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The Kanlaon Volcano summit crater at 8:58 a.m. today, June 16.*Phivolcs video screengrab Kanlaon Volcano  emitted ash 19 times  and had 18  volcanic earthquakes from  Monday to today, June 15 to 16, the  Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.There have been six ash emissions  today, the longest of which lasted  from 8:58 a.m. – 12:31 p.m. or  3 hours and 33 minutes.Phivolcs  said the  event generated grayish plumes that rose 500 meters above the crater before drifting southwest, as captured by the IP camera at the  Kanlaon Volcano Observatory–Canlaon City.An ash emission that started at 3:35 p.m. was still ongoing this afternoon.Other ash emissions today occurred at  2:41 a...

Rep. Janice Degamo (Neg. Or., 3rd District)*Rep. Janice Degamo (Neg. Or., 3rd District) has filed a resolution seeking a congressional investigation into the recurring power outages and repeated Yellow and Red Alert declarations affecting the Visayas grid.Through House Resolution No. 1114, Degamo asked the House Committee on Energy to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the continued implementation of manual load dropping, recurring grid alerts, and the forced outages and reduced capacities of several power plants.“The continued power outages in the Visayas are no longer just an inconvenience. They affect our homes, our schools, our hospitals, our businesses, our government services, and the daily lives of ordinary Filipino families,” Degamo said in a statement.S...

A Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council -listed high-value individual was arrested after police seized P1.4 million worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation in Bacolod City on Monday afternoon, June 15.Police identified the suspect as Mary Rose Guillero, alias “Sapsap,” 52, married, jobless, and a resident of Purok Star Apple 2, Brgy. 27.The operation was conducted at around 5:55 p.m. in Purok Star Apple 2 by operatives of the Bacolod City Police Office City Drug Enforcement Unit, with support from the City Intelligence Unit and Police Station 4.Police said Guillero was arrested after she allegedly handed a sachet of suspected shabu to a poseur-buyer in exchange for P1,500 buy-bust money.Recovered from her were about 210 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standar...

Anti-illegal drug operatives seized approximately 20 grams of suspected shabu valued at ₱136,000 during a buy-bust operation at Lirazan Street, Barangay 3, Kabankalan City,  Monday, June 15.The operation, spearheaded by the Kabankalan City Police Station  and the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office under the Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR), also resulted in the arrest of a Street Level Individual (SLI).Police identified the suspect as alias, “Joe,” a 37-year-old unemployed resident of Purok Fatima, Barangay Tagukon, Kabankalan City.The police said the  operation stemmed from a tip provided by a confidential informant regarding Joe’s alleged involvement in local illegal drug activities.Following careful validation through casing an...

Negros Power Assistant Vice President for Planning and Business Operations Leomel Tambanillo and Energy Sourcing Manager Christian John Villena during a press conference in Bacolod City  on Monday,*Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power) consumers will face a power rate increase of P2.4609 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) this June, with an even steeper hike expected in July due to nationwide generation shortages further exacerbated by a recent magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Mindanao.The adjustment will bring the June electricity rates for Central Negros consumers  to P13.8417/kWh, up from P11.3808/kWh in May.The new rate takes effect on Tuesday, June 16.The figures were disclosed by Negros Power Assistant Vice President for Planning and Business Operations Leomel Tambanill...

SRA uses drones to spray insecticide on RSSI hit areas.*SRA photoA highly destructive insect infestation has hit  2,249 hectares of sugarcane fields across Negros and Panay, affecting  1,108  farmers.Data released by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Monday, June 15, showed Negros Occidental has taken the hardest hit by the increased Red-Striped Soft Scale Infestation (RSSI).The SRA's consolidated monitoring figures as of June 5 show that the sap-sucking insect has severely affected 1,108 farmers across 195 barangays. Negros Occidental bears the brunt of the devastation with over 2,000 hectares of infested crops.Bago City is currently the hardest-hit locality, logging 406.02 hectares of damaged crops affecting 321 farmers.It is closely...

More than P106 million worth of government infrastructure projects were inaugurated by the  Sagay  City government, strengthening disaster response capabilities and bringing key national government services closer to Sagaynons, as part of the city's 30th Charter Anniversary celebration.The inauguration of the new Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operation Center and the National Government Offices Building immediately followed the Charter Day program at the Sagay City Gymnasium on  Thursday, June 11, a press release from Sagy City said.Mayor Leo Rafael  Cueva said the two facilities represent investments that will improve public service delivery, emergency preparedness, and government accessibility for years to come."As we celebrate 30 years of ...

The New People’s Army’s Leonardo Panaligan Command-Central Negros Guerrilla Front has claimed responsibility for a series of armed actions and killings in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental over the weekend.In a statement dated June 14, the rebel group said it launched what it described as coordinated tactical offensives against government forces and alleged military informants in line with the commemoration of the CPP-NPA’s anniversary.Among the incidents claimed by the group was the harassment of a military detachment in Brgy. Sikatuna, Isabela, Negros Occidental on June 12.The NPA also claimed responsibility for the killing of a man identified as Marlo Galan, alias “Panoy,” in Sitio Mag-anay, Brgy. Bi-ao, Binalbagan on June 8.Galan, a barangay official and pastor, was...