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A National Crop Protection Center file photo of the Red-striped soft scale insects*Red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) that can reduce sugar content by almost 50 percent have hit farms in six areas in northern Negros Occidental, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) warned on Wednesday, May 21.The SRA has created a task force headed by SRA Board Member David Andrew Sanson to control the infestation and seek quarantine measures from the Department of Agriculture, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said in a press statement.Sugar farmers have to be “more vigilant” where they purchase their cane points as the infestation is suspected to have been brought to Negros from Luzon where an RSSI infestation has happened before and is still present in some farms, he said.Sa...

Live-in partners ended a heated argument by stabbing and killing each other in Purok Eucalyptos, Brgy. Tabugon, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, May 20.Fernan Pacunla, 30, and his live-in partner Marilie Satinyamian, 26, of Purok Eucalyptos stabbed each other multiple times, the police said.A 6-year-old boy witnessed the fight between his mother and her live-in partner.P/Lt. Col. Roberto Indiape Jr., Kabankalan police chief, said a misunderstanding caused the argument between the live-in partners, who had been together for three years.He said the man refused to let the woman go back to Bacolod to work as a maid. This resulted in a heated argument and the man stabbed his live-in partner and she retaliated.They were brought to the Kabankalan District Hospit...

Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer and Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko (right) will be acting governors.* Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has designated Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer acting governor of Negros Occidental starting Wednesday, May 21, until Saturday, May 24.Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko will also be the acting vice governor until Saturday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.Ko will then be acting governor and Board Member Rommel Debulgado will be acting vice governor from May 25 to 31.Lacson who went on leave starting Wednesday is leaving for Darwin, Australia, on Sunday.The governor will be attending the graduation of Negrense scholars in commercial cookery from the International College of Advanced Education (ICAE) and from early childhood care studies at the...

A man who was supposed to fetch his wife died when an electric post fell on him at Abelarde Street in Brgy. Zone 4, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday afternoon, May 20.Alias “Cyrel”, 34, of Brgy. Cabahug, Cadiz City, died after a post of the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) fell on him while he was driving his motorcycle to fetch his wife.NONECO General Manager Wilbe Bilbao said that based on their initial technical investigation, a mixer truck got caught in cable wires, which caused the collapse of a primary pole and another post.Apart from the motorcycle driven by Cyrel, a tricycle was also hit by the fallen post.Due to the collapse of the posts, the main electric line of NONECO damaged their main line source which resulted in a more than six-hour browno...

The Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival kicked off at the temporary Manokan Country at SM City Bacolod on Wednesday.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe five-day Bacolod Chicken Inasal Festival (BCIF) 2025 kicked off at the temporary Manokan Country at SM City Bacolod on Wednesday, May 21.The event featured the ceremonial grilling of chicken inasal by the original 24 Manokan Country vendors, honoring the roots of the world-famous Chicken Inasal, May Castro, public relations manager of SM City Bacolod, said.Joining the event were Bacolod vice mayor-elect Kalaw Puentevella, councilors Celia Flor and Jude Thaddeus Sayson, SM Bacolod Regional Operations Manager Jorge Jardiolin, Mall Manager Juliana Javellana, Bacolod Chief Tourism Operations Officer Ma. Teresa Manalili, and the Manokan Country v...

The public is advised to stay away from sick animals following suspected cases of glanders disease in Siquijor, Dr Girlie Pinongan, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said on Wednesday, May 21.Pinongan said some people in Siquijor were hospitalized after eating carabao meat , and manifested symptoms of glanders disease.They reportedly butchered a sick carabao that died and ate its meat, she said.The results of tests to determine whether those who became ill had glanders disease are still being awaited, she said.Glanders disease is a zoonotic disease of animals caused by bacteria. It can be transmitted to humans through droplets. Human to human transmission is rare, she said.Glanders often affects horses, carabaos and goats, Pinongan said.*

A driver died and his teenage passenger was injured when his motorcycle crashed into an electric post along the national highway in Brgy. Poblacion 2, Zamboanguita town, Negros Oriental, on Tuesday, May 20.The fatality was a 25-year-old resident of Sitio Dumandan, Brgy. Mayabon in Zamboanguita town, the police said.Injured was his 16-year-old passenger who is a grade 10 student and a resident of Brgy. Poblacion.The victims were traveling along the highway from Dauin to Zamboanguita at 4 a.m. when they crashed into a pole of the Negros Oriental Electric Cooperative 2.Due to the impact of the crash the driver sustained severe head injuries and was declared dead at a Dumaguete City hospital.*

Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said he will issue a directive to all election officers in Negros Occidental to conduct surveys of candidates who have failed to remove their campaign materials from public places.He will issue the directive to conduct the survey by Saturday, Ananoria said on Wednesday, May 21.The Fair Election Act states that all candidates must remove their campaign materials five days after the elections, with the deadline on May 17, he said.Failure to remove the campaign materials is considered a campaign offense.He pointed out that Comelec Chairperson George Garcia has warned all candidates that they may be held criminally liable for not complying with the law.Garcia, on Tuesday, also warned candidates against submitting "untruthful"...

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson on Wednesday, May 21, announced that a 10-day nationwide voter registration for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in December will start in late July.Comelec Chairperson George Garcia urged the public, especially the new voters, to register to be able to participate in the BSKE scheduled on Dec. 1.“Nationwide, we will reopen voter registration for BSKE. Remember, it was suspended on Sept. 30 because there [was a midterm] election,” he said.“Those who want to reactivate, transfer registration, register as new voters, they have only 10 days to register. Last week of July to first week of August", he added.Garcia said he expects some 1 million new voters to register during the 10-day period.“If our curr...

Philippine Army 79th Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Arnel Calaoagan (right) visits troopers in the field*The Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) on Wednesday, May 21, assailed the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) for falsely claiming that the individuals they killed recently were military intelligence personnel.Lt. Col. Arnel Calaoagan, 79IB commander, said the victims are not connected with their unit and strongly condemned the senseless acts of violence against innocent civilians.He stressed that the CPP-NPA “clearly meant to justify the brutal killings of innocent civilians” in their allegation that they are associated with the 79IB, which is based in Sagay City in northern Negros Occidental.Last week, the NPA’s Roselyn Jea...