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Aug42026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Alleged maltreated OFW escapes employer in Saudi Arabia, seeks refuge at PH embassy

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh*An Overseas Filipino Worker in Saudi Arabia, who was allegedly mistreated by her employer, managed to escape and is now at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, August 4.“What is important is that there is already action by the national government to bring her back to Negros Occidental,” he said.When she returns, the provincial government will most likely give financial assistance, Lacson said.The 45-year-old OFW is from Cebu and is married to a resident of Brgy. 8 in Isabela, Negros Occidental. They have three minor children.Her first contract in Riyadh was from January 2023 to December 2025 and it was extended until Dec. 31, 2026.She escaped from her employer on August 2 a...

Aug42026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOcc task force sprays 77.3 hectares with fungi to contain spread of sugarcane pest, moving to 3 more LGUs

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The Provincial Biosecurity Task Force spraying in Murcia.* Rayfarndo Diaz FB page photoThe Provincial Biosecurity Task Force has sprayed pathogenic fungi or biocontrol agents on 77.30 hectares of sugarcane crops that have been low and moderately affected by red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in Negros Occidental to prevent the spread of the pests.The spraying of the fungi to prevent the spread of RSSI in Bago City, La Carlota City, and Murcia has so far covered 5 percent of the Level 1 and 2 target areas, Engineer Colen Ocalinas, action officer of the Provincial Biosecurity Task Force, said at a press conference with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday, Aug. 4.Their next areas to be sprayed are Ilog, Hinigaran, and Manapla, Ocalinas said.They are also ...

Aug42026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv reports hog deaths worth P24.1 million in 17 NegOcc LGUs

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Seventeen towns and cities in Negros Occidental have reported hog deaths from various swine diseases, resulting in financial losses reaching ₱24.1 million, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, August 4.A total of 2,338 pigs, representing 2.57 percent of the 17 LGUs population of 90,981, have died from illnesses including African Swine Fever (ASF) this year, Lacson said. Most of the cases were recorded in southern Negros.Despite the losses, Lacson noted that ASF is not spreading as rapidly as it did when it first hit the province last year."We are managing it much better because of the lessons that we learned before," he said.The governor said that Isabela, La Castellana, and Binalbagan are the latest local government units to log confirmed ASF c...

Aug42026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

DOLE gives P23-M aid to sugar workers, students in Negros Occidental

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Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino with Sugar Industry Foundation Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer Edith Villanueva (left photo) and United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines President Manuel Lamata after the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Department of Labor and Employment and their respective institutions at L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Tuesday.*DOLE photo The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) granted PHP22.8 million in labor, education and social protection assistance for beneficiaries in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, on Tuesday, August 4.Secretary Francis Tolentino led the ceremonial turnover of PHP21.83-million aid under the agency’s Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program for the TUPAD or ...

Aug42026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

House panel names Benitez to lead TWG on proposed TUBO Act

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House Committee on Agriculture and Food chairperson Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga and Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez during the House committee hearing on Tuesday.*QUEZON CITY — Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) has been designated to head the Technical Working Group (TWG) that will consolidate and harmonize six proposed measures seeking to strengthen the country's sugar industry following the House Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing at the Romualdez Hall here at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Aug. 4.House Committee on Agriculture and Food Chair Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga (Quezon Province , 1st District) announced Benitez's designation during the hearing.,Enverga said the TWG will consolidate the six bills proposing amendments to the Su...

Aug42026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Fish vendor dies, one injured in Pulupandan collision

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A 26-year-old fish vendor died while a motorcycle driver was injured after their vehicle collided head-on with a sport utility vehicle in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental, on Monday afternoon, Aug. 3.The Pulupandan Municipal Police Station said the collision happened at around 5:31 p.m. along Negros South Road in Brgy. Palaka Sur.Initial investigation showed that a motorcycle with a sidecar was traveling from Valladolid toward Bago City when its driver allegedly lost control due to a mechanical problem with the handlebar.Police said the motorcycle swerved into the opposite lane and collided with a Suzuki Jimny traveling toward Valladolid.The motorcycle driver sustained minor injuries, while his passenger suffered serious injuries and was brought to the Valladolid District Hosp...

Aug42026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

CLO enforcement team member recovers suspected marijuana

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The recovered suspected marijuana.*BCCO photoA member of the City Legal Office (CLO) Enforcement Team discovered two packs of suspected marijuana in an abandoned black plastic bag along the corner of Galo and Lacson streets on Monday night, August 3.Radnie Ortoño, 36, was driving his tricycle back to his assigned post at the Capitol Lagoon at around 9 p.m. when he noticed the plastic bag along the roadside. Believing it could be someone’s lost property, he picked it up with the intention of turning it over to his supervisor for proper safekeeping, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said Tuesday.“I thought it might contain money that someone had accidentally lost, and I wanted to help return it to its rightful owner,” Ortoño said.Ortoño was previousl...

Aug42026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Motorcyclist dies after crashing into parked dump truck in Bacolod

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A 24-year-old motorcyclist died after his motorcycle crashed into the rear of a parked dump truck along the Economic Highway in Brgy. Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, early Tuesday morning, Aug. 4.The incident happened at about 3:15 a.m. in Purok Star Apple, according to the Bacolod City Police Office Traffic Enforcement Unit.Initial investigation showed that an Isuzu dump truck driven by a 43-year-old man from Victorias City was traveling northbound when the driver pulled over to the side of the road to check his vehicle.Police said the truck’s parking lights were turned on.Moments later, the truck driver reportedly heard a loud impact after a Yamaha NMAX motorcycle driven by the victim, a resident of Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City, slammed into the rear of the parked truck....

Aug42026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod racer wins two races at Clark

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Bacolod racer Manuel “Boodgie” Chua Jr.*Bacolod racer Manuel “Boodgie” Chua Jr. recently took home two trophies from races at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga.Chua, 43, who owns the BKC Racing Team, won the Track Attack Challenge Group 1 in the 2026 Petron Philippine Motorsport Championships on July 25. The following day, July 26, he placed second in the Unlimited Class Circuit Attack.A Bacolod-based businessman, Chua was also named overall first runner-up in the 2024 Petron Philippine Motorsport Championships’ Sailun Tire Track Attack Challenge in Batangas. He also received a Golden Wheel Award for completing in that season.Although Chua has always loved racing, he only began competing in official events in 2024.“If you really like racing and love spe...

Aug42026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Fisherman stabbed dead in Sipalay, suspect arrested

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A 44-year-old fisherman was stabbed to death allegedly by a fellow fisherman in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, on Monday afternoon, Aug. 3.Police identified the victim only by the alias “Marijoe,” while the arrested suspect was identified as alias “Roger,” 52.The Sipalay police said the incident happened at around 1 p.m. in Sitio Calangcang, Brgy. 4.Initial investigation showed that the victim was eating lunch with several companions aboard a pump boat when the suspect allegedly arrived and stabbed him in the left side of the abdomen.Police said the victim attempted to flee, but the suspect chased him and allegedly stabbed him twice more in the back and abdomen.The victim was brought by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to the Sipalay City Primary...