Top Stories

Oct252026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Guv joins Rotary District 3850 in polio eradication drive

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Polio Patak Program held at SM City Bacolod, Saturday.*Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson joined Rotary International District 3850 in its continuing campaign to eradicate polio and reaffirmed the Negros Occidental provincial government’s commitment to protecting children against vaccine-preventable diseases, during the Polio Patak Program held at SM City Bacolod, Saturday morning, Oct. 24.The activity, held in observance of World Polio Day, highlighted the continuing global effort to eradicate polio and protect children from the effects of the preventable disease.The activity brought together Rotary officers, district leaders, and partners in support of the global End Polio Now campaign, which seeks to protect children from pol...

Oct252026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

San Jose claims top spot in Buglasan 2026 LGU booths fair competition

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Buglasan Festival Facebook page photoThe Municipality of San Jose emerged as the grand champion for Best Booth in the Buglasan LGU Booths Fair Competition during the Buglasan Festival 2026 closing and awarding ceremonies on Sunday, October 25.The annual festival, celebrated as the "Festival of Festivals" in Negros Oriental, featured various competitions, cultural performances, and displays representing the province’s local government units.Bayawan City secured second place in the booths competition, while Bais City claimed third place. The remaining top spots were awarded to Sibulan in fourth place, Dumaguete City in fifth, Mabinay in sixth, Canlaon City in seventh, and Tanjay City rounding out the list in eighth place.*

Oct252026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Fisherman arrested in Siquijor buy-bust operation

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

A 43-year-old fisherman was arrested during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Cang-Alwang, Siquijor, on Friday morning, Oct. 23.Police identified the suspect as Luther, alias “Part,” a resident of Barangay Tongo, Siquijor.The operation was conducted at around 10:15 a.m.Authorities recovered about 0.22 gram of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of P1,496.Police also recovered a P1,000 bill used as buy-bust money.The suspect is facing charges for alleged violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.*

Oct252026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Parents organize interschool tennis tournament after sport dropped from NOPSSCEA Season 46

Sports, Top Stories

Tennis parents from different schools have organized a non-profit interschool tournament after lawn tennis was removed from the Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural Educational Association Season 46.In a press release issued Sunday, Oct. 25, organizers said the initiative was formed to give young tennis players another opportunity to compete, improve their skills and continue participating in the sport despite its exclusion from this season’s NOPSSCEA events.Parents from participating schools worked together to organize the tournament through what they described as a spirit of bayanihan and cooperation.The organizers said the effort turned the disappointment over the removal of lawn tennis into an opportunity to strengthen ties among players, parents, coaches and s...

Oct242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

RTWPB-6 approves ₱40–₱45 daily wage hike for WV, NegOcc, subject to approval of labor secretary

Top Stories

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board 6 has approved a P40 to P45 daily minimum wage increase for private-sector workers, which is subject to approval of the labor secretary, RTWPB-6 chairman Sixto Rodriguez Jr. told Digicast Negros Saturday, Oct. 24.The hike covers workers in Western Visayas, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, he said.Under Wage Order 30, agricultural workers will receive a P45 daily increase, raising their minimum wage from P520 to P565.Non-agricultural workers employed by establishments with more than 10 employees will receive a P40 daily increase, from P550 to P590.Those working in non-agricultural establishments with 10 or fewer employees will also get a P40 daily increase, raising their minimum wage from P525 to P565.Rodriguez said...

Oct232026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

25 NegOcc backyard hog raisers’ associations join ‘Pork Holiday’ over mounting losses

Top Stories

Twenty-five backyard hog raisers’ associations in Negros Occidental have joined a three-day “Pork Holiday” called by the Agricultural Sector Alliance of the Philippines (AGAP) to protest mounting industry losses driven by government import policies and soaring production costs.Ric Lauron, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers Association of Negros Occidental (AHRANO), said Friday, Oct. 23, that local hog raisers have been affected by falling farmgate prices and high input costs.During the nationwide protest, which runs from Thursday to Saturday, participating hog raisers will halt pork sales and market deliveries, Lauron explained.He said that the 25 AHRANO member associations joined the strike to urge the national government, particularly the Department of Agriculture...

Oct232026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

2 drug suspects nabbed, ₱482K worth of shabu seized in San Carlos

Top Stories

The police arrested two suspected drug personalities and seized suspected shabu worth ₱482,800 during a buy-bust operation in Campo Siete, Barangay 5, San Carlos City in Negros Occidental, 2:10 p.m. Friday, October 23.The Philippine National Police–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) identified the suspects as alias "Ron," 43, and alias "Cal," 41, of Campo Siete.The San Carlos police acted on a tip from a confidential informant regarding the suspects' alleged illegal drug activities in several puroks in Barangay 5.The suspects were arrested after conspiring to sell a heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu to a police poseur-buyer in exchange for buy-bust money, the PRO NIR said.The police seized approximately 7...

Oct232026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

P8.5M illegal cigarettes seized in Himamaylan

Top Stories

The seized cigarettes in Himamaylan City.*Bureau of Customs photoAuthorities seized an estimated P8.5 million worth of allegedly smuggled cigarettes and arrested one suspect during an anti-smuggling operation in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, Oct. 22.The operation was conducted jointly by the Philippine National Police-Regional Intelligence Division Negros Island Region, Bureau of Customs-Port of Iloilo, and Philippine Army.Authorities confiscated an estimated 8,875 reams and 418 packs of cigarettes bearing the brands D&B, YS and Marvels.The cigarettes were allegedly being distributed without the necessary permits, Bureau of Customs said.The operation stemmed from information gathered and verified by the PNP-RID-NIR regarding alleged ci...

Oct232026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Sugar groups, labor unions sound alarm over alleged online sale of imported Chinese Coke

Business, Top Stories

Major sugar industry stakeholders and labor groups have raised grave concern over the alleged proliferation of imported Coca-Cola products—believed to originate from China being sold through online e-commerce platforms across the country.The concern was raised Friday, Oct. 23, by the Sugar Council composed of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED), the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PANAYFED, together with the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines- Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP- TUCP) and the Democratic Association of Labor Organizations (DALO).This marks the first time that such online sales of imported beverage products ha...

Oct232026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Vendors in Bais warned vs. fake P1,000 bills

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Several small business owners and local vendors in Bais City, Negros Oriental, have reportedly received counterfeit P1,000 bills, prompting the police to warn the public to carefully check cash payments.Bais City police said several incidents involving fake P1,000 bills have been recorded in the city.Authorities particularly advised market vendors, sari-sari store owners and other small businesses to remain vigilant when accepting large-denomination bills.Police said the reported modus involves buying low-priced items and paying with a P1,000 bill while rushing or distracting the seller to prevent them from thoroughly checking the money.Bais police reminded vendors to inspect the security features of P1,000 banknotes before accepting them.Among the features cited by pol...