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There was abundant supply of fruits for sale at the Don Salvador Benedicto Pavilion at the Panaad sa Negros Festival.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe Panaad sa Negros Festival at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City drew huge crowds during the weekend but sales dropped by 13.76 percent compared to last year.The total festival sales from March 24 to 30 this year was P16,600, 630 compared to P19,250,439.50 at last year’s festival, or a drop by P2,649,809.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said classes were still ongoing last week and a lot of Negrenses were focused on the start of the campaign period on Friday, which may have contributed to the low sales.However, there were huge crowds during the weekend, Lacson said.Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said sometimes not all ...

The purok Riverside, Brgy. Sum-ag, fire.*BFP photoFive houses were destroyed and one was damaged in two separate fires causing P1.37 million in damage in Bacolod City on Sunday and Monday, March 30 and 31, the Bureau Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod reported.Fire destroyed four houses and damaged one in Purok Bayanihan, Puentevella Subdivision, Brgy. Taculing on Monday.Estimated damage was about P25,000, the BFP said.Fire also destroyed the house of Victoria Celis in Purok Riverside, Brgy. Sum-ag, on Sunday.Estimated damage was P1,350,000, the BFP said.BFP personnel are still investigating the cause of fire in both incidents.*

Lin-ay sang Negros – Jada Biaxyl Celeste (center) first runner up Maxine Louise Martin of Ilog (right) and second runner up Julianah Cassandra Makilan of Manapla.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe pageant journey of Jada Biaxyl Celeste, 21, the Victorias City beauty who was crowned the new Lin-ay sang Negros, has been like a Cinderella story.Just like the character in the fairytale, she was a house helper who  became a queen.Jada claimed a back-to-back win for Victorias City at the Lin-ay sag Negros pageant  of  the  Panaad sa Negros Festival before a crowd of about 9,000 at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City on Friday,  March 28.But behind her win is a story of hard work while growing up and helping her  grandmother who works as a housekeeper.She ...

The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) is ready for the delivery of thousands of automated counting machines (ACMs) that would be used in the May 12 midterm elections.Comelec-NIR assistant regional director Jossil Macute said on Monday, March 31, that the hubs where the ACMs will be stored upon arrival next month have already been identified.“The official cargo forwarder of the ACMs is closely coordinating with the Comelec and we have identified the hubs where these units are to be stored until they are delivered to the different local government units in the NIR,” Macute said.The ACMs, to be shipped via a commercial vessel, are expected to arrive on April 17. They will be stored at the holding areas until delivery to the LGUs a few days before th...

The Carabao Parade in Himamaylan City*The Himaya 2025 of Himamaylan City will be a week of thanksgiving, milestones, and unity, Mayor Raymund Tongson said as the seven-day festival kicked off on Monday, March 31, with a mass to celebrate the city’s charter day at the city hall lobby.“This year’s Himaya will be all about thanking for the blessings we have received and celebrating our multiple regional and national milestones while uniting as one Himamaylan,” Tongson said in a press release.March 31 to April 6 in Himamaylan City will be filled to the brim with activities that will excite Himamaylanons and visitors alike, he said.“We have prepared daily events that festivalgoers of all ages will look forward to, from the morning up until the evening,” Tongson said.“As we ...

The City Health Office has recorded a 177.2 percent increase in dengue cases in Bacolod City compared to the same period last year.There are 280 dengue cases and one death in Bacolod City this year compared to 101 cases last year, the CHO reported Monday, March 31.CHO records showed that there were eight new dengue cases from March 16 to 22, making the total number of cases at 280 with 1 probable death since the beginning of the year.Brgy. Estefania has the highest number of dengue cases with 24 followed by Mansilingan with 23, Taculing and Tangub - 21 each, Alijis - 20, Villamonte - 18, Mandalagan - 17, Handumanan - 15, and Singcang-Airport and Vista Alegre - 14 each.The CHO is reminding the public to always keep their environment clean and consult a doctor if one has deng...

The Partido Kusog Talisaynon in Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City, on Monday.*Carla Cañet photoTalisay City mayoralty candidate Rowena "Weng" Lopez Lizares on Monday, March 31, vowed to continue the legacy of her husband, Mayor Neil Lizares, who is on his last term as chief executive of Talisay.Lizares issued this statement in a press conference, Monday, after a mass held at the clubhouse of La Costa Brava, which kicked off the opening salvo of her team’s campaign.Lizares was joined by her husband, running mate Vice Mayor Nic Jalandoni, candidates for councilor, and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez who is running for congressman of the 3rd District on Negros Occidental.Lizares said that her husband accomplished a lot during his three terms as chief executive of th...

Brgy. Villamonte was declared champion in the barangay category of the 3rd Mayor Albee Benitez Fire and Rescue Olympics, in line with the fire prevention month celebration, held in various venues in Bacolod City, Friday to Monday, March 28 to 31.Brgy. Villamonte was the champion in the Community Fire Auxiliary Group (CFAG) barangay category followed by Tangub - 1st runner-up and Pahanocoy - second runner-up, a Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod press release said Monday.In the company category, the Ayala Malls Capitol Central Fire Brigade was the champion while Vallacar Transit Incorporated or the Ceres Liner Fire Brigade was the 1st runner-up.Mansilingan Agro-Industrial High School was the champion in the high school category followed by Abkasa National High School - fir...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez with the Sidlak Kadalag-an Festival back-to-back champions at the Panaad sa Negros Festival awarding rites on Sunday.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe 29th Panaad sa Negros Festival drew a crowd of 65,000 on closing night Sunday, March 30, and its sales hit P14,943, 266, an initial report showed.“Each moment of this festival has been a testament to the strength, creativity, and unity of the Negrenses,” Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said in his speech at the closing program.The Panaad was not only a festival but an economic and cultural showcase, he said.“As we close this chapter of Panaad sa Negros 2025, let us carry forward the spirit of unity and progress that this festival embodies...

The Toyota Avanza that fell 50 meters down a ravine*A 58-year-old woman died, while four police personnel and three others were injured, when their vehicle fell into a ravine in Purok Tuburan, Barangay Pandanon in Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental, at about 3:20 p.m. Saturday, March 29.The police personnel and their companions who were on board a Toyota Avanza were travelling from Bacolod City to Don Salvador Benedicto town for an overnight outing when the accident occurred, SSgt Bengie S. Bantilan, DSB police investigator-on-case, said Sunday.Upon approaching a curve in the national highway at Purok Tuburan, the vehicle fell 50 meters down a ravine.Daisy delos Santos, 58 , a nanny of one of the minors in the vehicle, died instantaneously, Bantilan said.Injured...