Top Stories

The Peace Advocates of Negros (PAN) on Tuesday, June 3, challenged the Senate leadership to start the impeachment trial versus Vice President Sara Duterte immediately.“We are concerned at what we perceive to be a clear effort on the part of the Senate leadership to delay or derail the impeachment trial of the VP,” a PAN statement said.“As citizens, it is our right to know the truth behind the vice president‘s alleged misuse of public funds,” the peace advocates said.The search for this truth through an impeachment trial is now in the hands of the Senate, they said.“Not to do so is to be remiss in their oath to uphold the Constitution,” the peace advocates said.“We want it clear that the impeachment trial is not a tool of political persecution but a constitutional ...

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Secretary Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (right)*President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has retained Secretary Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez as Technical Education Skills Development Authority director general, Malacañang announced on Tuesday, July 3.Marcos had called for the courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries in May to give him elbow room to evaluate the performance of each department and determine who will continue to serve.The president retained, Benitez, and a significant number of Cabinet officials who submitted their courtesy resignations amid his ongoing recalibration process, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced at a Malacañang press briefing on Tuesday.“Tuloy lang po ang trabaho natin para sa bayan (our work f...

Two brothers were electrocuted and died while fixing a wire in a restaurant at Don Pedro Yulo Street, Brgy. San Pedro, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, on Monday, June 2.The two casualties were Dexter Grijaldo, 45, and his brother, Roilan, 48, of Brgy. Sto. Rosario, Binalbagan.Dexter was fixing a wire in the canopy of the restaurant when he accidentally held its post with an open wire, a police report said.Dexter fell to the ground and Roilan tried to help his brother but was also electrocuted, it added.Both of them were taken to the Binalbagan Infirmary where they were declared dead.*

Bacolod City’s recently restored African swine fever (ASF)-free status is seen to boost confidence in the local pork production after the compliance of the City Veterinary Office (CVO) with the national guidelines on ASF recovery.In Executive Order 11-2025, dated June 2, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez officially declared Bacolod City free from ASF.“The declaration will signify the City of Bacolod’s achievements in disease control efforts, bringing economic stability and consumer confidence in (its) pork production industry,” Benitez said.He noted that the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Western Visayas endorsed the city’s upgrade from an infected zone (red) to a buffer zone (pink) after evaluating the compliance of the CVO with the national guidelines on ASF recovery.“I comm...

Kanlaon Volcano marked one year of unrest on Tuesday, which began with an explosive eruption on June 3, 2024.Today the volcano remains under Alert Level 3, or a period of intensified magmatic unrest, and the threat of more eruptions remains.The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that from 12 a.m. Monday to 12 a.m. Tuesday Kanlaon had one ash emission event that lasted 29 minutes, 38 volcanic earthquakes, including 1 volcanic tremor, and emitted 1,460 tons of sulfur dioxide.Ash fall was reported in barangays Ilijan, Binubuhan and Mailum in Bago City on Monday, Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of the Civil Defense - Negros Island Region, said on Tuesday.There are 2,248 families from Kanlaon Volcano’s 6-kilometer extended...

The seized drugs in Brgy. 10, Bacolod City.*The police arrested a Bacolodnon and seized suspected shabu worth P680,000 in a buy-bust operation at Purok Kabuhi, Brgy. 10, Bacolod City, early Monday morning, June 2.Alias “Tata” of Purok Kabuhi was arrested by operatives of the City Drug Enforcement Unit of the Bacolod City Police Office at about 1 a.m. Monday.Recovered from him were 100 grams of shabu, the police said.The suspect, who was tagged as a high-value drug personality, is in police custody and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.*

Bacolod City chief tourism operations officer Ma. Teresita Manalili (center), Lt. Col. Joery Puerto (left) of the Bacolod City Police Office, and staff of the University of Saint La Salle-Language Skills Learning Center discuss safety and security measures for foreign students *Authorities in Bacolod City have ensured the safety and security of English as Second Language (ESL) students from other Asian countries as more are expected to arrive in the coming months.Ma. Teresa Manalili, city chief tourism operations officer, said on Tuesday, June 3, that the management of the Language Skills Learning Center (LSLC) sent a letter to the City Tourism Office requesting assistance in providing police visibility in areas frequented by foreign students.“On the part of the city, we want t...

The weather bureau on Tuesday, June 3, said it will temporarily halt the issuance of heat index information due to the official onset of the rainy season."During this period, it is important to focus on providing accurate and timely information related to hazards and potential impacts associated with the rainy season," the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a statement.The daily monitoring of heat index and issuance of forecasts will resume on March 1, 2026, projected start of the hot dry months.The heat index information from PAGASA automatic weather stations and iHeatMap remains accessible via PAGASA's website, it added.PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel Servando said among the indicators prior to the declaration of r...

A motorcycle driver died when an SUV hit him at the national road in Brgy. Rumirang, Isabela, Negros Occidental, on Monday, June 2.Ronald Villanueva, 41, of Hacienda Nuning, Brgy. Maytubig, Isabela died after his motorcycle was hit a Toyota Fortuner SUV driven by Sleven Rondovio, 47, of Brgy. 1, San Carlos City, the police reported.Rondovio was driving from east to west when he allegedly made a U-turn and collided with the motorcycle driven by Villanueva who was travelling in the opposite direction, the report said.The victim was brought to the Ignacio Arroyo Memorial District Hospital but died while undergoing treatment.Rondovio was brought to the Isabela Police Station.The police said an initial settlement was reached between the victim’s family and the SUV driver.*

A sugarcane farm infested by red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in the northern part of Negros Occidental *SRA photoPersonnel of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) National Plant Quarantine Services Division has started conducting field validation in the northern part of Negros Occidental, which has recorded the highest area of infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in Negros Island.DA-Negros Island Region Director Albert Barrogo said the team from the DA-BPI central office arrived on Monday and proceeded to northern Negros on Tuesday, Jue 3.“They are validating the affected areas, and we’re hoping by tomorrow, we can dispatch the disinfection vehicles to spray these areas,” he added.Barrogo said farmers whose sugarcane fields h...