Top Stories

Rep. Emilio Yulo III taking pictures of clouds in the 5th District of Negros Occidental.* Rep. Emilio Yulo III (Neg. Occ., 5th District) said he is personally visiting the   Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) office next week to reiterate his call for cloudseeding to save the drought hit crops in Negros Occidental. He has collated pictures of occasional seedable clouds in Negros to present to the BSWM, Yulo said on Monday, April 1.“If there is substantial rain, even just once or twice, we could prevent a lot of crop losses”, he said.  Most of the hinterland areas are already affected by the drought, Yulo said.“It is a long journey but definitely we cannot give up on this,” he said. A BSWM report presented at a briefing for Negr...

There are three babies hit with probable pertussis (whooping cough) in Bacolod City and one in Negros Occidental, a City Health Office official announced on Monday, April 1.The babies with suspected pertussis are aged six weeks to two months old, who are all currently admitted at Bacolod hospitals, Dr. Grace Tan, CHO Environmental Sanitation Division head, said.Samples from the four patients will be sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on Tuesday for tests, she added.Pertussis can cause serious illness in people of all ages but is most dangerous for babies. A Department of Health advisory said pertussis starts as a mild cough and cold that lasts about two weeks, followed by paroxysms or fits of coughing which lasts up to six weeks.  There is a ...

Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) on Monday, April 1, called social media posts of expected rotational brownouts in its coverage area fake news.CENECO has not received any communication on rotational brownouts or manual load dropping from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), it said.Rotational brownouts or manual load dropping usually happen if the power supply is limited and cannot fully cater to the demand, CENECO said.  In events like this, CENECO immediately informs its consumers through its  official FB page and  the media, it added. CENECO said those who wish to report power-related concerns may call 4586777 local 1101, 1102 and 1103.* 

The athletes at the opening of the Negros Occidetal provincial meet on Monday.*Richard Malihan photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson challenged the participating athletes in the 2024 Negros Occidental provincial meet that kicked off at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City Monday afternoon, April 1, to let their passion, dedication, and determination shine as they compete for a chance to represent the province in the Western Visayas regional meet.About 6,500 athletes, coaches and chaperons from 13 delegations are joining the provincial meet, Romeo Sison, Department of Education (DepEd) Negros Occidental Division Sports Officer, said Monday.The provincial meet kicked off amid extreme heat forecasted at 41 degrees Celsius on Monday and 42 degrees Celsius on Tuesday - both classifie...

Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez* Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez is not ordering the suspension of face-to-face classes in Victorias City.“We will not be suspending them at this time. This decision comes after careful consideration of geographical layout, autonomy of school heads, and general advisory on our local conditions,” he said on Sunday, March 31.“Our geographical terrain ranges from mountains to coastlines, and our schools experience weather conditions differently,” he added.Benitez said he leaves it to school heads to make informed decisions about the best mode of learning for their students whether it is in-person or through alternative delivery modes.“This approach is aligned with the guidelines of DepEd Order No. 037 of 2022 which empowers school...

Mayor Raymund Tongson reminded elected city and barangay officials of their responsibilities to the people of Himamaylan as the southern Negros city kicked off its 4th Himaya Festival on Easter Sunday, March 31.“Let us continue what we have started,”  Tongon said in  his message after the Mass which signaled the beginning of  Himamaylan’s week-long festivities. Tongson thanked the officials, officers, and employees who have been instrumental in the city’s national, regional, and provincial accolades such as the 2023 Seal for Good Local Governance (SGLG), seal of the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit (CFLGA) award, Sustainability 2 Award from the 2023 Abanse Negrense Good Environmental Governance Awards, among others. “Recently, Himamaylan City was h...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Sunday declared the suspension of face-to-face pre-school, elementary, secondary and senior high school classes in Bacolod City on Monday and Tuesday, April 1 and 2, citing the state weather bureau’s extreme heat forecast.The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecasted the heat index in Negros Occidental on Monday to reach 41 degrees Celsius and on Tuesday to hit 42 degrees Celsius - both classified under extreme caution levels.“Pre-school, elementary, secondary and senior high levels are once again encouraged to adopt alternative delivery modes for instructional methods to benefit their students,” Benitez said in a Facebook post.However, private schools with air-conditioned rooms and tertiary-level i...

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has designated Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta as the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) following the retirement of Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. “In the exigency of the service, and to ensure the continuous and effective delivery of service, please be informed that Police Lieutenant General Emmanuel Baloloy Peralta is designated as concurrent Officer-in-Charge, Office of the Chief, PNP, effective 31 March 2024, until a replacement is appointed or until otherwise directed by this office,” read a memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. The memorandum, dated March 27, was addressed to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. The PNP is an attached agenc...

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is reminding government offices, including the barangays, that the withholding Value Added Tax (VAT) from sales to the government will be treated as creditable tax.  Acting Revenue District Officer Richard R. Oquendo of the   BIR RD No. 78 in Binalbagan, said   in a press release that Republic Act 10963, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), states that income payments made by a government office, including barangays, on their purchases of goods and purchases of services from local/resident suppliers except any single purchase amounting P10,000 and below are also subject to creditable withholding tax on income of one percent for supplier of goods and two percent for supplier of services.  Oq...

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas (right) say they are happy for Negros.* Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said on Sunday, March 31, that they support the expected creation of the    Negros Island Region (NIR) because it will bring greater development for its people. The NIR bill has been approved in both Houses of Congress and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri expects President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sign it into law soon. The proposed NIR will be composed of Negros Occidental that is currently part of Western Visayas, and Negros Oriental and Siquijor that are part of Central Visayas.  Treñas told DIGICAST NEGROS the creation of the NIR will enhance the development on N...