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Pope Leo XIV at the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday.* Vatican news photoSan Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said Caritas Philippines welcomes with great joy the election of Pope Leo XIV whose moral courage and deep concern for the most vulnerable offers renewed hope in this critical moment for humanity and the planet.Caritas Philippines is the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.Alminaza, Caritas Philippines vice president, said as the climate emergency intensifies — displacing families, destroying livelihoods, and threatening future generations — Pope Leo XIV’s call to “move from words to action” must not remain a slogan.“We echo this urgent appeal and call on the global Church, governments, and all sectors of society to step...

The INC sample ballot for Bacolod City.*The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) is endorsing the candidacy of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez for congressman and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran for mayor of Bacolod City.INC Bacolod is also endorsing the P3PWD Partylist whose number one nominee is Negrense Rowena Guanzon, former Commission on Elections commissioner, its sample ballots released Friday showed.Councilor Kalaw Puentevella has also been endorsed by the INC for vice mayor of Bacolod.Eleven of the candidates for councilor on the team of Benitez are also on the INC list. They are Em Ang, Homer Bais, Caesar Distrito, Celia Flor, Vladimir Gonzalez, Dindo Ramos, Bobby Rojas, Israel Salanga, Thaddy Sayson, Pao Sy and Jason Villarosa.Wilson Gamboa Jr. who is running for coun...

A calm Kanlaon Volcano as seen from La Castellana in Negros Occidental.*The Commission on Elections and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) are all set for Election Day in areas affected by Kanlaon Volcano's unrest in the Negros Island Region (NIR) on Monday, May 12.Close to 5,000 evacuees will be ferried in government vehicles to their alternative polling centers in La Castellana, Bago City and La Carlota City, OCD NIR Regional Director Donato Sermeno said on Friday.Sermeno said he is urging the evacuees to cooperate and follow the instructions for peaceful and orderly polls.Ther OCD remains on Red Alert with Kanlaon Volcano still under Alert Level 3.Mari-Andylene Quintia, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) resident volcanologist at the Mt. Kanlaon...

The Oplan Halalan 2025 Command Center*The Negros Electric and Power Corp. (Negros Power) announced on Friday, May 9, that it is fully prepared to ensure reliable power supply throughout the upcoming National and Local Elections on Monday, with a comprehensive contingency plan dubbed "Oplan Halalan 2025" in place.The company's Oplan Halalan 2025 plan covers 159 participating schools, seven canvassing centers, and a COMELEC tech hub, supported by a total substation capacity of 281MVA, 11 substations, 13 power transformers, and 47 feeder lines, Engr. Bernard Bailey Del Castillo, Negros Power Chief Operations Officer, said.Negros Power has already completed key infrastructure improvements and preventive maintenance activities ahead of the elections, Del Castillo said.Power load...

The INC sample ballot for Talisay City has Rowena Lizares for mayor and Gab Villacin for vice mayor.*The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) is endorsing the reelection bid of Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Board Member Jose Benito Alonso for vice governor, its sample ballots showed on Friday, May 9.Its candidates for Negros Occidental representatives are Julio Ledesma – 1st District, Alfredo Marañon III – 2nd District, Javier Miguel Benitez – 3rd District, Jeffrey Ferrer – 4th District, Emilio “Dino” Yulo – 5th District and Mercedes Alvarez - 6th District.The INC is also endorsing Andrew Montelibano and Bambi Depasucat for board members of the 3rd District.Its candidates in Talisay City as Rowena Lizares for mayor and Gab Villacin for vice mayor.The eight senatori...

SRA Board Member David Andrew Sanson discusses the need for disaster readiness of the sugar industry with mill district representatives during a workshop-orientation on May 6.*The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is crafting a five-year disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) plan with updated data and technology to boost the industry’s readiness and response in times of calamities.In a statement Friday, May 9, Sugar Board Member David Andrew Sanson, planters’ representative and DRRM chairperson, said the SRA has initiated a series of workshops to update and align its DRRM plan with the program of the national government.“Readiness is a must for any eventual disaster. While we have a very comprehensive DRRM plan in place, we need to apprise ourselves with new data an...

The two Bacolodnons found buried in shallow graves in Hacienda San Roque, Brgy. Cubay, La Carlota City, had been struck with hard objects, post-mortem examination reports showed.The reports showed that the victims sustained hematomas or bruises on different parts of their bodies, Capt. Rosinie Cabuena, La Carlota Deputy Police Chief, said on Friday, May 9.Cabuena said that there were no signs of stab or gunshot wounds on the bodies of the victims.Ernesto Jawud, 32, and Glenn Arnaiz, 29, of Brgy. 6, Bacolod City, were buried in a sugarcane field on May 4.The victims were reported missing on May 3.Cabuena said they are still determining the identities of suspects and the possible motive for the crime.The police said the victims had prior cases of alleged theft.*

A 6-year-old girl died and an internet installer survived electrocution in Cadiz City and Valladolid, Negros Occidental, on Thursday and Friday, May 8 and 9.The 6-year-old girl died when she was electrocuted while she was plugging in a cellphone charger in Sitio Cotcot, Brgy. Mabini, Cadiz City, Thursday, the Cadiz police reported.The child was brought to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.On Friday alias “Paul”, 30, an internet installer was injured after he was also electrocuted in Purok Masagana, Brgy. Bagumbayan, Valladolid.Residents saw that the victim hanging from a post and rescued him, the police said.The victim accidentally touched a live wire while installing an internet cable, the police added.*

Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade water rationing in Brgy. Alijis, Bacolod City, last year*The fate of Villar-owned PrimeWater Infrastructure Corporation now depends on the results of the ongoing probe into its supposed service failures, Malacañang said on Friday, May 9.Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) is expected to release “anytime soon” its findings report on the investigation into PrimeWater’s alleged poor service.“Let's remember, the estimated number of people affected by the poor service of PrimeWater is now 16 million, so we really need to take action quickly,” Castro said.Bayan Muna Party-list and PrimeWater consumers on Thursday filed a formal complaint before M...

The drug bust in Brgy. 12, Bacolod City.*The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency dismantled an alleged drug den and arrested three persons in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. 12, Bacolod City, on Wednesday, May 7.The suspects identified as alias “Gabriel”, 23, “Christian”, 30, and “Mark”, 36, were arrested in Purok Masinadyahon.Confiscated during the operation conducted by the PDEA along with operatives from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and Bacolod City Police Station 1 were eight sachets of suspected shabu worth P34,000 and other non-drug evidence.The suspects will face charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, PDEA said.*