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Department of Labor and Employment-Western Visayas Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. (seated, 3rd from left) leads the signing of partnerships with the officials of Ilog Kinderhome Foundation Inc., Christian Advocates for Justice and Development-Negros Inc, and Sugar Industry Foundation Inc. for the prevention and elimination of child labor in Negros Occidental at 888 GT Mall in Bacolod City on Thursday.*PNA/Nanette L. Guadalquiver photoThe Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has partnered with three non-government organizations (NGOs) to strengthen efforts toward child labor prevention and elimination in Negros Occidental in observance of the 2025 World Day Against Child Labor.DOLE-Western Visayas Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. forged partnerships with Ilog Kinderhome Foundation In...

Senator Imee Marcos announced that the Senate on Wednesday night, July 11, ratified the bicameral conference committee report fixing the terms of office of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials to four years.The final bill also postpones the December  2025 barangay and SK elections to the first Monday of November 2026 and every 4 years thereafter, she said.Marcos said the final bill sets a four-year term of office for elected barangay officials and SK members, or a year more than the current  three years.The barangay officials will be allowed  a maximum of three consecutive terms while  SK officials will have one term with no reelection, she said.The reconciled version of the bill, duly approved by both chambers, will be  submitted to Malacaña...

There has been continuous muddy stream flow in the rivers of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, brought on by heavy rain that is washing down ashfall from Kanlaon Volcano’s slopes.The Negros Occidental provincial government has sent its excavator to La Castellana to clear river channels, John de Asis, head of the town’s local disaster risk reduction management office, said.De Asis said they have not monitored any overflowing of the muddy stream flow but remain vigilant.Since May 13, no major activity has been recorded at Kanlaon volcano, so the muddy stream flow is caused by the remaining deposits from the previous eruptions of the volcano that are now being washed down by the rain, he said.Meanwhile, about 257 families or 890 persons in evacuation centers in La Carlota City...

DOLE-6 Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. and Negros Occidental Provincial Head Carmela Abellar at a press conference on the job fair in Bacolod on Wednesday.*More than 10,000 jobs will be available at the Kalayaan Job Fair to mark the country’s 127th Independence Day at the Main Atrium of SM City Bacolod from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Wednesday.There are 8,852 job vacancies being offered by 57 local companies, DOLE-6 Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. said.The companies are offering jobs in the manpower, BPO, retail, restaurant, manufacturing, lending, transportation, insurance, and construction fields.Four licensed agencies are also offering 1,534 jobs in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Malaysi...

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez lead the groundbreaking rites.*Ronnie Baldonado photoTourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez led the groundbreaking of the P13 million “Birder's Paradise” Information Center and Tourist One-Stop-Shop at the Gawahon Ecological Park in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday, June 11.The “Gawahon, A Birder’s Paradise – A Haven for Sustainable and Inclusive Eco-tourism” project of the Victorias City government is one of the Tourism Champions Challenge winners of the Department of Tourism.The P13 million Information Center and Tourist One-Stop-Shop, the first sub-project under the broader “Birder’s Paradise” initiative, will be funded with t...

Several companies employing minimum wage earners in Negros Occidental are set to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) to avail of the P20 per kg. rice for their workers.Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Negros Occidental Provincial Head Carmela Abellar said on Wednesday, June 11, that their office is helping facilitate the processing of the companies’ requirements for inclusion in the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” program.“We announced it, some signified interest, we gathered and consolidated their orders. The Department of Agriculture (DA) is preparing the advice for the National Food Authority,” Abellar said.She noted that most of the companies that signified interest to avail of the P20/kg. rice are manpower agencies and sugar mills...

A pedestrian died and two minors were injured when a canter truck hit them before falling on the side of a road and hitting a house in Hacienda Aimee, Brgy. Tinampaa-an, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, June 10.Elizabeth Plugio, 59, died, while an 8-yeard old boy and 17-year-old teenager were injured, the police said.The canter truck driver was identified as Bernard Baldevia, 23, of Hacienda Maya, Brgy. Cabahug in Cadiz City.Police investigation revealed that the truck was going to a hardware shop but it encountered a mechanical problem and the driver lost control over the vehicle.The truck hit the victims who were by the roadside and fell hitting the house of Plugio.The victims were brought to a hospital but hours later Plugio was declared dead.The truck ...

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. inspecting the Siquijor Island Power Corporation power plant in Siquijor.*PIA Siquijor photoPresident Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, June 11, ordered the deployment of at least two emergency generator sets (gensets) from Palawan to Siquijor to address the prevailing power crisis in the province.Marcos gave the directive, after his inspection of the power plant operated by the Siquijor Island Power Corporation (SIPCOR) in Siquijor town.In an interview, Marcos said the power supply deficiencies are expected, considering the deteriorating condition of the power plant.“The gensets are arriving tonight or tomorrow. So, once that's installed and running, the supply will be sufficient. But this is a temporary solution,” he said.“We ha...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is calling on Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla to take immediate action on a palm oil plantation’s continued operations without an Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) in Candoni, Negros Occidental.Activities at Hacienda Asia Plantations Inc. (HAPI) have raised significant concerns among local communities, civil society organizations, and the provincial government, Lacson said in his letter to Lotilla dated Monday, June 9, and released to the media Thursday.The Negrosanon Initiatives on Climate in the Environment (NICE), a local civil society organization, is calling for a halt to the palm oil plantation’s operations to protect biodiversity and indigenous land.The governor said during the meetings on Nov. 7, ...

The family of a call center agent who died after she was thrown from a motorcycle and hit by a black pick-up truck near the flyover at Araneta Street in Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City, early Tuesday morning, June 10, is calling for justice.Trisia Ann Ovas, 27, sustained head injuries, while her live-in partner, McKevin Absen, 28, who was driving the motorcycle, sustained minor injuries.Police investigation revealed that the Yamaha Aerox motorcycle driven by Absen was traveling at high speed during heavy rain when it slid on the wet road.Ovas, who was on her way to work, was thrown towards the opposite lane and was hit by a pick-up truck driven by an unidentified person.Police EMSgt. Rodney Tiania, Bacolod Traffic Management Unit assistant head, called on the public to...