Top Stories

PDEA photoTwenty-one persons were arrested and more than P300,000 worth of drugs were recovered in separate buy-bust operations in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, in two days.At least 17 suspects, including those who were at the drug den, were nabbed in a buy-bust operation at Purok 1, Barangay 6 on Saturday, May 8.Arrested were:Suspected drug maintainer Ricardo “Kadoy” Garcia, 35, of Barangay 6, KabankalanRamil Dela Cruz, 33, of Barangay Aguisan, Himamaylan CityRoger Abordo, 31, male, of Barangay Camugao, Kabankalan CityRichard Garcia, 36, of Brgy. 6, KabankalanJoebel Barientos, 35, of Brgy. Aguisan, HimamaylanJan Michael Sambrano, 28, of Brgy. Orong, KabankalanMarlon Villaflor of Brgy. 6, KabankalanRamil Martinez, 23, of Brgy. Salong, KabankalanBobby Infante, 30, of B...

Engels Escultor photoA detainee of the Escalante City Police Station died Friday, May 7, at the Vicente Gustilo District Hospital in the locality.The fatality was identified as 20-year-old Rajie Yap of Yolanda Homes, Barangay Washington, Escalante. He was arrested in February this year for a frustrated homicide charge.The detainee, who was suffering from stomach pain, was brought to the hospital in the evening of May 6, and was brought back to the police station after, the police report said.At about 5:30 a.m. of May 7, he was brought to the hospital again for persisting stomach pain. The attending physician advised to confine him at the facility.Hours later, at about 12:45 p.m., the police were informed that the detainee succumbed to acute respiratory failure.Col. ...

A motorcycle driver was killed in an accident at the intersection of the Circumferential and Alijis roads in Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City early Sunday, May 9.Killed was Joy Labares, 28, of Barangay Banogbanog, Isabela, while his back rider, Paul Villacapa, 24, of Barangay Camindangan, Sipalay City, sustained injuries.The motorcycle carrying the two men, who were said to under the influence of intoxicating liquor, hit the gas tank of a truck loaded with sugarcane, which was driven by Marcel Dalimo-os, 33, of Barangay Pahanocoy, Bacolod City.Police are still investigating the case.*

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia paid tribute to mothers Sunday, May 9, as the world marked Mother’s Day.“The past year, massive as it was for everyone, has shown that the Filipino women are among the best mothers in the world ─ passionate, resilient, skilled, and tough in the face of all the challenges humanity never saw coming,” Lacson said.No one could have anticipated the toll and suffering the COVID-19 pandemic would bring, yet, such circumstance revealed what mothers were capable of, he said.Mothers were manning the frontlines, juggling work and family, and some suddenly found themselves as home school teachers, he said, pointing out that “clearly, mothers are among the champions of our pandemic journey”.Lacson stressed the...

Firefighters battle through thick smoke to put out the blaze at Barangay 12 in Bacolod City.*Arthur Yap photoFirefighters battled through thick smoke and zero visibility to put out a blaze that destroyed seven houses and damaged three others at Purok Malipayon, Barangay 12, Bacolod City, Friday morning, May 7, Bacolod fire chief Rodel Legaspi said.One firefighter, F01 John Vincent Batabat, sustained a laceration on his left palm while putting out the blaze.The destruction from the fire, which began at about 9:34 a.m. and was placed under control at 10:46 a.m., was initially estimated at P450,000, Legaspi said.Most of the houses hit by the blaze were two storey structures at San Juan Street made of concrete and wood, some of which also had eateries, small stores and a bakery...

Bacolod DRRM photoThere will be no provincewide lockdown or request for a total travel moratorium with the surge of COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz stressed Friday, May 7.There will only be granular lockdowns in specific areas hit by COVID-19 and denial of travelers’ entry into Negros Occidental if they are headed for towns and cities where quarantine facilities are full, said Diaz, who is also Negros Occidental Inter-Agency Task Force action officer.There were 125 new COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental on Friday, the Department of Health reported.The province has 2,312 COVID-19 active cases, the Provincial Incident Management Team also reported on Friday.Mayors of Negros Occidental have been informed that that if their COVI...

Bacolod City government’s mass vaccination drive against COVID-19 for registered health care workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will resume Saturday, May 8, City Administrator Em Ang said Friday.The fifth day of the mass vaccination drive at SM City on Friday was cancelled because of crowd control problems.Ang said they needed to reassess their protocols and procedures so they could implement a more orderly and safer flow of vaccination.The mass vaccination will resume at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday, and at SM City on Monday, she said.Among those scheduled for vaccination Saturday are groups of registered senior citizens and persons with comorbidities from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and vol...

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (3rd and 4th from left) lead the welcoming committee for the 1.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Friday.*PNA photoNegros Occidental and Bacolod City are set to receive 6,000 more Sinovac vaccines good for 3,000 persons, Dr. Jane Juanico, Department of Health 6 infectious disease section head, said Friday, May 7.The province and city will receive 3,000 doses each, she said.These are part of the 38,400 doses allotted for Western Visayas from the 1.5 million doses of government-procured Sinovac vaccines that arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International via a Cebu Pacific flight on Friday.Iloilo province will receive 15,000 doses, Aklan, Anti...