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May62026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

PRO NIR intensifies security for PRISAA games in Bacolod

The Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) is officially shifting into high gear for the National Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) 2026, rolling out an intensified security blanket to protect the games scheduled in Bacolod City on May 9 to15.A total of 276 personnel from the Bacolod City Police Office have been strategically deployed to ensure sufficient manpower and operational readiness across all key areas, the PRO NIR announced on Wednesday, May 6.These personnel are assigned to critical functions, including billeting security, area security for playing venues, covert security, convoy security, Quick Reaction Teams (QRT), EOD/K9 units, and standby investigators.Additional augmentation from the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office (NOCPPO) ...

May62026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

57-year-old father hacked to death; son shoots suspect in retaliation

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A 57-year-old man was killed, while a suspect was injured after a hacking incident escalated into a retaliatory shooting in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday afternoon, May 5.The victim was identified as Robert Cidon, 57.Police investigation revealed that the victim was attacked with a bladed weapon by his neighbor, identified as Antonio Palomar, 60, outside his residence in Sitio Tinubuhan, Barangay Sto. Niño.Authorities said the victim’s son, Jenemar Cidon, witnessed the incident and retaliated by shooting the suspect using an improvised shotgun, wounding Palomar.After the shooting, the victim’s son fled the scene and is currently being pursued by police.The victim was brought to the Tanjay City Urgent Care Unit but was declared dead on arrival at around 11:45 p...

May62026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

CHMSU ranks 253rd global in WURI, Top 100 in 4 innovation categories

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Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) has secured a place among the world’s most innovative institutions, ranking 253rd globally in the 2026 World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI).This places CHMSU firmly within the Global Top 500 Innovative Universities, a recognition that goes beyond academic metrics to honor institutions creating meaningful, real-world impact through research, ethics, and community engagement, a press release from the university said Wednesday, May 6.The university also broke into the Top 100 in four specific innovation categories, competing alongside major research institutions across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.CHMSU ranked 17th for Crisis Management, 45th for Ethics and Integrity, 51st in Industrial Application, and 98th in Interdisc...

May62026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

60-year-old man killed in Siaton

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A 60-year-old man was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside his residence in Siaton, Negros Oriental, on Tuesday night, May 5.The victim was identified as Bepar Adalim, a resident of Brgy. Napacao.Police said the victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds in different parts of his body and was declared dead by attending physicians.The victim’s wife, Adalim, said her husband was about to step out of their gate when he was suddenly fired upon by the suspects.The assailants immediately fled the scene on a motorcycle.*

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Javi files ‘TUBO Act’ to overhaul sugar industry, protect farmers

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Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez after filing the “TUBO Act of 2026” bill at the House of Representatives on Tuesday.*Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) filed House Bill No. 9088 on Tuesday, May 5, seeking a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s sugar industry to protect farmers from market volatility and over-importation.Dubbed the “TUBO Act of 2026” (Tunay na Ugnayan, Buhay, at Oportunidad sa Asukal), the measure proposes sweeping amendments to the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015 to stabilize production and supply.Benitez said that the legislation aims to establish a more responsive, data-driven, and inclusive framework for the sugar industry, which remains a vital source of livelihood for rural communities.The bill addresse...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Don’t be complacent, you can’t outrun an eruption at Kanlaon, residents told

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The restive Kanlaon Volcano*One cannot outrun a volcanic eruption and get to safety in time, a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) official warned on Tuesday.Residents living near Kanlaon Volcano should not be complacent and must avoid entering the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ), Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division of PHIVOLCS, said on Tuesday, May 5.“When we say avoid the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ), we mean it day to day, because any time there could be an eruption,” she said.She also said residents living within the Pyroclastic Density Current (PDC) hazard zones outside the PDZ should also be prepared to evacuate at any time.“We must be prepared at all times for a possible...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Juvenile King Cobra emerges from resort toilet bowl in DSB

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The King Cobra in the toilet bowl at a resort in Don Salvador Benedicto.* screengrab from video of Dranreb TeodosoFive friends on vacation at a resort in Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental, got the surprise of their lives when a juvenile King Cobra’s head popped out of the toilet bowl in their bathroom. Dranreb Teodoso, an executive assistant at a venture capital firm, posted a video of the King Cobra in the toilet bowl taken on April 28. He said at first he thought it was a water snake, but when he posted the video in a group chat of reptile enthusiasts, it was confirmed that it was a King Cobra. Teodoso said their priest friend had just used the toilet when he saw a dark object inside the bowl. The priest thought he had...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

TUCP pushes bill to democratize SRA Board with labor, farmer seats

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TUCP President Raymond Democrito Mendoza and Vice President Roland C. de la Cruz (right)*The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has intensified its call for the immediate overhaul of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), citing an "avalanche" of imported sugar and unregulated substitutes as proof of the agency's failure to protect local producers.House Deputy Speaker and TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza is pushing for the urgent passage of House Bill No. 8376, which seeks to democratize the SRA Board by institutionalizing seats for workers, farmers, and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).The move comes as the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) spearheads a massive signature campaign demanding the...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Two groups hit back at Sugar Council, reaffirm support for DA chief, Sugar Board

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“We call on all stakeholders to move forward with responsibility and unity", UNIFED Chairman Manuel Lamata said.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoTwo major sugar federations on Tuesday, May 5, accused the Sugar Council of "counterproductive agitation" and sabotaging industry unity by seeking to oust Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel and the current Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) leadership.The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) and the Luzon Federation of Sugarcane Growers Association (LuzonFed) issued a joint statement reaffirming their full support for Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and the Sugar Board members, arguing that the recent drop in sugar prices is a result of systemic "structural gaps" rather than a ...

May52026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

P680K in suspected shabu seized, two arrested in Bacolod buy-bust

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Two individuals, including a high-value target, were arrested in a buy-bust operation that yielded about P680,000 worth of suspected shabu in Bacolod City early Tuesday, May 5.The Bacolod City Police Office identified the suspects as alias “Em-em,” 31, tagged as a high-value individual, and alias “Polite,” 41, a street-level individual. Both are residents of Brgy. Sum-ag.Police said the operation was conducted at around 2:24 a.m. in Purok Fatima 2, Brgy. Sum-ag by the City Drug Enforcement Unit.Authorities said about 100 grams of suspected shabu were confiscated during the operation, with an estimated standard drug price of P680,000.The suspects are currently under police custody for documentation and proper disposition.Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the...