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An 8-year-old boy found a hand grenade along the highway in Sitio Libon, Brgy. Tuyom, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, April 6.Alias “Alona”, 36, a farmer and aunt of the child, immediately reported the incident to the police.The Cauayan Police Station coordinated with the Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team of the Philippine Army to retrieve the grenade.The 15th Infantry Battalion examined the explosive and turned it over to the Provincial EOD for further verification, the police said.*

Board Member Anthony Dennis “Anton” Occeño and Isabela mayoral candidate Juan Miguel Montilla (right)*Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is endorsing the candidacy of Negros Occidental Board Member Anthony Dennis “Anton” Occeño of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) for congressman of the 5th District of Negros Occidental.Occeño is running against incumbent Rep. Emilio “Dino” Yulo of the Lakas-CMD.Lacson is also supporting Isabela mayoral candidate Juan Miguel Montilla of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) who is running against Miguel Yulo (Lakas-CMD), the son of Rep. Yulo.Lacson said he recently endorsed Occeño following the request of the South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., PFP and League of Provinces of the Philippines president.In Himamaylan City, since the ...

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman (center) with Undersecretaries Wilford Will Wong and Goddes Hope Libiran, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II, and DHSUD-Western Visayas Regional Director Eva Maria Marfil (l-r) during the symbolic inauguration at the Capitol.* Capitol PIO photoDepartment of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman led the symbolic inauguration of the P10,022,718 project to upgrade and redevelop the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary recreational trail in Murcia, Negros Occidental, on Monday afternoon, April 7.She was joined by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development-Western Visayas Regional Director Eva Maria Marfil and Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II, on behalf of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, at the rites hel...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson does not believe the US tariff will affect the sugar industry in Negros.* Nic Ledesma photoThe 17 percent tariff imposed by the United States on products from the Philippines is no cause for alarm, it will have no major effect on Negros Occidental’s economy because it is not an export producing province, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, April 7.The Philippine agricultural products most commonly exported to the United States are corn and soybeans, he said.The production of those crops in Negros Occidental are not even enough for the consumption of Negrosanons, he said.He said the export of sugar to fill the Philippines’ share of the US quota is also not expected to affect the local economy.“In most cases our sugar production is just eno...

Personnel of San Carlos Component City Police Station in Negros Occidental put up the OPLAN Ligtas Summer Vacation streamer at their headquarters*The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) has set up 278 police assistance desks (PADs) to secure travelers across the province as part of the Philippine National Police’s OPLAN Ligtas Summer Vacation (SUMVAC) 2025.“The OPLAN Ligtas SUMVAC guarantees the safety and security of both residents and visitors during the extended holiday period,” NOCPPO Director Col. Rainerio de Chavez said in a statement on Monday, April 7.At the same time, NOCPPO reminded the public “to remain vigilant against elements who may attempt to exploit the vacation rush to commit crimes.”The PADs, which are located in recreational areas, religi...

Silay city Councilor Mike Maravilla, Mayor Joedith Gallego, Negros Power President/CEO Roel Castro and chief operating officer Bailey del Castillo (l-r) at the MOA signing.*Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Silay City government to provide safe, legal, and reliable electricity to more than 5,000 informal settler households “in a groundbreaking move toward inclusive development and public safety”.The MOA signing took place in Silay City on Friday, April 4, and was attended by Mayor Joedith C. Gallego, Councilor Mike Maravilla, Negros Power President and CEO Roel Z. Castro, and other officials.The agreement addresses the urgent need to replace hazardous, illegal connections with legitimate, metered electricity in unders...

A car that was going to a hospital turned upside down after it bumped a cement block at the center road at the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway in Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City, at about 8:20 p.m. Sunday, April 6.The cement block was reportedly intended to be used for a post to be put up at the center to toad.The car came from Brgy. Canlandog, Murcia, and was going to the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.The vehicle allegedly overtook a motorcycle which caused it to hit the cement block.The four persons in the vehicle were not injured but were still brought to the hospital, the police reported.*

Another farm worker died after he was trapped in a burning sugarcane field in Sitio Salay, Brgy. Tan-awan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, April 6.The victim was identified as alias “Pepito”, 52, of Brgy. Tan-awan.The victim was burning waste in the sugarcane field when he was trapped resulting in suffocation and severe burns, the police said.Alias “Eleno”, 68, who was also trapped in a burning sugarcane field died in Sitio Omelis, Brgy. Poblacion, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Friday, April 4, the police reported earlier.*

A man was shot dead in a fight over garbage in Purok Narra, Brgy. Lopez Jaena, Murcia, Negros Occidental, at about 5 p.m. Sunday, April 6.Alias “Edgar”, 24, of Purok Narra died after alias “Arman”, 47, shot him, the police said.The victim was driving his tricycle loaded with cement when he was waylaid by the suspect who confronted him over garbage left in the middle of the road, the police said.A heated argument ensued resulting in a fistfight and the suspect shooting the victim several times with a .45 caliber pistol, the police reported.The suspect fled after the incident but was arrested near a school building by pursing policemen.Recovered from the suspect was a .45 caliber pistol with magazine and seven rounds of ammunition.The suspect is now under police custo...

Blood donors during the Dugtong Buhay Movement bloodletting activity at STI West Negros University in Bacolod City on Monday, April 7.*Ronnie Baldonado photoBudget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Monday, April 7, lauded the partnership between the public and private sectors to collect blood.Aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s Bagong Pilipinas agenda, the bloodletting drive emphasizes the importance of community support for those in need, especially during emergencies, she said.“When schools, government agencies, organizations, and individuals come together with a shared purpose, we create a real impact,” Pangandaman said in her message at the Dugtong Buhay Movement joint bloodletting activity held at STI West Negros University in Bacolod City.Dugtong Buhay Move...