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Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) has announced a temporary four-day compressed workweek for offices across all its campuses, along with adjusted class arrangements, starting on Monday, October 19.Under an advisory issued by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, the compressed workweek will run until the end of the First Semester of Academic Year 2026–2027,  a press release from CHMSU said  Tuesday.All offices will be closed every Monday, and Monday classes will be held synchronously through online platforms.Classes and laboratory work from Tuesday to Friday will remain face-to-face on campus, while Saturday classes will proceed as originally scheduled.Offices will o...

Bacolod Rep Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Councilor Homer Bais.*Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez on Monday, October 19, reaffirmed his commitment to transparency regarding the city government’s Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) loan.“We are all for transparency and accountability. I take the issue of the DBP loan seriously, which is precisely why I have consistently pushed for the presentation of the facts, the amounts released, and the updated status of the various projects being implemented,” Benitez said.Benitez issued the statement following an altercation with Bacolod Councilor Homer Bais at a dinner at the Bacolod City Government Center during the Electric MassKara on Friday, which has since gone public.Bais said Benitez sa...

The Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) officially culminated its security operations for the 47th Masskara Festival with an awarding ceremony at the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Covered Court in Barangay Singcang-Airport on Monday, Oct. 19.Led by PRO NIR Regional Director PBGen. Rudecindo L. Reales, alongside Deputy Regional Director for Operations PCol. Lito E. Patay and BCPO City Director PCol. Eugene N. Rebadomia, the event recognized police personnel and partner agencies for maintaining peace and order throughout the annual celebration.Authorities assessed the overall festival as generally peaceful and safe, attributing the outcome to sustained deployment across key venues, regular security monitoring, and active crowd control.On the festival's ...

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Taiwanese Ambassador to the Philippines Wallace Minn-Gan Chow (right) at the Capitol on Monday.*Richard Malihan photoTaiwanese Ambassador to the Philippines Wallace Minn-Gan Chow met with Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Monday, October 19, to strengthen bilateral ties and explore fresh opportunities for cooperation.The envoy and his delegation, joined by members of the Taiwan Technical Mission in the Philippines and the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese business community, paid a courtesy visit to  Lacson at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City.Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines, in a Facebook post, said the  discussion focused on leveraging modern technology to upgrade local agr...

Police and inter-agency forces seized 76 master cases of suspected smuggled cigarettes valued at ₱4,354,800 and arrested two suspects during a joint law enforcement operation in Barangay Balicotoc, Ilog, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, Oct. 18.The Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR)  on Monday identified the arrested suspects  only as alias "Mak," 44, and alias "Mar," 24, both married residents of Purok 1, Barangay Cogon, Dipolog City. The suspects were intercepted while transporting the illicit cigarettes loaded inside a wing van canter truck under their control.An initial inspection showed that the tobacco products lacked required government permits and did not display prescribed Graphic Health Warnings, indicating potential violations of Republ...

Five persons were arrested and about 11.51 grams of suspected shabu worth P78,268 were seized after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Island Region raided an alleged drug den in Brgy. 27, Bacolod City, on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 17.PDEA identified the suspects only as aliases “Cha Cha,” 29, of Brgy. 27; “Jorge,” 47, of Brgy. 22; “Geno,” 36, of Brgy. Taculing; “Jessie,” 34, of Brgy. Alijis; and “Sebastian,” 47, also of Brgy. Taculing.The buy-bust operation was conducted at around 4:53 p.m. by the PDEA-NIR Regional Special Enforcement Team and Negros Occidental Provincial Office, with support from the Philippine Coast Guard’s Northern Negros Intelligence Unit and Bacolod City Police Station 4.PDEA said the operation resulted in the dismantling of an alleged drug den....

The arrested suspect.*PNP photoA 35-year-old man wanted for murder in Iloilo was arrested in Brgy. Banago, Bacolod City, late Saturday night, Oct. 17.The Bacolod City Police Office identified the suspect only as alias “Jekjek,” 35, single, a tricycle driver, and a resident of Brgy. Bagongon, Concepcion, Iloilo.He was arrested at around 11:55 p.m. in Zone 3, Brgy. Banago.Personnel of Police Station 3, together with the BCPO Criminal Investigation Unit and the tracker team of the Concepcion Municipal Police Station in Iloilo, served an alias warrant of arrest against the suspect.Police said the warrant was issued in connection with a murder case docketed as Criminal Case No. 2017-8153.No bail was recommended for his temporary liberty.The suspect is temporaril...