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The area where the boy was trapped.*Anjelou Mapa photoAn eight-year-old boy died after a large buri tree fell on their house in Purok Fire Tree, Brgy. Bulanon, Sagay City on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 5.The victim was identified as “Joshua”, a Grade 2 student.His father, Gremar Charita Abelada, confirmed that the boy was pronounced dead.The incident happened shortly after 3 p.m. in Purok Fire Tree 2 while Joshua was inside a bedroom using a mobile phone.Maribel Abelada, the victim’s grandmother, said she had just returned from their garden when she heard a loud crash and a family member screaming.She found that the tree had fallen on and damaged their house, trapping Joshua inside the bedroom.The boy’s mother and her twin sister were in the kitchen when the tree ...

Provincial Elections Officer Ian Lee Ananoria says preparations for Nov. 2 polls to continue.* Barbara Mijares photoThe Commission on Elections (Comelec) will continue preparing for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on Nov. 2 despite moves by some congressmen to seek its postponement, Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Wednesday, August 5.Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said that as long as there is no law postponing the Nov. 2 polls, they will continue preparing because that is their mandate, Ananoria added.The proposed bills seeking the postponement of the elections will have to pass on third and final reading in the House of Representatives, and a counterpart measure will also have to be approved in the Senate, he s...

Police have formed a special investigation task force and intensified hot pursuit and dragnet operations following the fatal shooting of an Indian national in Bacolod City on Tuesday night, Aug. 4.Bacolod City Police Office Director Col. Eugene Rebadomia said during a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 5, that the incident ended nearly a month without any recorded shooting incident in the city.“We have been at zero for almost a month when it comes to shooting incidents until this case,” Rebadomia said.He said investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and conducting backtracking as part of the investigation.A Special Investigation Task Group has also been created to focus on solving the case.Initial police investigation showed the victim was riding his motorcycle along P...

Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo III (5th District, Neg. Occ.) is pushing for a district-level database and stronger overseas support networks for migrant workers following the case of an OFW who escaped from her allegedly abusive employer in Saudi Arabia.“Eva”, 45-year-old worker, whose husband and three minor children are based in Isabela, Negros Occidental, escaped from her employer on Aug. 2 and is now under the care of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.She has been working in Riyadh since January 2023.Her initial contract ended in December 2025 but was extended until Dec. 31, 2026.
Yulo said the Isabela local government had been monitoring the situation and coordinating with the worker’s family and concerned government agencies from the beginning.He said the case highlig...

Mayor Greg Gasataya (center) receives the Board Resolution from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System Board of Trustees, represented by Executive Director Ronnalee Orteza (left) and Deputy Executive Director Sheena Faith Ganela.*BCCO photoThe Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System Board of Trustees has officially approved the site for the Philippine Science High School–Negros Island Region Campus in Barangay Granada, marking the largest campus in the history of the PSHS System.The Board Resolution approving the campus site was presented by officials of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the PSHS System Board of Trustees during a meeting with Mayor Greg Gasataya on Wednesday, August 5, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office &nbs...

Four suspected drug personalities were arrested while more than P761,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in two buy-bust operations in Bacolod City on Tuesday night, Aug. 4.The Bacolod City Police Office said the operations led to the arrest of one high-value individual and three street-level individuals.The first operation was conducted by the City Drug Enforcement Unit at around 8:04 p.m. in Purok Chrysanthemum, Brgy. 33.Police arrested two 20-year-old men, one classified as a high-value individual and the other as a street-level individual.Authorities recovered about 100 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of P680,000, along with buy-bust money and other evidence.At around 11:31 p.m., operatives of Police Station 9 conducted another buy...

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) brings its services closer to clients in southern Negros Occidental through a partnership with Kabankalan City, which hosts the first local government unit (LGU)-operated civil registry system (CRS) outlet in the Visayas.In a public advisory on Wednesday, the city government said that starting Aug. 4, the PSA-CRS outlet accepts requests through online appointment only.“Please secure your appointment before visiting the PSA-CRS Outlet to ensure a smooth and orderly transaction,” it added.PSA-Negros Occidental supervising statistical specialist Diesah Biaoco said that Kabankalan City operates the outlet, providing manpower and utilities, and a PSA assigned supervisor monitors the operations on a daily basis.“It is the first CRS outlet...

Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) filing House Bill No. 10591 on Tuesday.* Mark Garcia photoQUEZON CITY—Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and 63 members of the House of Representatives have filed House Bill No. 10591 seeking to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections from Nov. 2, 2026, to the last Monday of November 2028.Benitez filed the measure  at the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 4.The bill also schedules succeeding synchronized barangay and SK elections every three years and  the assumption of office of elected officials at noon on Dec. 30 following the election.Incumbent barangay and SK officials would remain in office under the holdover principle until their successors are elected...