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Philippine Red Cross personnel continue to assist the evacuees in La Castellana*PRC photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government has enough funds from the national government and its 2024 budget to feed the evacuees displaced by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest for another month, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, April 3.There are 5,657 evacuees who remain in evacuation centers in Negros Occidental, with 77 in Bago City, 1,111 in La Carlota City, 4,264 in La Castellana, and 205 in San Carlos City, , Regional Director Donato Sermeno III of the Office of Civil Defense Negros Island Region said.The majority of them have been staying in the evacuation centers for nearly four months, having left their homes when Kanlaon Volcano erupted on Dec. 9They will not be a...

Negros Occidental will have near normal rainfall in April, a Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecast shows. Near normal rainfall means   81 to 120 percent rainfall, Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said on Thursday, April 3.The expected maximum rain will be 50 millimeters in April, she said.More rain is expected in May, with a possibility that it could be way above normal, she said.The above normal rain could be more than 120 percent, Ploteña  said.“We can expect about 200 millimeters of rain in May”, Ploteña  said.Ploteña  said  the La Niña period is still on so even though it is summer there will be no drought.There will be rain and localized thunderstorms, she sa...

Former senator Leila de Lima said on Thursday, April 3, that while she is filing a case against former president Rodrigo Duterte, it will have to take a backseat now as far as cases to be filed in the Philippines are concerned since he will not be returning to the country anytime soon.Duterte remains detained in The Hague in the Netherlands where he is facing charges for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.“I might join instead the group of victims in The Hague,” she said.“Although I was not killed, I was definitely threatened, intimidated, harassed, falsely accused, and unjustly imprisoned by Duterte. If asked, I am willing to testify about what was done to me in order for Duterte to silence opposition to the drug war”, de Lima said.De Lima at a...

The newly appointed Commission on Population and Development (CPD)–Negros Island Region staff presented Negros Occidental’s award and certificates for its performance in population and development programs to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Thursday, April 3.The CPD–NIR Interim Staff were led by the commission's Central Visayas regional director Bruce Ragas and Western Visayas regional director Harold Alfred Marshall.The award presented to the governor recognizes Negros Occidental’s Population and Development Division as one of the Outstanding Population Offices in Western Visayas.The province also received a Certificate of Recognition for achieving the Highest Regional Population and Development (RPD) Database Utilization and Support in the Imp...

Anti-Red Tape Authority Secretary Ernesto Perez (right) with Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo (center) and Vice Mayor Ramon Torres during the awarding of the certificate of commendation and seal of electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS) compliance at Bago City’s Community Center on Wednesday night, April 2.*The component cities of Bago and Victorias in Negros Occidental have been awarded the certificate of commendation and seal of electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS) compliance by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) in separate rites led by ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez.The eBOSS is a single portal for the renewal and application of business permits jointly implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Information and Communications Technolog...

The police arrested a high-value drug personality and seized suspected shabu worth P510,000 in a buy bust operation in Purok Sigay, Brgy. 2, Bacolod City, Wednesday, April 2.Arrested was Jessica Canlas, 32, of Purok Sigay, the City Drug Enforcement Unit reported.The police said they recovered 75 grams of suspected shabu from her.She is now detained and will face charges for violation of the Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, the police said.*

Fire incidents in Bacolod City dropped by about 160 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2024, the Bureau of Fire Protection- Bacolod reported on Thursday, April 3.Records showed that from January to March this year, fire incidents in the city were 42, which are about 160 percent lower compared to the same period in 2024 which had 109.Of the total number of fire incidents this year, 22 were residential, three - business or government offices, one - a storage facility, two - special structures, five - grassfires, and five - rubbish fires.BFP-Bacolod spokesperson Paul Servano said that based on their investigation, most of the causes of the fires were electrical in nature.They have sought the help of Negros Electric Power Corporation to...

The convention delegates on the way to Bacolod*About 3,000 motorcycle enthusiasts from motorcycle clubs all over the country will converge at the Capitol Lagoon and Park in Bacolod City on  Friday and Saturday, April 4 and 5, for the 28th National Convention of the National Federation of Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines (NFMCP).Dubbed as “Balik Bacolod 2025”, the annual national gathering of big bike riders is hosted by the Thunderbugs Bacolod Motorcycle Club, one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in the country founded in 1964.“We chose ‘Balik Bacolod 2025’ for this year’s national convention, because Thunderbugs also hosted this national motorcycle event here in Bacolod City in 2013,”  Thunderbugs and NFMCP president Lito Aves said Thursday, April 3.“Our fellow motorcycle...

The New People’s Army (NPA) claimed the killing of a farmer in Gawahon, Brgy. 11, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday morning, April 2.The Roselyn Jean Pelle Command of the NPA, in a statement, claimed the killing of Jhonhi Montoya, alias “Owing”.They alleged that Montoya was guilty of killing his brother “Bembem” in December 2024 and attempted to kill his mother by allegedly hacking her while threatening his siblings.The police said that there were at least three individuals who approached the victim at the covered court in Gawahon and shot him multiple times.The police said the victim was facing raps for killing his brother and hacking his relative.*

The NEDA NIR Transition Team meeting with La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalandoon.* NEDA photoImproved connectivity to shorten travel time between Negros Occidental and Oriental will be a priority in the Negros Island Region, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, April 3.The National Economic and Development Authority’s instructions is to identify the top 30 projects for the NIR from which feasibility studies will be made for three, Lacson said.He expects the need for improved connectivity to be tackled when the NIR Regional Development Council convenes after the May polls.They say there are other roads that we can connect that will shorten travel time, he said.When the RDC meets he expects that new ideas will come about, Lacson said.Meanwhile, the NEDA...