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Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Albee Benitez meeting with the fire victims on Friday.*Richard Caballero photoDeputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Albee Benitez on Friday, Sept. 4, personally provided financial assistance to 23 families whose houses were destroyed by fire in Barangay Sum-ag, Bacolod City.The fire hit their houses in Purok San Jose 2, which the Bureau of Fire Protection classified as a red zone, or a congested area difficult for firefighters to enter, on Sept. 1.Benitez distributed P5,000  from his personal funds and food packs to each family.He said the fire victims are also expected to receive additional assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development.Benitez said that because the area where the fire victims lived is often...

Haze at Kanlaon Volcano Firday morning.*Remuel Lajo photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday, Sept. 4, urged Negrenses to wear face masks in areas where haze is present.The Environmental Management Bureau – Negros Island Region (EMB-NIR) on Friday continued to monitor ambient air quality levels in Bacolod City, La Castellana, and other areas within the Negros Island Region amid the presence of haze associated with smoke from ongoing fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia.The air quality  in La Carlota City and La Castellana was fair, and good in Canlaon City at noon on Friday, the EMB reported.The air quality at 8 a.m. Friday in Bacolod City and La Castellana was very unhealthy, La Carlota City – unhealthy for sensitive groups, and Canlaon City – good, the EMB...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.*“I never had an illusion of becoming a kingmaker.”That was the response of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday, September 4, when asked if he will act as a mediator between Love Negros and the United Negros Alliance (UNegA) to determine whom the coalition will field for governor in 2028.“If you want to be a kingmaker, you must also have the resources,” he said. “I will not be the one to decide on who the lone candidate of the coalition will be.”Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District) of Love Negros and Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Negros Occidental, 2nd District) of UNegA are rumored to be the top contenders for governor in 2028.There might be a need for Love Negros and UNegA to hold a meeting where the pr...

Reported crime incidents across the Negros Island Region dropped by 21.02 percent in August compared with the same month last year,  data released by the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region on Friday,  Sept. 4, showed.PRO-NIR recorded 695 total crime incidents in August 2026, down by 185 cases from 880 incidents in August 2025.The regional police also reported a 2.75 percent decrease in its Peace and Order Indicator, from 582 cases to 566.Index crimes declined by 10.53 percent, from 95 to 85 cases, while non-index crimes slightly decreased by 1.23 percent, from 487 to 481 cases.The eight focus crimes likewise decreased by 10.53 percent during the comparative period, PRO-NIR said.The largest decline was recorded under the Public Safety Indicator, which ...

Two persons classified by police as high-value drug suspects were arrested while about P680,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in a buy-bust operation in Bacolod City early Friday, Sept. 4.The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region identified the suspects only as alias “Sha,” 31, and alias “Wil,” 22,  of Brgy. Banago.Police Station 1 conducted the operation at around 12:35 a.m. in Purok Malinong, Brgy. 39.Police said intelligence information indicated that the suspects allegedly distributed illegal drugs in Brgys. 2, 3, 8, 10 and 39, as well as Banago and Singcang-Airport.The suspects allegedly used a “kaliwaan” scheme, where drugs and payment were exchanged simultaneously, with some transactions reportedly facilitated through GCash, police said.Authoriti...

Bacolod City fire marshal Supt. Jenny Mae Masip and emergency responders of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Bacolod receive the four brand-new rescue boats from the city government in a video released on Friday.*BFP-Bacolod photoEmergency responders of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Bacolod City got an equipment boost, with the turnover of four rescue boats from the city government.The procurement of the rescue boats, each having a capacity of six to eight passengers, was funded through the 20 percent local government unit (LGU) share from the Fire Code fees collected in this highly urbanized city.City fire marshal Supt. Jenny Mae Masip said in a video released on Friday that the arrival of the rescue boats is very timely in their response to the challenges brought by the...

Haze over La Catellana Thursday*Vice Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan photoThe Environmental Management Bureau Negros Island Region (EMB-NIR) warned that the air quality in Bacolod City and La Castellana, Negros Occidental, was classified as "unhealthy for sensitive groups" at noon Thursday, Sept. 3.Due to poor air quality, the bureau advised individuals with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to limit outdoor exertion.Air quality levels in La Carlota City and Canlaon City were reported as fair during the same period.The noon advisory reflected a slight improvement from 8 a.m. readings, which recorded "very unhealthy" conditions in Bacolod City, "acutely unhealthy" levels in La Castellana, and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" in La Carlota City.Canlaon City remained fa...