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Jun262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOr bans pork entry to block ASF, Bacolod reports pig deaths

The Negros Occidental provincial government has declared a total ban on the entry of live pigs and pork products from areas affected by African Swine Fever (ASF).The directive was made through Executive Order No. 46, Series of 2026, signed by Governor Manuel L. Sagarbarria on June 24, and released Friday, June 26.The strict measures were triggered by recent reports of resurging ASF cases in the neighboring province of Negros Occidental.Sagarbarria deemed the order necessary to block the virus from entering Negros Oriental and to prevent devastating economic losses for backyard raisers, commercial farms, and local consumers.Executive Order No. 46 bans the entry in to Negros Oriental of live pigs, pork products, pork by-pr...

Jun262026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

DepEd-NIR to map out comprehensive framework for safety in schools

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Department of Education-Negros Island Region Assistant Regional Director Anthony Liobet visits the learner injured in a stabbing incident at the hospital in San Carlos City.*DepEd-NIR photoThe Department of Education-Negros Island Region (NIR) is set to map out a comprehensive framework to ensure the safety of schools in the region while continuing to implement existing measures to protect the learners.DepEd-NIR spokesperson Almyr Caesar Dequiña said on Friday, June 26, that before the opening of classes on June 8, a memorandum was issued by Regional Director Ramir Uytico to ensure the safe return of learners for the school year 2026-2027.“This is our directive to our 22 schools division offices (SDOs) to protect learners from any form of abuse and violence,” Dequiña said.O...

Jun262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

7 Bacolod businesses temporarily closed over lack of permits

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Seven establishments in Bacolod City were temporarily closed down by local authorities following a three-day joint inspection.The enforcement action was carried out by the City Legal Office and the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) from June 22 to June 24, the Bacolod City Communications Office reported.The affected businesses were found to be operating without complete business permits and other required documents.The inspections are part of the current administration's campaign under Mayor Greg Gasataya to ensure fair, legal, and responsible business operations, the BCCO said.Local officials emphasized that while the city government supports economic growth and business development, all establishments must follow the proper legal processes, it added.*

Jun262026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

94th Infantry Battalion gets new commander

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Lt. Col. Ziegfred Tayaban, Maj. Gen. Michael Samson and Lt. Col. Rio Ranillo Mallanao (l-r) at the turnover rites*Lt. Col. Rio Ranillo Mallanao assumed command of the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion during a change of command ceremony in Brgy. Libas, Isabela, Negros Occidental, on Friday, June 26.Mallanao replaced Lt. Col. Ziegfred Tayaban, who will be reassigned to the headquarters of the 3rd Infantry Division.Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, presided over the ceremony at the battalion headquarters.Mallanao is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Mandarangal” Class of 2003.Before his assumption, he served as executive officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade.Samson commended Tayaban and the officers and personnel of the 94t...

Jun262026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Murder case with no bail filed against 3 suspects in La Castellana killing

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istockphoto A murder case with no bail recommended was filed against three men accused of killing a 48-year-old laborer whose body was found in a creek in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, the police said Friday, June 26.The suspects were identified as aliases “Rey,” 30, “Rom,” 20, and “Jon,” 18. Police said the complaint was filed following the completion of the investigation and the preparation of documentary evidence against the three suspects.The victim, alias “Sonny,” was found dead in a creek in Sitio Balingasag, Brgy. Masulog, on Wednesday afternoon, June 24.A resident who was on his way to hunt frogs discovered the body.La Castellana police identified and arrested the three suspects during follow-up operations at around 8 p.m. on the same day...

Jun262026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

LTO serves show cause order, confiscates license of SK secretary in fatal crash that killed a senior citizen

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The Land Transportation Office-Negros Island Region served a show cause order and confiscated the driver’s license of a Sangguniang Kabataan secretary whose motorcycle hit a senior citizen couple on a pedestrian lane in Bacolod City, killing the woman and injuring her husband.LTO-NIR personnel went to the motorcycle rider’s residence in Brgy. 9 on Thursday, June 25, hours after the fatal road incident in front of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital at Lacson Street at around 3:41 a.m. Thursday, June 25.The order directs the rider, alias “Zyrll,” 24, to explain his violations of traffic laws and regulations arising from the crash.The show cause order also carries the preventive suspension of his driver’s license pending the outcome of the ...

Jun262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv warns ASF, RSSI threats strain livelihoods, reg’l security

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Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalantre at the RPOC meeting in Cadiz City on Friday.*Richard Malihan photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday, June 26, called for stronger coordination to fight agricultural threats and youth violence, warning that economic disruptions and social issues can directly impact the peace and order of the region.Speaking at the Second Quarter Regional Peace and Order Council Meeting of the Negros Island Region hosted by Mayor Salvador Escalante in Cadiz City, Lacson emphasized that public safety is deeply connected to the daily economic struggles of local communities.Lacson cited the ongoing threat of the African Swine Fever (ASF) and Red-striped soft scale (RSSI) and war...

Jun262026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

100 Moises Padilla families to receive shelter assistance from Philippine Red Cross

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A total of 100 families who will be relocated to the municipality’s designated resettlement site are set to receive shelter assistance from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to help them rebuild their homes destroyed by Typhoon Tino last year.The housing assistance program was among the key initiatives discussed during the visit of Philippine Red Cross representatives to Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo on Thursday, June 25, a press release from the town said.Joining the meeting were Vice Mayor Felix Mathias “Pimpoy” Yulo III and PRC Negros Occidental Chapter Administrator Benet Mirasol.The project will be implemented at the municipality’s official relocation site located in Barangay Inolingan, where beneficiary families will be resettled.The mayor welcomed the par...

Jun262026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Free annual preventive health screening program for seniors, PWDs pushed

Business, Top Stories

A proposed ordinance institutionalizing a free annual preventive health screening and early disease detection program for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) has taken its first legislative step after receiving approval on First Reading before the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City, Councilor Caesar Distrito said Friday, June 26.The measure was principally authored by Distrito, with Councilors Celia Flor, Dindo Ramos, and Al Victor Espino as co-authors.The proposed “Bacolod Preventive Health Screening and Early Disease Detection Program for Senior Citizens and PWDs Ordinance of 2026” seeks to establish a comprehensive preventive healthcare program under the City Health Office (CHO), providing qualified beneficiaries with free annual health screening services ai...

Jun262026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NACUSIP demands audit of SRA’s ₱206.4-M RSSI fund, seeks congressional probe, Malacañang intervention on sugar industry crisis

Business, Top Stories

The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP)—the country’s largest national federation of sugarcane plantation workers and mill laborers—is demanding a full independent audit of the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) ₱206.4-million campaign to contain the Red-Striped Soft-Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation, citing a “catastrophic institutional failure to manage the worsening pest outbreak”."The SRA’s response to containing the RSSI is not just a failure, it has become completely useless," Roland de la Cruz, national president of NACUSIP-TUCP (Trade Union Congress of the Philippines), said in a press release Friday, June 26.NACUSIP is calling for an urgent congressional inquiry into SRA’s “mismanagement of the worsening sugar industry crisis”,...