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Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and DA-NIR Director Jose Albert Barrogo (1st and 2nd from right) inspect an RSSI hit sugar farm near the Bacolod Silay Airport on Thursday.*DA photoAgriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the P10 million sought by the Sugar Regulatory Administration to curb the spread the highly destructive red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) that have hit 546.10 hectares of sugarland, the bulk of which are in Negros Occidental, has been approved.The RSSI has hit sugar farms in 46 barangays in 13 towns and cities in Negros Occidental, and one town each in Negros Oriental, Capiz and Iloilo, SRA data showed Thursday, June 5.The SRA said 294 farmers have been affected.Laurel inspected an RSSI hit farm in Negros Occidental on...

A state of calamity has been declared in Siquijor due to its worsening power crisis, Gov. Jake Villa announced on Thursday, June 5.The declaration of a state of calamity was unanimously approved by the Siquijor Sangguniang Panlalawigan during its regular session on Tuesday, he said.Provincial Board Member Brylle Deeiah Tumarong-Quio, in a Facebook post, said in response to the ongoing island-wide power crisis, the SP approved the declaration of a state of calamity because of its adverse impact on the community, public services and the local economy.The declaration was based on the recommendation of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) during its 2nd Quarter Meeting presided by Governor Villa on May 29, following widespread and prolonged power o...

Former Negros Oriental lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., clad in ballistic headgear and body armor, is escorted out of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 12 following his arraignment for illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges on Thursday.* PNA/Yancy Lim photoThe Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 on Thursday, June 5, entered a “not guilty” plea for former Negros Oriental lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. in his illegal possession of firearms and explosives case.Judge Renato Enciso entered the plea after Teves invoked his right to remain silent during his arraignment.The case stemmed from the alleged firearms, explosives, and ammunition seized by authorities in a raid at Teves’ home in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental in March 2023.Following the arraignment, the ...

The Palarong Pambansa winners with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson*Negrense athletes who won medals in the recently concluded Palarong Pambansa 2025 in Ilocos Norte received P1.3 million in cash incentives from the Negros Occidental provincial government on Thursday, June 5.Athletes who established new records in various sporting events also received additional cash rewards.Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Department of Education Negros Island Region Director Dr. Ramir Uytico and OIC Assistant Regional Director Anthony Liobet led the incentive distribution at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City.Each gold medalist received ₱10,000 per medal, while silver and bronze medalists were awarded ₱7,000 and ₱4,000. respectively.Negrense athletes won 18 gold, 20...

The Bacolod City police seized illegal drugs worth P153.5 million and arrested 605 persons in the first 10 months since Col. Joeresty Coronica started his term as city police director.From July 23, 2024 to May 22, 2025 they confiscated P153,456,885.84 worth of illegal drugs in 474 operations, the Bacolod City Police Office reported on Thursday, June 5.Seized were 22,535.397 grams of shabu and 2,551.552 grams of marijuana.Of the 605 persons arrested 115 were high-value and 490 were street-level drug personalities, and the BCPO has filed 961 cases against them.The police also arrested 462 wanted persons, and 106,182 others for violating city ordinances in the past 10 months, the BCPO reported.They also conducted 161 operations against illegal gambling, which resulted i...

Congressman-elect Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3re District) took his oath of office before Executive Judge Dyna Doll Chiongson-Trocio of the Regional Trial Court in Silay City on Thursday, June 5.Congressman-elect Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3re District) took his oath of office before Executive Judge Dyna Doll Chiongson-Trocio of the Regional Trial Court in Silay City on Thursday, June 5.He was joined by his mother, Dominique Lopez Benitez, founder and president of NikkiCares Foundation Inc.“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” Benitez said, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.In that spirit he is filing a bill for the creation of an RTC Branch in Victorias City and an additional one in Silay, he said.The current Silay RTC serv...

Dr. Ramir Uytico*Representatives of the Department of Education Central Office will visit schools in the Negros Island Region affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest next week, Dr. Ramir Uytico, DepEd NIR director, said Thursday, June 5.They will visit schools under five DepEd divisions in the NIR and review their contingency plans, he said.All the divisions have contingency plans to ensure not only the safety of the children in the Kanlaon affected areas but also that they continue their studies despite the challenging situation, Uytico said.Uytico said the learning engagements of the children are important.There is a shortage of classrooms especially at schools that serve as evacuation centers but this is being mitigated by adjusting the schedules of learners, he said....

A tricycle driver died when his vehicle collided with a wing van at the national road in Sitio Albina, Purok 9, Brgy. Poblacion 1, Sagay City, Wednesday night, June 4.Reofilo Balasabas, 52, of Hacienda Luisita in Sitio Albina died when his tricycle collided with a wing van driven by Bobby Prieto, 42, of Purok 1, San Antonio, Magalang, Pampanga, the police reported.The victim was driving towards Escalante City, while the wing van was going in the opposite direction.The tricycle allegedly went out of its lane and was hit by the wing van, the police said.He incurred various injuries and was brought to a hospital where he was declared dead.The police are now waiting for the decision of the victim’s family on whether to file a case or agree on a settlement.The wing van d...

The police arrested a street-level drug personality and seized suspected shabu worth P102,000 in a buy-bust operation in Purok Cheriz 2, Brgy. 27, Bacolod City, on Thursday, June 5.Bacolod City Police Station 4 cops arrested Mars Deldo, 35, of Purok Acacia 1 in Brgy. 27.Recovered from the suspect were 18 sachets of suspected shabu weighing 15 grams, the police report said.The suspect is now in police custody and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, the police said.*

There were 125 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases diagnosed in the Negros Island Region from January to March this year, a Department of Health (DOH) report released Thursday, June 4, showed.The total HIV cases in the NIR from January 1984 to March 2025 were 3,835.There was no breakdown of cases per NIR province in the March report.However, DOH Negros Island Region 2025 data as of February that recorded 42 HIV cases in the NIR, showed Negros Occidental and Bacolod City having the highest number of cases.There were 25 HIV cases recorded in Negros Occidental, 16 in Bacolod City and one in Negros Oriental as of February this year, the report said.All 42 were male with the majority within the age of 25 to 34.Thirty-five of the males had sex with males only, four with ...