons, including a former seaman, were arrested and P115,600 in suspected shabu was seized in a buy bust operation in Purok 9, Brgy. Poblacion 1, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 15.Nabbed were Peter Murakami Ysulan III, alias Toto, 49, a former seaman and Top 7 on the Sagay drug watchlist, and Rey Poblacion, 40, the police said.They were arrested when the police implemented a search warrant in relation to Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.Among the items seized were suspected shabu estimated to cost P115,600, a .45 caliber pistol, magazines and ammunition, the police said.*

The site where the skeletal remains were found.*Human skeletal remains were found in a sack at a garbage site in Barangay Damsite, Murcia, Negros Occidental, 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15.The fatality had not been identified, the police said on Thursday.The police said Ernesto Fernando, a resident of Purok Violeta, Brgy. Cansilayan, Murcia, was searching for “kangkong” and was shocked when he saw a skeleton arm and some distance away a sack containing the rest of the skeletal remains of a human.He immediately informed Barangay Kagawad Rene De La Cruz of Barangay Cansilayan, Murcia, of his discovery.The Murcia police requested assistance from the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office in identifying the skeletal remains.*

Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. *House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday, March 16, strongly urged Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District) to reconsider his decision not to return to the country, saying “It does not sit well for a House Member to flee the country rather than avail himself of all the legal remedies available to him”.Romualdez issued the statement following a private meeting with Teves’ legal counsel, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Wednesday evening.Teves earlier sent a letter to Romualdez seeking a two-month leave of absence from the House of Representatives due to a “very grave security threat to his life and his family”.The congressman has been linked to the murder of Gov. Roel Degamo that also left eight others dead in Pamplona, Neg...

Sidrey Mel Aldeguer Flores *Colegio San Agustin - Bacolod graduate Sidrey Mel Aldeguer Flores who topped the March 2023 Medical Technologist Licensure Examination plans to enroll in medical school and go for his dream to become a doctor.He did not expect to make it to Top 1 and is thankful to the Lord for giving it to him, Flores said.Flores said he was aiming for any of the spots in the Top 10 but did not expect to be No. 1.He was elated that he topped the board examination with a rating of 92.10 percent and has barely had any sleep since he learned that he topped the exams, Flores said.His preparation for the board examination was holistic, it was not only mental but physical and spiritual, and he also allotted time for leisure and exercise, Flores said.He stresse...

Photos of Arnil Labradilla released by the JTF Negros.*The slain suspect in the March 4 killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and eight others was a former member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), the Special Joint Task Force Negros said Wednesday, March 15.The slain suspect was identified as Arnil Labradilla of Sitio Awang, Barangay Atotes in Bindoy town, Negros Oriental.Labradilla was identified based on revelations by other suspects apprehended during the pursuit operations by military and police personnel hours after the attack, Maj. Cenon Pancito III, task force spokesperson, told the Philippine News Agency.He was killed after he allegedly resisted arrest and engaged in a shootout with pursuing troops hours after at least ...

Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. has left the United States, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Wednesday.*Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District) has appealed for a two-month leave of absence from the House of Representatives due to a “very grave security threat to his life and his family”.Teves made the appeal in a letter to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez following the expiration of his travel authority on March 9.The congressman has been linked to the murder of Gov. Roel Degamo that also left eight others dead in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4.Teves has denied any involvement in the killings and his lawyer has claimed that firearms recovered from his residences in Negros Oriental on March 10 were planted.Teves, in his letter to Romualdez, assured t...

Burial will be at the governor’s residence in Barangay Bonawon, Siaton.*President Ferdinand Marcos has declared Thursday, March 16, a special non-working day in Negros Oriental for the funeral of slain Gov. Roel Degamo.The Negros Oriental Office of the Governor had requested for the declaration “to allow the community to grieve and honor the memory “of Degamo and the other victims of the Pamplona massacre.Degamo and eight others were killed by heavily armed men at his residence in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4.Proclamation 185 signed for the president by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin stated that “it is but fitting and proper to give the people of the Province of Negros Oriental the opportunity to show their respect and join the interment of Goveror Degamo”....

Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria*The Commission on Elections will discuss the insurgency problem in some barangays in southern Negros Occidental with the Philippine National Police to determine whether there is a need to declare areas of concern, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Wednesday, March 15.The Comelec will set a criteria for determining areas of concern, he said.Numerous encounters between government and rebels forces have occurred in barangays in Himamaylan City that have caused residents to evacuate in recent months.Ananoria said political rivalry is more intense during barangay elections because residents are related to each other, and the voting area is smaller so every vote counts.The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan ele...