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Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr .(2nd from left) and SRA Administrator Paul Azcona (right) lead the launching of the new cane varieties.* SRA photo.The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) launched three new high-yielding sugarcane varieties during the opening of the 72nd Philippine Sugar Technologists Association (PhilSuTech) Annual National Convention in Cebu on Wednesday, August 19. The new varieties—PHIL 2015-0445, PHIL 2015-0953, and PHIL 2015-0867—were developed over a 10-year period to raise farmer productivity, boost local sugar supply, and increase farmer incomes.Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. noted that deploying these high-yielding varieties alongside DA-SRA support programs "will help farmers raise productivity and incomes"...

Who will be the next governor of Negros Occidental?Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) and Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) on Wednesday, Aug. 19, said it is too early to talk about politics and that they are focusing on work for now.Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday that he is still hoping a Love Negros and United Negros Alliance (UNegA) coalition will field a unified ticket for governor and vice governor in 2028.His statement came amid political speculation over a potential gubernatorial clash in the 2028 polls between Marañon of UNegA and Benitez of Love Negros.Marañon said a united ticket would be good, but for now he is focusing on work and the  concerns at hand.A survey  on the 2028 governor pr...

Spurred by two recent deadly school shootings, Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Javier Miguel L. Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) filed the Final Firearms Amnesty and Loose Firearms Accountability Act of 2026 on Wednesday, August 19, seeking to make major loose firearm offenses non-bailable and establish “the most stringent gun accountability measures in the history of the Philippines”.The proposed legislation comes following severe gun violence targeting students across the country.On June 22, two teenagers opened fire inside San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, killing three students and wounding 20 others. Less than two months later, on August 18, a Grade 9 student armed with a pistol and a rifle killed a schoolmate and took his own life at the Ateneo de Zamboanga Univ...

Five trucks were apprehended for alleged illegal parking and obstruction during a road clearing operation in Bacolod City on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 18.The Land Transportation Office-Negros Island Region said its Regional Law Enforcement Service conducted the operation in Purok Manayawsayaw, Brgy. Mansilingan.LTO-NIR said the five trucks were found parked in violation of traffic regulations and were obstructing portions of the road.The operation was part of the agency’s continuing road clearing and traffic enforcement activities aimed at keeping roads accessible to motorists and other road users.LTO-NIR OIC Regional Director Jeck Conlu said the agency will continue conducting similar enforcement operations against vehicles causing road obstructions.*

A motorcycle rider died after his vehicle collided with a dump truck along the Silay-Patag Road in Silay City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday morning, Aug. 18.The Silay City police said the road incident happened at around 11:02 a.m. in Malisbog 1, Brgy. E. Lopez.Police said the unidentified rider was driving a black Kawasaki Barako 175 toward E.B. Magalona, while a white Isuzu dump truck driven by alias “Randy,” 37, was traveling toward Silay City.Initial investigation showed that the motorcycle overshot a curved section  of the road and collided with the front-left portion of the dump truck.The dump truck then ran over the motorcycle, resulting in the death of the rider, police said.The victim was declared dead by the city health officer.The dump truck driver ...

The fire in Purok Tunay, Zone 1, Barangay Bata.*Thur Yap photoA fire destroyed two houses  in Purok Tunay, Zone 1, Barangay Bata, Bacolod City,  Wednesday afternoon, August 19, leaving one individual injured, the Bureau of Fire Protection reported.The affected property, owned by Nonito Losbañez, housed two families with five individuals.Raegan Losbañez, 40, sustained burns to both arms and a laceration on his neck, the BFP reported.The  BFP estimated the  damage at  ₱38,000.*

The protest in front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica*Human rights activists, church groups, and local communities marked four months since a military operation left 19 dead in Toboso, Negros Occidental, by holding a lightning protest in front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the public plaza on Wednesday, Aug. 19, to demand justice and an end to militarization.Led by DefendNegros and human rights alliance Manindigan Negros, the demonstrators called for accountability for  the April 19 incident involving the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Toboso that left 19 dead,  including Alyssa Alano, RJ Ledesma, Errol Wendel, Maureen Keil Santuyo, Kai Sorrem, Lyle Prijoles, Dexter Patajo, and Jolinda Gemina whom they identified as civil...