Top Stories

Oct292026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

LTO-NIR apprehends colorum van carrying 8 passengers in Dumaguete

The Land Transportation Office-Negros Island Region apprehended a Toyota HiAce GL Grandia van for allegedly operating as a colorum vehicle in Dumaguete City on Thursday, Oct. 29.LTO-NIR said the van was carrying eight passengers and allegedly transporting them for a fare without the required authority to operate as a public utility vehicle.The passengers were traveling along the Dumaguete-Bindoy-Guihulngan route, with fares ranging from P180 to P270, the agency said.The vehicle was apprehended by the LTO-NIR Enforcement Team as part of its continuing operations against unauthorized public transportation.LTO-NIR said vehicles operating without the necessary permits and franchises may expose passengers to safety risks and lack some of the protections required of legitimate pu...

Oct282026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv calls for sugar traders’ compassion, urges ₱3,000 per LKg buying price for survival of planters

Business, Top Stories

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson appeals for compassion.* Richard Malihan photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday, Oct. 28, said he hopes the buying price of sugar hits ₱3,000 per 50-kilogram bag to enable farmers to survive.“We cannot compel the traders to buy at the price we want [but] we are hoping they understand the situation” and are more compassionate, he said.This crop year, the country is estimated to produce 1.6 million metric tons of sugar, and he hopes the farmers can average ₱3,000 per LKg to make it sustainable, Lacson said.At ₱2,600 per bag, even efficient farms will just break even, so you can imagine what will happen to small farmers, he added.The good sign is that recent events show the sugar industry has united against t...

Oct282026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Confirmatory test results for 14 NegOcc workers positive for drug use out soon: Guv

Top Stories

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he is awaiting the confirmatory test results for 14 provincial government employees who initially tested positive for illegal drug use this month, which are expected to be released this week.The 14 employees, most of whom are assigned to provincial government hospitals, yielded positive results during initial screenings, Lacson said on Wednesday, Oct. 28.Their urine samples were forwarded to the Department of Health (DOH) for final validation, Lacson said.The governor said that casual employees whose results are confirmed positive will face immediate termination.Regular employees will be processed under Civil Service Commission (CSC) guidelines, which allow for a second chance through mandatory rehabilitation, Lacson said.The su...

Oct282026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Consumers group backs call to penalize power firms over Visayas grid outages

Top Stories

NONECO file photoThe Alliance of Concerned Consumers in Electricity and Social Services (ACCESS) has declared its full support for Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s call directing the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to penalize power generation companies and industry players responsible for recurring and prolonged power outages across the Visayas Grid, particularly in Negros and Panay.ACCESS President Wennie Sancho on Wednesday, Oct. 28, said Negros Occidental residents have suffered for months from unscheduled brownouts, voltage fluctuations, and unjust rate hikes while power firms routinely cite "forced outages" and "unplanned shutdowns" without accountability.The Visayas power grid was again placed under Red and...

Oct282026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Lacson supports call for declaration of nat’l state of calamity for El Niño

Top Stories

A Negros rice field hit by the dry spell. *OPA photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Wednesday, Oct. 28, that he is in favor of a national declaration of a state of calamity to cushion the effects of the El Niño phenomenon on agriculture.Senator Francis Pangilinan earlier urged the government to consider declaring a nationwide state of calamity as El Niño agricultural damage threatens food production and farmers’ livelihoods.“The idea of a state of calamity is really to make more funding accessible to address the situation, so of course, yes, I am in favor considering that El Niño will affect us,” Lacson said.Negros Occidental was earlier placed under a state of calamity following the red-striped soft scale insect attacks on sugarlands.Maybe the propos...

Oct282026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

1,034 personnel, force multipliers deployed for Undas security in Bacolod

Top Stories

Andrew Altarejos file photoA total of 1,034 police personnel and force multipliers will be deployed across Bacolod City for the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day under the city’s Undas 2026 security plan.The Bacolod City Police Office, in a press statement on Wednesday, Oct. 28, said 506 of the deployed personnel are from the Philippine National Police, while the rest include government uniformed personnel, force multipliers, intelligence personnel and regional support units.Personnel will be assigned to public and private cemeteries, memorial parks, columbaria, bus terminals, seaports, motorist assistance centers and other convergence areas.Police Assistance Desks and assistance hubs will also be established in strategic locations to assist...

Oct282026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

P8.9M shabu seized, 88 wanted persons arrested in Negros Oriental police operations

Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Police in Negros Oriental seized more than P8.9 million worth of suspected shabu and arrested 88 wanted persons in a series of operations from Oct. 1 to 26.The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office said its units conducted 48 anti-illegal drug operations, resulting in the arrest of two high-value individuals and 46 street-level individuals.Police confiscated a total of 1,309.855 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of P8,907,014.In the campaign against wanted persons, police arrested three regional-level most wanted persons, two provincial-level most wanted persons, 28 city or municipal-level most wanted persons, and 55 other wanted individuals, for a total of 88 arrests.NOrPPO also conducted 32 operations against loose firearms, resulting in on...

Oct282026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

77-year-old woman arrested in Bacolod for 1992 estafa case

Top Stories

A 77-year-old woman was arrested in Bacolod City on Tuesday morning, Oct. 27, over an estafa case covered by a warrant issued more than three decades ago.The Bacolod City Police Office identified the suspect only as “Sonya,” a housewife presently residing in Brgy. Pahanocoy.She was arrested at around 8:15 a.m. in Brgy. Mandalagan by intelligence operatives of Police Station 3, with the City Intelligence Unit and BCPO Tracker Team.Police said the warrant was issued on Jan. 28, 1992, in connection with an estafa case docketed as Criminal Case No. 11433 before the Regional Trial Court in Bacolod City.Bail was set at P20,000.The suspect is temporarily detained at Police Station 3 pending proper disposition and further legal proceedings.BCPO said the arrest forms p...

Oct282026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

35,894 delegates expected for Batang Pinoy 2026 in Bacolod

Sports, Top Stories

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo (center) joins Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya and other key officials during the Batang Pinoy 2026 Stakeholders Coordination Meeting at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City*The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), led by Chairman John Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, held a coordination meeting with the Bacolod City government and key agencies on Wednesday, October 28, to finalize plans for Batang Pinoy 2026 — the country’s flagship national youth multi‑sport competition set for December 12‑18.Gregorio noted the special bond between the tournament and the City of Smiles as preparations get underway for its much‑anticipated return, a press release from the Bacolod City Government Center said.“This is not just a simple hosting....

Oct282026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

DTI-Philippine Trade Training Center holds Lakbay Ensayo in Bacolod to promote creative industries

Business, Top Stories

DTI Negros Occidental Division Chief Engiemar Tupas, Christina Gaston - Association of Negros Producers president, Tanya Lopez - Negros Cultural Foundation executive director, Aisel Tupas - Bacolod City LGU, Lynna Joy Cardinal - DTI NegOcc provincial director and Gabriel Advincula (l-r) at the Lakbay Ensayo.* Ronnie Balsonado photoThe Philippine Trade Training Center, in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Negros Occidental Provincial Office, held Lakbay Ensayo to highlight the importance of supporting creative industries, its stakeholders and products at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City on Wednesday, Oct. 28.Carrying the theme “Tuklasin, Linangin, Pagmalak-Malikhang Pilipino,” the event brought together repres...