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Carbin Reef in Sagay City is a famous tourist destination in Negros Occidental*Ronald Villar photoNegros Occidental has generated P7.925 billion in tourist receipts as average visitor arrivals increased by 27.25 percent in 2024, the Provincial Tourism Division said Thursday, April 10.Based on the reports submitted by city and municipal tourism offices, the province welcomed 3.236 million excursionists or same-day visitors from January to December last year.These comprised 3.173 million domestic guests and 63,164 foreign visitors.Negros Occidental also hosted 883,514 overnight tourists, including 3,387 foreign visitors and 860,127 domestic travelers.“These figures reflect the dedication of the local government units, tourism partners and stakeholders, partner-agencies, a...

Officials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative attend a forum on Thursday to discuss preparations for the May 12 polls.*PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photoOfficials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative (NORECO II) assured on Thursday, April 10, stable and uninterrupted power supply during the May 12 midterm polls.Engineer Felix Vidaure of NGCP said at a Kapihan sa PIA forum that no manual load shedding is expected during the election period following the successful reconductoring of the 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Amlan.The recent upgrades, which included four weekends of planned power outages, now allow the line to carry a larger lo...

A Victorias City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office water tanker on Wednesday helps clear La Carlota City’s roads of ash spewed by Kanlaon Volcano.* OCD Western Visayas photo The grassfire near Kanlaon Volcano’s crater that was ignited during its eruption on Tuesday was extinguished by rain at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, but work was still ongoing to clear numerous areas of ashfall.The rain may have helped put out the blaze in the volcano’s danger zone, which firefighters could not reach, Mari-Andylene Quintia, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in La Carlota City, said.The fire was ignited by the superheated ballistic projectiles, some as big as a small house, which were thrown out of the crater during Kanlaon’s explosive...

Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay*Manila Police District Director Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay has been appointed the new officer-in-charge of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR).Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil appointed Ibay to head the newly created PRO-NIR on Tuesday.Ibay’s appointment will take effect on Thursday, April 10, Col. Rainerio de Chavez, Negros Occidental police director, said.The PNP activated the PRO-NIR on March 27.Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, Western Visayas police regional director, who was designated as the first OIC of the PRO-NIR in a concurrent capacity, will be replaced by Ibay.Ibay graduated from the Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1996 with a Degree in Public Safety.He was former ...

The arrested drug suspect in Sibulan, Negros Oriental.*NOPPO photoThe police arrested a high-value drug personality and seized suspected shabu worth P27.2 million in a buy-bust operation in Purok 6, Brgy. Maslog, Sibulan, Negros Oriental, on Wednesday morning, April 9.Arrested was Elgin Caday Rodriguez, 50, a resident of Barangay 2 in Bais City.Seized from him were four kilograms of suspected shabu, the police said.The operation was conducted by the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office-Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit and Intelligence Unit along with operatives from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.The suspect is now detained and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.Investigation is ongoing ...

Negros Occidental provincial government water filtration trucks provided potable water to La Carlota City and La Castellana residents whose water sources were affected by Kanlaon’s eruption.*The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) research facility in La Granja, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, will resume operations on Thursday after closing down on Tuesday, April 8, following Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption.The La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center (LGAREC) was hit by ash fall during Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption.“First order of the day will be to assess the facility, check on the laboratories and the nursery,” Ma. Lourdes C. Almodiente, Chief Agriculturist and LGAREC officer in charge, said.“We will also deploy all field workers to assess neighboring sugar la...

The ash-hit roads after the eruption on Tuesday* Bol Golvio photoThe Department of Tourism (DOT) on Wednesday, April 9, said tourism activities in areas near Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental are suspended to ensure the safety of both residents and tourists.In an advisory, the DOT said it is now closely coordinating with involved local government units (LGUs) to “prioritize” the safety and well-being of individuals affected by the April 8 explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon through monitoring and immediate response.“All tourism activities near Mt. Kanlaon, including treks and visits to nearby destinations such as La Carlota City, Bago City, La Castellana, and other surrounding areas in Negros Occidental, have been temporarily suspended,” it said.Other areas experiencing ashfa...

Negros Power COO Bernard Bailey del Castillo, Negros Power President/CEO Roel Z. Castro, Negros Occidental Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria and Bacolod City Election Officer Revo Sorbito (l-r) at the MOA signing rites.*The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Monday, April 7, to ensure stable and uninterrupted power supply during the upcoming 2025 National and Local Elections.The signing held at the Negros Power headquarters was attended by Negros Occidental Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee M. Ananoria and Negros Power President and CEO Roel Z. Castro.Under the agreement, COMELEC and Negros Power committed to a joint effort to uphold the integrity of the electo...

Personnel of the Negros Oriental police in Camp Fernandez, Sibulan town, prepare to secure the upcoming Holy Week activities starting this weekend. *PNA/Mary Judaline Flores Partlow photoThe Negros Oriental police is preparing to fully deploy its personnel ahead of Holy Week, with heightened security measures starting Palm Sunday on April 13.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO), said they are awaiting final orders for the implementation of Oplan Semana Santa from higher authorities.“We anticipate being placed under full alert status in the coming days, which would mean all personnel will be on duty unless there are exceptional circumstances,” Polinar said on Wednesday, April 9.Police officers will be stationed at high-...

Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria led the groundbreaking ceremonies for the P100 million construction and improvement of the Bais District Hospital in Bais City, on Tuesday, April 8.Sagarbarria along with city and provincial officials led the groundbreaking of the hospital that will feature a maternity ward, dietary department, laundry room, and doctors and nurses’ dormitory.Prior to the groundbreaking, the governor already approved and signed the design and build plan of the project.Sagarbarria, in his speech, said the project is part of his administration’s dream to expand the health services in the province.The event was also attended by Bais City Mayor Luigi Goñi, Board Member Nyrth Christian Degamo, former Board Member Erwin Macias, Bais District Hospital Chi...