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The crime index in Negros Occidental fell by 20 percent from January to July this year compared to the same period in 2024, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) reported on Thursday, August 14.The police logged 1,987 crimes across the province from January 1 to July 31, down from 2,486 in the same period last year, a decline of 20.07 percent.Crimes related to peace and order totaled 1,542, lower by 19.77 percent compared to last year’s 1,922, while public safety-related incidents dropped by 21.10 percent, from 564 to 445.During a media briefing on Wednesday, NOCPPO Director Col. Rainerio De Chavez attributed the drop to the province’s sustained anti-criminality measures, including intensified checkpoints, targeted law enforcement operations, and the arrest of...

E-wallet GCash and digital payment firm Maya assured that they would comply with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) order to unlink from online gambling sites.In a statement Thursday, GCash said it will fully comply with BSP's proactive directive to remove links and icons that connect payment apps to online gambling platforms."We share the BSP’s commitment to ensuring that digital financial services are used responsibly and in ways that protect the welfare of Filipinos," GCash statement said."Once we receive the official directive, we will immediately enforce the necessary changes to ensure compliance and safeguard our users," it added.During the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement hearing on Thursday, BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto Tangonan said the central bank issue...

Victorias policemen check their patrol vehicles and bulletproof vests to ensure operational readiness and compliance with the 5-minute response time strategy.*The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) is encouraging Negrenses to call for emergency assistance through the revitalized 911 hotline in line with the Philippine National Police (PNP) 5-minute response time strategy.Lt. Col. Joem Malong, NOCPPO deputy provincial director for administration, said on Thursday, August 14, that instead of dialing the 11-digit hotline numbers of the component city and municipal police stations, those who need emergency response can dial 911 instead.“We are advocating the 911 hotline as one of the fastest ways to reach our police stations,” she said.Malong said the 5-minute ...

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signing Republic Act No. 12232*President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, August 13, signed Republic Act No. 12232, postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from December 2025 to November 2026 and fixing the term of office of village and youth officials at four years.Under the new law, no barangay official may serve more than three consecutive terms in the same position, while SK officials may serve only one term.The next BSKE will be held on the first Monday of November 2026 and every four years thereafter, with winners assuming office on Dec. 1 following the elections.Incumbent officials will remain in a hold-over capacity unless removed or suspended, but those serving their third consecutive term will be bar...

NIR RDC chairman Negros Oriental Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria and his co-chair Christina Marie “Ina” Gaston with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (l-r) in Dumaguete City on Wednesday.*NegOr FB page photoNegros Oriental Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria was elected as the first chairperson of the newly created Negros Island Region (NIR) Regional Development Council (RDC) at the Negros Oriental Convention Center in Dumaguete City on Wednesday afternoon, August 13.Christina Marie “Ina” Gaston of the Association of Negros Producers was elected as the RDC's co-chairperson. Their names will be submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for final appointment.Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12000, which established the NIR, on June 13, 2024. The new region is c...

The body found in Purok Abkasa, Brgy. Mandalagan in Bacolod City.*A man with his head wrapped in duct tape was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds beside a pile of garbage in Purok Abkasa, Brgy. Mandalagan, Bacolod City, on Wednesday morning, Aug. 13.Bacolod City Police Office Director Col. Joeresty Coronica said the victim, whose identity is still being confirmed, was found lying in a pool of blood.He had multiple gunshot wounds to the head, and his eyes were covered with duct tape.Coronica said the presence of blood at the scene suggests the victim was shot in the area.Gary Dalumpines, a subdivision guard near the site, said a concerned citizen approached him to report the presence of a body.When he went to check, he saw the victim lying in a vacant lot and im...

Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya*Mayor Greg Gasataya said he is leaving it to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of the President to review flood control projects implemented by Legacy Construction Corp. in Bacolod City.Flood control projects implemented in the city are based on a 2017 Comprehensive Drainage Master Plan made by the DPWH, he said.The DPWH is the agency with the information on the progress of such projects, Gasataya said."Let us just allow the DPWH to do whatever it is doing right now," he said.Legacy Construction Corporation, headed by its president, Negrense Alex H. Abelido, topped the list of 15 contractors named by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to have cornered 20 percent of the country’s flood control projects since 2022....

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri receives the Don Carlos L. Locsin Award from awards chair and Victorias Milling Co. president Linley Retirado, and Pete Rivera of Philsutech.*Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri is advocating a shift toward large-scale farming as the key to the country’s food security.“This is the only way that we can save the agriculture sector and become truly food-secure,” Zubiri said in his speech at the 71st Philippine Sugar Technologists Association (Philsutech) Convention held in Cebu on Wednesday, August 13.Zubiri was awarded the Don Carlos L. Locsin Award for championing the agriculture sector, especially the sugar industry, during the convention.The senator said he has filed two priority measures in the Senate - the National Land Use Act and the Corporate Farmin...

La Carlota City Councilor Julius Martin Asistio (4th from left, back row) and the other PCL officers take their oaths.*DILG photoLa Carlota City Councilor Julius Martin Asistio was re-elected president of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) - Negros Occidental chapter in an election held in Bacolod City on Wednesday, August 13.Except for the position of vice-president, all candidates ran unopposed, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.The newly elected officers will serve from 2025 to 2028.The other PCL Negros Occidental officers are:• Vice President: Philip Gerard B. Maisog (San Carlos City)• Secretary General: Virgie A. Pastor (Escalante City)• Treasurer: Victor Michael A. Javellana (Bago City)• Auditor: Bobby P. Barrido Sr. (Manapla)• Public...

The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park is seeking clearance from Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla to dredge rivers and creeks within the volcano's protected area that have been affected by hardened lahar.Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Negros Island Region, said the waterways in La Castellana and La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, need to be cleared of hardened lahar to prevent flooding that could endanger low-lying communities."The situation is dangerous," he said, adding that this was discussed during Monday’s meeting with PAMB and DENR officials and a resolution requesting  permission to dredge  ...