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Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela said he fully supports the   Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.’s   (NOCCI) defense of the Negros Island Region (NIR) following opposition aired by the Diocese of Dumaguete. “I also hope that the apprehensions and misgivings aired by the Diocese of Dumaguete are laid to rest via dialog among all concerned parties,” said Coscolluela on Sunday, April 21. The bill seeking the creation of the NIR composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor is awaiting the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to become a law. Marcos, while in Bacolod City on April 8, said he would sign the bill into law. Coscolluela reiterated that the new region should be called...

Sister Psyche Esclamada Examen who has dedicated her life to helping others needs help.*A nun who cares for the poorest of the poor who are sick has been hospitalized and badly needs help. Sister Psyche Esclamada Examen is a member of the Servants of Mary congregation who work for the poor in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City. She underwent a successful kidney transplant in June 2022 and had resumed her work in Handumanan. However, on April 13 she became ill and remains at the Riverside Medical Center where her hospital bill is mounting.Sister Psyche Esclamada Examen at work in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City.*“I am happy serving the poor who are sick and want to continue to do so,   but cannot because I am also sick,” Sister Psyche said. ...

The Victorias City performers accept their award as Festival Dances Competition (City Category) champions at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City on Sunday, April 21.*Ronnie Baldonado photoClose to 130 awards and cash prizes of about P2 million were given to individuals, groups, and local government units who won in the 11 major competitions of the 28th Panaad sa Negros Festival during the closing and awarding ceremonies at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City  on Sunday, April 21.  During the week-long provincial festival, there were 11 major competitions held at the Panaad Park and Stadium, and other venues around Bacolod City from April 15 to 21. Among the competitions were the Festival of Dances, Folk Dance, Choral, Latin Dance Sport, Festival Costume, Kompo...

BTAO personnel at work.*BTAO file photoBacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has directed the withdrawal or nullification of a Bacolod Traffic Authority Office memorandum to all traffic enforces giving them a quota of five apprehensions a day, his spokesman Caesar Distrito said Saturday, April 20.The memorandum dated April 3 and signed by BTAO officer-in-charge Patrick Lacson and deputy head Jose Antonio Robello addressed to all traffic enforcers, supervisors and strikers states that “all apprehending officers must have at least five apprehensions a day. Noncompliance may result to suspension or termination. Effective immediately”. Distrito said the mayor on learning of the memorandum immediately issued a Notice to Explain to Lacson on the existence of such memorandum, an...

The Leonardo Panaligan Command (LPC) of the New People’s Army recently owned the killing of an alleged intelligence asset of the 62nd Infantry Brigade in Sitio Paho, Brgy. Camandag, La Castellana, Negros Occidental.Ka JB Regalado, LPC spokesperson, in a press statement  said that the killing of Danny Boy Bartolome  on April 11  was the result of a unanimous decision of the NPA Revolutionary Court. Regalado said that from March to November last year, they had warned Bartolome and his family about his being an asset of the Army.In December the rebel’s revolutionary court decided to exile Bartolome and confiscated his phone that contained proof of his anti-revolutionary actions, Regalado said.However, Bartolome did not leave and allegedly continued to work ...

The seized drugs in Barangay 28.*Two suspects, including an alleged member of the Caunda Drug Group, were arrested and P904,400 worth of suspected shabu  was seized in separate operations  in  Bacolod City on Saturday and Sunday,  April 20 and 21, the police said. Raffy Cawaling, 47, an alleged member of the notorious Caunda Drug Group was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Purok Kawayan, Brgy. 28,  Saturday, the police reported. The police said that he was previously convicted for engaging  in the illegal drugs sale The police  seized seven sachets of suspected shabu weighing three grams with an estimated street price of P20,400 from him. Meanwhile, Renelyn Rusiana, a high-value drug target, was also arrested in an operation in Purol San ...

Diesel and kerosene prices are expected to drop, while a slight increase in gasoline prices is seen on Tuesday, April 23. Diesel prices are expected to go  down by P0.80 to P1 per liter, and kerosene by P1 to 1.20 per liter, Uniol Petroleum Philippines said Saturday. Gasoline prices are forecasted to increase by P0.40 to P0.60 per liter, it added. On April 16 oil companies increased pump prices  by P0.40 per liter for gasoline, P0.95 for diesel and P0.85 for kerosene.* 

Lin-ay sang Negros 2024 Kyla Rose Romarate of Victorias City (center) together with 4th runner-up Gelisa Marie Nangan of Hinigaran, 2nd runner-up Patricia Ysabel Galapino of Ilog, 1st runner-up Zoe Clarisse Limson of Cauayan, and 3rd runner-up Roshyn Kate Jamantoc of Talisay City (l-r) at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City Friday night, April 19.*Ronnie Baldonado photo Veterinary medicine student Kyla Rose Romarate of Victorias City is the new Lin-ay sang Negros, besting 28 other candidates during the coronation night at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City on Friday, April 19.Romarate, a third year veterinary medicine student at Aklan State University, was crowned the new queen in a three-hour pageant at the jam-packed stadium after hurdling the swimwear, evening gown, and ques...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is urging more investments in renewable energy plants in Negros Occidental to ensure   power security for the province. The governor reiterated the call on Friday, April 19, as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines continued to issue yellow and red alerts versus possible load dropping and power interruptions. NGCP said on Friday that 18 power plants in the Visayas are on forced outage, while 10 others are running on derated capacities, for a total of 757.7MW unavailable to the grid. Lacson said that shortage of power during the summer is normal because there are more people using air conditioning on top of the forced outages. “This is a warning that we cannot depend on our power generators now, we need more o...

A sugar leader is appealing to the Negros Occidental provincial government to declare a state of calamity so it can buy an airplane for cloud seeding  to induce rain amid the worsening drought brought on by the El Niño phenomenon. Manuel Lamata,  United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) president, issued the appeal to the provincial government officials led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and   Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer on Friday, April 19. “Our  sugar industry needs rain now. This will be the same problem next year so the provincial government  should be ready to help the Island of Negros,” he said. “We should not wait for Manila to help us, we should help ourselves, he said.The sugar industry losses have reached  million...