Tag: Negros Island

Sep292026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Bacolod public plaza to host MassKara competitions, community events Oct. 9 to 16

Bacolod City’s public plaza will host a series of competitions and community activities from Oct. 9 to 16 as part of the MassKara Festival 2026, featuring local dancers, student performers, market vendors and representatives of various sectors.The Bacolod Gugma Foundation announced on Tuesday, Sept. 29, that the activities will be held under the festival theme “Share The Smile. Celebrate Gugma.”Situation at Bacolod City Public Plaza days before the soft opening of 47th MassKara Festival.The plaza events will begin on Oct. 9 with the Choreographers Face Off, featuring homegrown dance talents representing different barangays in Bacolod.Elementary and high school students will compete in the Inter-School Drum and Lyre Corps Competition on Oct. 10, with nine elementary schools...

Sep292026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

P10.2M in suspected smuggled cigarettes seized in Himamaylan raid

Police, Top Stories

Authorities seized P10.2 million worth of suspected smuggled cigarettes and arrested a 22-year-old man during an operation in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, early Monday, Sept. 28.The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) identified the arrested suspect as alias Omar, while aliases Jun and Jake remain at large.Police said all three suspects are from Jolo, Sulu.The joint operation was conducted at around 2:55 a.m. in Sitio Batang, Brgy. Talaban, where authorities intercepted cigarettes reportedly being prepared for transport.Recovered during the operation were 63 master cases and 74 boxes of D&B cigarettes, as well as 25 master cases of YS Menthol and 102 boxes of YS Red cigarettes.The 176 boxes contained 25 reams each, according to PRO-NIR. ...

Sep282026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Love triangle eyed in La Libertad barangay captain’s killing, suspect arrested in Bacolod

Negros Oriental, Police, Top Stories

Police are investigating an alleged love triangle as the possible motive in the killing of a barangay captain in La Libertad, Negros Oriental, following the arrest of the suspect in Bacolod City on Saturday, Sept. 26.Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NORPPO) Acting Director Col. Jonathan Abella said investigators are looking into a personal grudge involving the victim, Brgy. Kansumandig Captain Dennis Jimpayan, 40, and the suspect, Gilbert Bellena, 32.Abella said initial information indicated that the two men may have been involved with the same woman, who was reportedly Jimpayan’s live-in partner.He said investigators have obtained information from the woman, who remained at the investigation office for further questioning.Abella said police have found no indicatio...

Sep272026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Negros Oriental, Siquijor workers to get P42 daily wage hike starting Oct. 14

Business, Community, Negros Oriental, Top Stories

Minimum wage earners in Negros Oriental and Siquijor will receive a P42 daily wage increase starting Oct. 14, 2026, under a wage adjustment approved for private sector workers covered by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) VII.Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino announced the increase on Saturday, Sept. 26, saying it is equivalent to an additional P1,092 a month.The wage adjustment also covers Cebu and Bohol, with the Department of Labor and Employment estimating that 337,476 workers across the four provinces will benefit.Although Negros Oriental and Siquijor are part of the Negros Island Region (NIR), they remain covered by RTWPB VII for minimum wage-setting purposes, while Negros Occidental remains under RTWPB VI in Western Visayas.The wage adjustme...

Sep232026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Sugar groups urge Coca-Cola to prioritize local sugar amid finished product imports

Business, Top Stories

Sugar producers and workers on Wednesday, Sept. 23, called on Coca-Cola's Philippine bottler to prioritize locally produced sugar following reports that it has been importing finished Coca-Cola products from Indonesia.In a joint statement on Sept. 23, the Sugar Council, National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines, and Democratic Association of Labor Organizations said the importation could reduce demand for Philippine sugar and affect farmers, millers and sugar workers.The Sugar Council is composed of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers.The groups issued the appeal after The Philippine Star reported on Sept. 17 that Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippine...

Sep232026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

All 106 BJMP-NIR personnel test negative for illegal drugs

Police, Top Stories

All 106 personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Negros Island Region tested negative for illegal drugs during a drug testing activity in Bacolod City on Monday, Sept. 21.BJMP-NIR said the testing covered personnel assigned to its Regional Office and was conducted as part of its drug-free workplace program.The activity started at around 8 a.m. and was facilitated by nurses and personnel of the agency's Health Service Division.Samples from the 106 personnel were collected and handled in accordance with established testing protocols, the BJMP said.No issues or incidents were recorded during the testing, while regular operations at the regional office continued, it added.BJMP-NIR said drug testing among its personnel forms part of its efforts to maintain acc...

Sep232026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

DSWD opens satellite office in Ilog for southern Negros communities

Community, Top Stories

The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Negros Island Region opened its fourth Social Welfare and Development Satellite Office in Brgy. Dancalan, Ilog, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday, Sept. 23.DSWD-NIR said the new satellite office will provide communities in southern Negros Occidental with closer access to the agency's social protection programs and services.The office is the fourth SWAD satellite facility established in the Negros Island Region as the agency expands its presence outside its regional offices.Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian and DSWD-NIR Regional Director Arwin Razo led the inauguration, which included a ribbon-cutting and blessing of the facility.Rep. Mercedes “Cheding” Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District) also attended the inauguration and e...

Sep222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Fire destroys house in Himamaylan, damage pegged at P445K

Police, Top Stories

A house was destroyed by fire in Sitio Olalia, Brgy. Cabadiangan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, with damage initially estimated at P445,000 on Monday night, Sept. 21,The fire broke out at around 7:20 p.m. at the residence of alias “Eli,” 58, the Himamaylan City police reported.Initial investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection showed that the homeowner noticed flames engulfing the roof before the fire spread throughout the house.Himamaylan BFP personnel responded to the area, but the blaze had already been extinguished when they arrived.No injuries were reported in the initial police report.The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation by the BFP.*

Sep222026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

LTO-NIR says probe found no assault in Bacolod traffic apprehension

Police, Top Stories

The Land Transportation Office-Negros Island Region said its internal investigation found no physical assault or excessive force by an LTO enforcer during a traffic apprehension in Bacolod City.In a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 22, it said the investigation stemmed from allegations following a roadside operation at the intersection of Araneta and Hernaez streets in Brgy. 36, where a motorist allegedly attempted to evade authorities after being flagged down for multiple traffic violations.LTO-NIR said it reviewed reports from its enforcement personnel and statements from eyewitnesses before concluding that no physical assault or excessive force occurred during the apprehension.The agency did not provide in its statement further details on the alleged traffic violations, when the ...

Sep212026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Fire hits PNP-SAF detachment in Sagay City

Police, Top Stories

A fire damaged the administration building of a Philippine National Police-Special Action Force detachment in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 19.The fire broke out at the PNP-SAF 6th Special Action Battalion detachment in Sitio Tan-ao, Brgy. Poblacion II, shortly after 5:30 p.m., the Sagay City Fire Station said.Firefighters raised the incident to second alarm as flames engulfed the building and threatened nearby properties.Fire trucks from Escalante and Cadiz cities responded to assist Sagay firefighters, along with the Lopez Sugar Corporation Fire Brigade and personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection substation in Brgy. Bato.The BFP declared the fire out at around 7 p.m.No injuries were reported in the incident.Fire investigators hav...