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Sen. Jinggoy Estrada*PNA file photo by Avito Dalan Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Friday, May 29, Senator Jinggoy Estrada may either surrender or face arrest over plunder and graft charges filed against him by the Office of the Ombudsman.Interviewed at Camp Karingal, Remulla said Estrada raised concerns about his medical condition, particularly his need for knee replacement surgery."We talked yesterday, I called him. I said either surrender or arrest. He said he should think about it. His concern is his knee that needs a knee replacement," Remulla said when asked about Estrada’s possible arrest."So, I said it’s beyond our jurisdiction. So, it's up to Sandiganbayan. So, we have nothing else to say, we’ll just wait for what the Sandigan says ...

The National Democratic Front-Negros (NDF-Negros) on Thursday, May 28, rejected localized peace talks proposed in Negros Occidental.The NDF-Negros, in its statement, said any genuine attempt at peace negotiations must be conducted on a national scale, asserting that a nationwide conflict demands a nationwide resolution.“Their message remains uncompromising: until the state is ready to talk about land, livelihood, justice, and sovereignty, the revolutionary forces will maintain their stance, and the fire of resistance will continue to burn across the archipelago, undivided,” it said.Bayani Obrero, NDF-Negros spokesperson, characterized the call for localized peace talks a calculated maneuver by the “reactionary state” to pacify and divide the revolutionary movement under t...

Irene Bel Ploteña, Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer, points to the PAGASA report.*CPG photoEl Niño  is expected to hit other parts of the country  but it appears that Negros Occidental will be spared.The  Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecast is that the western side of Luzon and Visayas will be spared from the dry spell, Irene Bel Ploteña, Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer, said on Thursday, May 28.Negros Occidental is located on the western side of the country, she  pointed out.According to PAGASA, the majority of climate models suggest a 92 percent probability of El Niño in the June-July-August season and could continue until the early part of 202...

Denouncing the "culture of division and disinformation," San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza on Thursday, May 28, said attempts to twist and weaponize  his statement on the situation in the  Senate are unfortunate, clarifying it was a broad moral appeal rather than a defense of any political faction. “They only further contribute to the culture of division, disinformation, and political manipulation that continues to wound our people,” he said. He said his statement on May 26   was never intended to defend any political bloc, faction, family, or party. “It was a moral appeal addressed to all public officials, regardless of affiliation, who place political survival, personal interests, partisan maneuvering, and power struggles above th...

A 37-year-old farmer was shot dead by four unidentified armed men outside his house in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday night, May 27.Police identified the victim as Jobert Tejada, a resident of Sitio Bebang, Brgy. Poblacion, Toboso.The shooting happened at around 8:27 p.m. in Sitio Bebang, Brgy. General Luna.Initial investigation by the Toboso Municipal Police Station showed Tejada had just arrived from the  Toboso Public Market when the suspects  waylaid him.Police said the suspects shot Tejada several times, hitting him in the head and causing his immediate death.The shooting was witnessed by the victim’s minor daughter, police added.After the shooting, the suspects entered the victim’s house and took the cellphones of his wife and daughter.T...

At least 2,510 drivers of transportation network vehicle service (TNVS) and delivery service companies in Bacolod City and neighboring local government units began receiving PHP5,000 cash relief assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development - Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) on Thursday, May 28.The two-day payout at SM City Bacolod covered 1,510 recipients on Thursday from the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay, Silay, Victorias, and La Carlota, as well as the municipalities of Don Salvador Benedicto, Murcia, EB Magalona, Valladolid, San Enrique, and Pontevedra. The remaining 1,000 recipients, all from Bacolod, are scheduled for Friday.DSWD-NIR said the financial assistance aims to provide immediate relief to eligible TNVS and delivery drivers to help augment their ...

 Moving a step closer to providing safe and dignified shelter for its residents, the City Government of Victorias, alongside the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), held a concrete pouring ceremony for the Victorias Residences Rental Housing Project in Barangay XIX on May 27.The  event marks the acceleration of local shelter efforts under the national government’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH), which specifically aims to deliver secure, decent, and affordable rental housing units for low- and moderate-income informal settler families.The ceremony was spearheaded by Victorias City Mayor Abelardo "JunB" Bantug III and DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling.The project is a vital joint undertaking between the DHSUD, the Cit...

PNP screengrab of the CCTV footage of the gunmen.*A 40-year-old man was shot dead by motorcycle-riding suspects in Purok Mahimulaton, Brgy. Banago. Bacolod City, Wednesday night, May 27.The olice identified the victim as Victor Hermano, a resident of GK Village, Brgy. Banago.Investigation revealed that the victim was on his way to GK Village  when the suspects, who were riding a motorcycle, followed him.The suspects then shot the victim twice before fleeing.Pugoy said the victim sustained two gunshot wounds in the back, causing his death.Police said CCTV footage has been recovered and is now being used to help identify the suspects.Initial investigation showed the victim had a record for theft in the area and was also allegedly using illegal drugs.Polic...

With the rehabilitation of the Bacolod Public Plaza nearing completion, Mayor Greg Gasataya led the turnover of newly refurbished G-Carts (Government Carts) to 31 plaza vendors on Thursday, May 28.The initiative aims to uplift the livelihood of vendors while contributing to a more colorful and greener urban landscape for the city’s iconic public space, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.“Let’s uplift the dignity of our plaza vendors, as well as other nearby vendors,” Gasataya said, emphasizing the city’s efforts to create a better environment for everyone instead of relocating the vendors.“We do not intend to disrupt the livelihood of our vendors at the plaza. What we want is to provide them with proper venues where everyone can benefit while impro...