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A 59-year-old woman was served an arrest warrant in Bacolod City on Tuesday, Sept. 15, for a drug case filed more than two decades ago.The Bacolod City Police Office identified the woman only as “Rowena,” a resident of Brgy. 27.Police served the warrant at around 3:23 p.m. while Rowena was at the Metro Bacolod District Jail-Female Dormitory in Brgy. Handumanan.The warrant was issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Bacolod City on Feb. 28, 2001, for an alleged violation of Section 15, Article III of Republic Act 6425, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, as amended.The court recommended bail of P60,000.The operation was conducted by the Bacolod City Mobile Force Company, with personnel from Police Station 10 and the BCPO Tracker Team.Rowena remained under the cus...

The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City has approved on Third and Final Reading the proposed “Bacolod Climate Resilience and Emergency Preparedness Ordinance of 2026, Councilor Caesar Distrito said Wednesday, Sept. 16.The ordinance authored by Distrito and co-authored by Councilor Psyche Marie Sy  seeks to protect Bacolod City and its residents from increasing climate-related risks by institutionalizing proactive, science-based, and community-centered policies on disaster preparedness, climate-change adaptation, and emergency response.“We recognized that Bacolod continues to face escalating threats from flooding, extreme heat, climate variability, and severe weather disturbances, the ordinance aims to minimize the loss of lives and property by establishing responsive and lo...

Dr. Mae Flor Posadas has been appointed  first female president of  Central Philippines State University (CPSU) in Kabankalan City.Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District) announced the appointment in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Sept. 16, extending her congratulations and expressing strong confidence in Posadas’ upcoming leadership."She will be the first woman to lead the institution, a historic milestone for the University and its community," Alvarez said, adding that she looks forward to the meaningful contributions Posadas will bring to CPSU.Alvarez also thanked Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis, Commissioner Dr. Ricmar Aquino, and the CPSU Board of Regents for finalizing the appointment.*

Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power), under Primelectric Holdings Inc., brought together leaders and representatives from private distribution utilities and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) during the Private Electric Power Operators Association (PEPOA) Conference  at Citadines Bacolod.The conference was part of ASCEND 2026, carrying the theme “Powering the Future Together: Advancing Smarter Energy Innovations for a Resilient System”, a press release from Negros Poer said Wednesday, Sept. 16.The gathering held on Sept. 10  provided an avenue for industry stakeholders to discuss developments, regulatory concerns, market operations, power supply, reliability, and other issues affecting the Philippine electricity sector, with particular attention to the...

The lahar flow at Ibid Creek.* Screengrab from Remuel Lajo videoAt least 27 families, comprising 92 individuals, have safely evacuated to designated shelters following heavy rains that triggered volcanic debris and lahar flow from Mt. Kanlaon down Ibid Creek in Sitio Tamburong, Barangay Biak-na-Bato, La Castellana, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) reported.The downpour caused the creek to overflow around 5:30 p.m. carrying mudflow and volcanic debris toward nearby residential areas. Barangay Kagawad Allan Tomaquin immediately coordinated the preemptive evacuation of residents in high-risk zones, La Castellana Public Information Officer Remuel Lajo said.The evacuated population includes vulnerable individuals such as senior citizens, pregnant women, and a la...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is granting ₱3 million for the 40th Negros Trade Fair, which will take place at the SMX Convention Center Aura in Taguig City from September 22 to 27.The amount is ₱2 million less than the ₱5 million previously provided, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, September 15."It's lower because after 40 years of existence, we would like this trade fair—managed by the Association of Negros Producers—to stand on its own. But, of course, the provincial government still extended ₱3 million," he said.Negrense food, fashion, crafts, and other products will be featured at Butlak: The 40th Negros Trade Fair.*

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin on Tuesday  said several measures are now in place to address the power supply shortage in the Visayas*Screenshot of the online briefingEnergy Secretary Sharon Garin said Tuesday, Sept. 15, that  around 135 megawatts (MW) of baseload capacity is planned for Panay by 2028 to boost the Visayas grid, which has suffered from frequent red and yellow alerts since May.During an online briefing, Garin said the government also aims to add 270MW by 2029 and another 150MW in 2030.“Except for those islands that don’t allow baseload capacity, renewable po ilalagay natin (we’ll put up renewable energy),” she said.Garin said these targets were presented to officials of the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Western Visayas on Monday to assure them of the g...

Since the Senate has approved the bill extending the terms of office of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials and postponing the Nov. 2 polls, so be it, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, Sept. 15.“I just hope that when the time comes for the next elections for the barangay and SK officials, it will push through,” he said.“We cannot continue to extend and extend the terms of office of these officials,” he said.The Senate approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 2387 on Monday, which  seeks to amend Republic Act No. 12232 by fixing the current term of barangay and SK officials from four to five years.The measure also proposes to adjust the schedule for the regular barangay and SK elections from the first to the second M...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has turned down a call to register Abanse Negrense  as a partylist group, which would  enable him to win  a congressional seat in 2028, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said Tuesday, Sept. 15.Lacson is currently serving his third and final term as governor.Escalante said the papers for the registration of Abanse Negrense  as a party-list group have already been prepared, but the governor has not given his clearance to submit them to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).They tried to convince him, but Escalante said they cannot register the group without Lacson's clearance because he is the face of Abanse Negrense."The Governor has his own reasons, he is looking forw...

Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District), Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) and Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante.*The United Negros Alliance will definitely field its gubernatorial candidate for the 2028 elections, UNegA secretary-general and Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said on Tuesday morning, Sept. 15.Among the potential candidates are Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District), Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District), himself, or any other  UNegA member, the mayor said.The matter will be  taken up during the UNegA general assembly, which will likely be held in 2027, he added.Talks are also ongoing regarding several mayors planning to join the party.Escalante, who is currently serving his final term as Cadiz mayor, denied...