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Dengue has claimed the lives of two more young children in Bacolod City.Both fatalities were pediatric patients from barangays Granada and Mansilingan admitted at the  Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in mid-August, the City Health Office reported Thursday,  September 3.A 5-year-old girl residing in Barangay Granada died on August 19, after initially suffering from fever. Her admission diagnosis of dengue fever with warning signs worsened, leading to severe dengue complicated by pulmonary hemorrhage and acute respiratory failure. A 4-year-old girl from Barangay Mansilingan was admitted to the hospital on August 20 suffering from severe body weakness. Diagnosed with severe dengue, she died the following afternoon, August 21, due to Mu...

The Bacolod City government has issued show-cause orders to former Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) chief Maria Fe Tresfuentes and a regular BENRO employee over separate allegations of conflict of interest and fixing.City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu confirmed Tuesday that the order was served to Tresfuentes following a preliminary fact-finding investigation by his office.The investigation cited an alleged conflict of interest involving city contracts with IPM-CDC—the city's former waste management provider—for garbage collection, hauling, and sanitary landfill operations, noting that Tresfuentes' son was allegedly employed by the company.In a separate case, a regular male BENRO staff member was served a show-cause order following a fixing complaint f...

Two police officers have assumed leadership posts in the EB Magalona and Pontevedra municipal police stations in Negros Occidental, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office said.PCapt. Armel L. Lasap was designated officer-in-charge of the EB Magalona Municipal Police Station, while PCapt. Wendell John de Guzman assumed as OIC of the Pontevedra Municipal Police Station.Their assumption of office ceremonies were held at the NOCPPO Command Center on Sept. 1.NOCPPO Provincial Director Col. Dennis C. Wenceslao urged the two officers to uphold integrity and professionalism while strengthening police-community partnerships in their respective areas.Lasap and De Guzman also committed to continue providing responsive police service and maintaining peace and order in their mun...

Jay Malong has been promoted to the rank of police colonel while continuing to serve as force commander of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-Negros Island Region.The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region held his oath-taking and donning of ranks ceremony at Kanlaon Hall, Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod City on Wednesday, Sept. 2.PRO-NIR Regional Director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño administered Malong’s oath during the ceremony attended by members of the command group, regional staff, officers, personnel and Malong’s family.Malong is a member of the Philippine National Police Academy Class of 2003 “Sambigkis.”As force commander of RMFB-NIR, he oversees a unit tasked with supporting security and law enforcement operations across the Negros I...

 Bago City Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao (center) with officers of the Negros Island Organic Producers Association headed by president Arsenio de la Torre (5th from left) during their oath-taking at the City Mayor’s Office on Thursday.*Bago City Information Office photoBago City in Negros Occidental is supporting the participatory guarantee system (PGS) certification of more organic practitioners under the Negros Island Organic Producers Association (NIOPA) ahead of the province’s hosting of the Organic World Congress next year.The new set of officers of NIOPA, the first PGS organic certifying body (OCB) in Negros Occidental based in Bago. took their oath before Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao at the City Mayor’s Office Thursday afternoon, September 3.NIOPA president Arsenio de la Torr...

The House of Representatives has approved on second reading House Bill 10971, which seeks to postpone the synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) from the first Monday of November 2026 to the second Monday of November 2028.The measure was approved during plenary session on Wednesday, Sept. 2, and is expected to pass on third and final reading next week, Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said. Fixing the term of office for all barangay officials and members of the Sangguniang Kabataan to five years is also stated in the bill, Benitez said.It also reduces the consecutive term limit for barangay officials from three terms to two terms, while maintaining a strict one-term limit for SK officials.* 

The Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Negros Island Region report 5 p.m. Wednesday.*The Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Negros Island Region on Wednesday, Sept. 2, said that it is continuing to monitor air quality levels after elevated particulate levels caused by transboundary haze were detected, and reminded people with respiratory diseases to limit outdoor activities.The EMB NIR advisory released at 5 p.m. Wednesday said the atmospheric haze is potentially linked to smoke generated by ongoing fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Prevailing wind directions have carried the air pollution toward the Philippines, including toe Negros Island.The La Castellana Station detected very unhealthy air quality while in La Carlota it was tagged as unhealthy for sensitive ...