Top Stories

Three Negrenses were found dead in various areas in Negros Occidental on Sunday and Monday, April 28 and 29, the police reported. An unidentified man was found on the shore at Purok Rosas Pandan, Brgy. Poblacion, Bago City, at about 7:15 a.m. on Monday. The victim, who was in an advanced stage of decomposition, was wearing a red T-shirt, white shorts, and green underwear. An 80-year-old man, diagnosed with a heart problem and suffering from a hernia, was found dead at corner Burgos-Moreño streets in Brgy. 9, Kabankalan City, at about 10:30 a.m.  Monday. The victim went outside and was believed to have suffered from cardiac arrest, the police said. A 52-year-old farmer was also found dead in his charcoal yard with gunshot wounds on his body ...

Close to 10,000 job vacancies await Negrense jobseekers at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) - Negros Occidental  job fair at SM City in Bacolod City on Labor Day, May 1. There will be 9,770 job openings from 65 local and overseas companies, the DOLE said. They are part of the 18,998 job vacancies in Western Visayas  as the  DOLE celebrates the 122nd Labor Day. DOLE-6 Director Sixto T. Rodriguez Jr. said that this is the first time that job fairs will simultaneously be held in the different major cities and provinces of the region to bring the government closer and to provide equal opportunities for the underserved, unserved and hard to reach sector of the society. Among the vacancies available are for  cashiers, accountin...

President Ferdinand Marcos has issued an order removing non-tariff barriers on the importation of agricultural products that threaten to flood the country with excessive volumes of food imports, the Sugar Council warned on Tuesday, April 30.  Administrative Order No. 20 (AO 20) issued on April 18 and took effect effective immediately enjoins government agencies to remove non-tariff barriers to make it easier to import agricultural products.  Among these agencies are the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture, particularly its attached agencies, the National Food Authority and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), the Sugar Council said in a press statement. While agreeing with the need to reduce red tape and further streamlin...

Power Watch -  Negros  (PW-N) commended    Senator Grace Poe  on Tuesday, April 30, for pushing  for the Senate’s   passage  of a bill that will  grant  a franchise to the  Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) to take over the power distribution services in Bacolod City and neighboring areas amid mounting brownouts caused by aging  facilities of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO). Poe, Senate   Committee on Public Services chairperson, sponsored House Bill No. 9805  during the Senate plenary session on Monday. Power Watch Negros Secretary General Wennie G. Sancho said the endorsement by Poe “is a big morale booster for the consumers in the franchise area of CENECO who ar...

Some 7,359 persons with disability (PWDs) in Bacolod City have received new identification (ID) cards with quick response (QR) codes to ensure data security, records of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) showed.By May 1 only PWD cards with QR codes of Bacolod residents will be honored for discounts by business establishments in the city.In a press conference on Monday, DSSD officer-in-charge Alma Gustilo said almost all PWDs here have been issued the new cards, which have been released faster, following the city’s acquisition of a brand-new ID printing machine.“It’s easy and fast to apply. In a matter of five minutes, if their requirements are complete, they can already claim their PWD ID,” she added.Using a smartphone, business establishments in Bacol...

The Palarong Pinoy Barangay Workers and Kids Edition* A total of P200,000 worth of prizes were given to winners of the Palarong Pinoy Barangay Workers and Kids Edition in celebration of the 118th Malihaw Festival on Saturday, April 27. Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez opened the competition and emphasized the significance of the activity to the community. “Activities like this bring the community closer and are vital in promoting inclusivity and community engagement,” he said. He also congratulated City Administrator  Lindolf De Castro and his office for the success of the activity while wishing the participants the best of luck. Rep. Erwin Tulfo (ACT-CIS Party List) joined the activity and commended the unique initiative of the LGU in celebration of its ...

PrimeWater-Bacolod City Water District  deliver water to Bacolod barangays.* Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said PrimeWater officials on Monday, April 29, submitted a report on steps they are taking to address the current water shortage in Bacolod City.They informed him that they will bring down their water shortage to 1 MLD (millions of liter per day) this year, and will start having a supply surplus in 2025 that will reach 50 MLD by 2028, Benitez said.They said before El Niño about 50 percent of the Baciwa-PrimeWater consumers were getting water supply 24/7 but it has dropped to 43 percent, the mayor added.That means 57 percent of Baciwa-PrimeWater’s consumers are currently experiencing water shortage, Benitez said.Primewater’s failure to provide 24/7 water supply to ...

Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (right)* Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, April 29, that he has not met with former Victorias mayor Francis Frederick “Wantan” Palanca “and for now I see no reason to be meeting with him.”Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Provincial Council President Jesus Hinlo earlier announced that Palanca maybe the PDP Negros Occidental gubernatorial bet in the 2025 polls.The announcement prompted the Victorias City vice mayor and nine councilors to resign from the PDP last week.Lacson, who has announced that he is seeking reelection, said he has already visited Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez and “it was a very positive meeting. It was very reassuring”.The governor, however, said he...

Rice fields in Bayawan City have dried up*  The provincial government of Negros Oriental is about to release its P52 million in Quick Response Fund (QRF) after it placed the entire province in a state of calamity due to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. The provincial board on Friday declared a state of calamity during a special session after at least three local government units – Bayawan City, Sta. Catalina and Mabinay– had already declared the same. Board Member Woodrow Maquiling Sr. said the resolution is expected to be out Monday. “Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria asked to convene the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last Friday to pass the said measure so that the provincial government can use its calamity fund to provide financial assistance and address other...

Fire hit a Bacolod Chicken House branch at Hilado Street, Brgy. Villamonte in Bacolod City, on Monday, April 29. The Bacolod City Fire Station reported a structural fire at the SK Commercial Building at Hilado Street that affected the Bacolod Chicken House Restobar Corporation. The damage was placed at P40,000 affecting a 10 square-meter area. Fire personnel responded at about 10:47 a.m. and declared the fire out at 10:59 a.m., the BFP report said. Fire personnel are still conducting an investigation on the cause of the incident.*