Watchmen Daily Journal
TRO DELAYS PAY RAISE
Labor organizations have strongly criticized the temporary restraining order (TRO) that halted the implementation of the P85 daily minimum wage increase in the National Capital Region (NCR), describing the court action as a setback for workers and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KEEP ECONOMY AFLOAT, BACOLOD SP TOLD ADOPT FLEXIBLE BIZ POLICIES
While relocating families living under Lupit Bridge may take time, Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya said affected households will be prioritized for rescue, assistance and eventual transfer to safer and more permanent housing at the city’s relocation...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PAY RAISE IN LIMBO
The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) strongly condemned the issuance of a status quo ante order and temporary restraining order (TRO) on the implementation of the P85 daily minimum wage increase for workers in the National Capital Region...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE HOTSPOT
The Bacolod City Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) said cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) in the city have reached an alarming level following the rescue of 10 minors aged 12 to 17 from livestreaming...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR BSKE
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental has declared that preparations for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in November are in full swing, emphasizing that there are no legal impediments that would delay the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TAX RELIEF GETS PRAISE BUT …
The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines - Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (Nacusip-TUCP) welcomed the economic relief measures announced by President Ferdinand Marcos,Jr.inhis2026 State of the Nation Address...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘PLEASED’ BY THE SPEECH
Bacolod City officials expressed satisfaction with the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. delivered at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City yesterday, presenting both an accounting of his accomplishments and a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
P250 WAGE HIKE BACKED
The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) has welcomed the proposal to increase the daily minimum wage in the region by P250, saying the adjustment is needed to provide immediate relief to workers grappling with rising living costs and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DA to allot P235-M for NegOcc RSSI response
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will download P235 million in funds to strengthen Negros Occidental’s response to the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation, with P200 million earmarked for cash assistance to affected sugarcane farmers and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DECIDE YOUR OWN STRATEGY
The United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (Unifed) has urged local chief executives across Negros Occidental to immediately implement large-scale measures against red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), saying every available method...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PROBE ‘UNJUST WAGES’
Diocese of San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, along with two workers’ groups, has called for a thorough government investigation into the labor complaints filed by farm workers at Hacienda Lolita against sugar stakeholder Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NFSP DEFENDS VALDERRAMA
The National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) has denounced what it described as a “smear campaign” against Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed) President Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr., linking the controversy to his outspoken...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GOING ‘GREEN’ NOT SUFFICIENT
As the debate continues over the most effective response to the infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) affecting sugarcane plantations in Negros, the United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) is set to convene a forum with a chemical...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SP conference on sanitary landfill foul odor set
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) will hold a committee conference on Thursday, July 23, to address the foul odor coming from the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa. Councilor Homer Bais, SP committee on environment and ecology...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FOR SAFE, QUICK PEST SOLUTION?
The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (Confed) supports immediate, large-scale spraying using drones and manual ground-based methods to combat the ongoing red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation, while cautioning against the use of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MULTI-PRONGED RSSI APPROACH
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) defended its consistent natural and biological methods to combat the infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), saying its initiative began years before Negros Occidental announced its “gogreen”...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DECLARE WASTE PACT ‘NULL, VOID’
Alyansa Kontra Basura lead convenor Wennie Sancho has requested the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod to officially acknowledge Victorias City’s withdrawal of its proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) for waste disposal at a landfill in Barangay Felisa.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
LACSON REJECTS AERIAL SPRAYING
Lacson reiterated that while the province recognizes the growing threat posed by RSSI to the sugar industry, it will not finance the aerial spraying campaign being pushed by the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (Unifed). “We will...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘ONE-TIME, BIG-TIME’
Sugar producers are pushing for a P200-million emergency aerial spraying program to contain the rapidly spreading infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) before the start of the milling season in October, warning that immediate...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PRO-NIR PROBES ONLINE BOMB THREAT AFTER SAN CARLOS SITES CLEARED
The Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has launched a cybercrime investigation to identify the individual behind an alleged bomb threat posted on social media after authorities found no explosives or suspicious items during security...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ashfall hits 10 brgys in Canlaon City
Ashfall from Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption has affected at least 10 barangays in Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City on Thursday morning, July 9, prompting local authorities to assess damage and advise residents to take health precautions. Seth Barilag,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Olivia, Leo Rey Yanson face perjury, falsification raps
A 78-year-old retired executive of the Yanson Group of Bus Companies (YGBC) has filed separate criminal complaints against Olivia Yanson and her son, Leo Rey, alleging that false sworn statements they executed led to the filing of a carnapping case...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NegOcc moves to protect municipal waters from commercial fishing
The Negros Occidental provincial government is pushing to strengthen its existing ordinance banning commercial fishing within municipal waters as officials intensify efforts to safeguard the livelihood of more than 45,000 small-scale fisherfolk across...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
2 BACOLOD SCHOOLS GET THREATS
Classes at the University of St. La Salle (USLS) and Luisa Medel National High School in Bacolod City were suspended yesterday due to alleged threats received by the schools. Lt. Colonel Joem Malong, Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
LANDFILL ACCESS TO PROCEED IF IT HAS SUPPORT: COUNCILOR
The proposed memorandum of agreement (MOA) to allow Victorias City to temporarily dispose of its residual waste at the sanitary landfill in Bacolod City’s Barangay Felisa should proceed only if the Bacolodnons support and accept it, Councilor...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
UNIFORM CONTROL MEASURES
Varying protocols among local government units (LGUs) have resulted in inconsistencies that could hamper efforts to contain African swine fever (ASF) in Negros Island Region (NIR) as the Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to establish a regional...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Victorias access to Bacolod landfill ‘allowed’
The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) said Victorias City government’s request to temporarily dispose of its residual waste at the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa is allowed “under the law” as the initiative has been approved by the Bacolod...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ASF kills over 2,000 hogs in 13 NegOcc LGUs
African swine fever (ASF) has affected 13 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental, resulting in the deaths of 2,130 hogs as of Tuesday, June 30, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said. ASF has affected a total of 55,961 hogs in 13...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bacolod confirms 4 positive ASF cases
Bacolod City logged four positive cases of African swine fever (ASF), City Veterinary Office (CVO) head Dr. Maria Agueda dela Torre confirmed yesterday. The hog samples were collected on Monday, June 29, from backyard hog raisers in Barangays Alijis...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Student assault, stabbing ‘alarming’: DepEd-Bacolod
“Physical assault and stabbing incidents among students in various public schools in Bacolod City can be considered alarming.” This was stressed by Lila Vaflor Aro, spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Bacolod after...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kabankalan to declare state of calamity due to RSSI
Kabankalan City is set to be placed under a state of calamity as the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation continues to spread across sugarcane plantations, with the Negros Island Region (NIR) now recording the highest number of affected...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Negros Power recognized by ERC for leadership in clean energy transition
BACOLOD CITY — Negros Power has earned national recognition from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for its outstanding contribution to advancing renewable energy and promoting consumer participation in the country’s clean energy...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BACOLOD BRACES FOR ASF
Mayor Greg Gasataya, who recently convened the city’s Task Force on ASF, said the city will impose a ban on imported pork and pork byproducts to protect hog raisers, vendors, transporters, and consumers who are part of the billion-peso swine industry.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CURB ASF SPREAD
The swine deaths from May 20 and June 22 caused losses accounting for 4.06 percent of the province’s 29,880 hog population, according to data released by the Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier confirmed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lacson, PRO-NIR call for keeping schools safe
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and the Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) have called for heightened vigilance inside schools following a recent stabbing incident involving students in San Carlos City. In a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ASF HITS NEGOCC TOWN
Lacson affirmed yesterday that laboratory test results have verified the presence of ASF in the town.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Blue crab ban seen to worsen small fishers’ plight, poverty
Small fishers and civil society organizations from Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Guimaras have raised concerns over the recent United States ban on blue swimming crabs from the Philippines, warning that the measure could have severe economic...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Diaz defends appointment, pushes hospital mgt reforms
Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II has defended his appointment as officer-incharge of the Provincial Health Office’s Hospital Operations Services, emphasizing that the position focuses on hospital management and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Bacolod, NegOcc should work together’
Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez urged the Bacolod City government and the provincial government to work together rather than compete. Speaking as the guest speaker during Bacolod’s 88th Charter Day celebration on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FUNGUS ‘ARMY’ VS. SUGAR PEST
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered the mass production of a naturally occurring fungus to combat the destructive redstriped soft scale insect (RSSI) as the infestation spreads to 4,847.63 hectares of sugarcane farms across the Visayas,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kanlaon’s constant degassing lowers blast chance: Phivolcs
The continuous degassing at Kanlaon Volcano is a more favorable scenario than a closed volcanic unrest, where pressure can build up and potentially trigger a more explosive eruption. The current activity suggests the volcano’s system remains open,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Raisers look into pattern on rising hog deaths
Hog raisers in Negros Occidental are being urged to tighten biosecurity measures following reports of increasing hog deaths across several local government units in the southern part of the province. The Alliance of Hog Raisers Association of Negros...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SUGARCANE PEST HOTSPOT
Negros Occidental remains the hardesthit province amid the infestation of red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in at least 1,949.45 hectares of sugarcane fields, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said, as the pest continues to spread across...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
STRONG ENFORCEMENT OF ANTI-SMOKING ORDINANCE URGED
The Bacolod City council urged authorities to reinvigorate and intensify the enforcement of the city’s Comprehensive AntiSmoking Ordinance through a coordinated multi-agency effort. The Sangguniang Panlungsod urged Mayor Greg Gasataya to direct and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lacson: Freedom carries responsibility
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson underscored the importance of history, freedom and nation-building during the 128th Philippine Independence Day rites at the Provincial Capitol yesterday, stressing that freedom carries continuing...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SECURE PERMITS, BACOLOD TELLS ASENSO MARKET VENDORS
The Bacolod City government will still require vendors at the Asenso Market in Barangay Alijis to secure special permits despite the issuance of a temporary permit as requested by village captain Deogracias de la Vega. “The city council approved the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Prank call, fake food orders prompt BFP warning
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Bacolod City has condemned the spread of false emergency calls after firefighters were dispatched to a supposed residential fire that turned out to be a hoax, while the same address was also allegedly used for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Intensified police visibility urged
The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is urged to intensify police visibility and crime prevention measures following the recent holdup incident involving a female doctor in Barangay 19. Councilor Em Ang, chairperson of the city council committee on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
1,612 NIR cops to secure class opening
The Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has deployed 1,612 police personnel across the region as part of its SAFE Balik Eskwela 2026 initiative to ensure a peaceful, orderly and secure opening of classes today, June 8. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cadiz mayor tells senators: Set aside political rift
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante has expressed concern over the ongoing crisis in the Senate, urging lawmakers to put aside political disputes and return their focus to serving the Filipino people. Speaking in his personal capacity,
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MassKara Coliseum eyed for completion
Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya confirmed that the construction of the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum is now 76 percent complete. Gasataya, who inspected the coliseum yesterday, said the contractor has been given until September of this year to complete...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CLOUDSEEDING TO EASE CROP DAMAGE SHELVED
DA-NIR Regional Director Jose Albert Barrogo said the agency has placed the proposed artificial rainmaking activities on hold as weather conditions have improved with the arrival of the rainy season. “With the rainy season already underway,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Who gets the P100-K reward for robbery suspects’ info?
The Bacolod City government is now coordinating with the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) for the release of the P100,000 reward to informants in helping the arrest of the suspects who allegedly robbed a female doctor at her apartment in Bacolod...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ROAD CLOSURE FOR SEABA QUALIFIERS JUNE 2 TO 6
The Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department (BTTMD) will implement a temporary road closure along Hilado Street (L.N. Agustin Drive to Lopez Jaena Street) starting today until Saturday, June 6, for the city’s hosting of the 2026 FIBA U18...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ARMED STRUGGLE REMAINS ACTIVE
The National Democratic Front (NDF) - Negros has disputed recent claims by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) that the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros has already...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Environmental advocates reject permits for bulk water project
Environmental groups and disaster risk reduction specialists are urging local government units in northern Negros Occidental to reject approvals for the proposed P1.2-billion Negros Occidental bulk water supply project, citing what they described as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WATER RESERVES CAN’T KEEP PACE
The Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) is set to conduct cloudseeding operations in Negros Occidental and other parts of Western Visayas in the first week of July, as the government moves to mitigate the effects of extreme heat and moisture...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
P250-M bridge to link 2 Moises Padilla brgys
A proposed P250-million bridge project aimed at restoring a critical transport link between Barangays Montilla and Macagahay in Negros Occidental’s Moises Padilla town has moved into a key evaluation stage following a site inspection conducted by the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Toboso mayor slams Noneco over board poll Jaojoco open to power coop’s structural reforms
Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco criticized the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) for what he described as a lack of transparency in the long-delayed election of its board of directors, saying the cooperative’s governance issues are now...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NegOcc execs back P12-B farm-to-market road program
Local chief executives in Negros Occidental have expressed strong support for the proposed P12-billion farm-tomarket road program endorsed by the Provincial Development Council (PDC), describing it as a major step toward modernizing agriculture and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CERNET not cleared amid terror financing case dismissal: army
The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID) has backed the position of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict’s (NTF-ELCAC) legal cooperation cluster on the dismissal of the terrorism financing case filed against Community
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Gasataya condemns on-air rape joke
Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya has strongly condemned statements aired in a radio broadcast that allegedly treated sexual assault and violence against women as a subject of humor, calling the incident a “failure of empathy” and a betrayal of public...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘On-air rape joke a serious breach of media ethics’
A local radio broadcaster’s remarks allegedly trivializing rape and violence against women went viral and sparked public backlash, drawing strong condemnation from women’s groups, press organizations, lawmakers, and a national government task...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EXTREME WEATHER, FEWER SCHOOL DAYS
Public schools in the Negros Island Region (NIR) lost a total of 19 school days due to class suspensions linked to climate-related events in a three-month period last year, data from the Department of Education during the Second Congressional...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
INSURGENCY TEARS FAMILIES APART
Many young people eventually become estranged from their families once they start as activists or members of advocacy groups to become armed operatives, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said, raising concern...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NTF-ELCAC alarmed over youth ‘terror grooming’
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) renewed its warning against alleged communist rebel recruitment among the youth following the death of former student leader Vince Francis Dingding during an armed encounter in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
5 ‘REBELS’ KILLED IN CLASH ANEW
A timely tip from residents led to a series of armed encounters that resulted in the neutralization of five alleged remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) South West Front at Barangay Abaca in Negros Occidental’s Cauayan town on Saturday, May...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘STAGED’ GUNFIRE TO ADVANCE INTERESTS?
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson condemned the chaotic incident and reported gunfire inside the Senate during the tense standoff involving Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, describing the situation as “embarrassing and shameful” for the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Senator calls for full probe into Senate shooting scare
A senator called for a full and independent investigation into the shooting incident that occurred at the Senate on Wednesday night, May 13, saying the violence stemmed from Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s refusal to face legal proceedings tied to a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
LOWER OUTPUT, HIGHER PRICES
The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said sugar production for the next crop year is expected to decline by seven to nine percent but expressed hope that mill gate prices will improve due to the current oversupply of raw sugar.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cop dies, 2 others hurt in buy-bust
A 38-year-old police officer was killed while two others were injured during a buy-bust operation against an alleged street-level drug personality at Barangay Talaptap in Negros Occidental’s La Castellana town late Monday night, May 11. Police Master...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lacson backs airport expansion, convention center push in Silay
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has expressed support for major infrastructure projects being proposed in Silay City, saying these developments could strengthen tourism and investment in Negros Occidental. Among the projects being...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Benitez withdraws call for Toboso clash inquiry
Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javi Benitez said he will no longer push for a congressional inquiry into the April 19 encounter in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town that left 19 people dead, saying ongoing investigations by proper...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Negros 19’ autopsy findings challenge military claims
Autopsy findings on the 19 individuals killed in a military operation in Negros Occidental’s Toboso town, including two Filipino-Americans, have raised questions over the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) claim that the incident was a legitimate...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Elderly woman dies in fire after letting husband save himself
A 79-year-old woman died after reportedly letting her husband escape a residential fire that razed several homes at Purok Maanyag 2 in Bacolod City’s Barangay Alijis on Tuesday night, May 6. Rosa Magbanua allowed her husband, 62-year-old Jose...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NegOcc sustainable energy framework drives renewable push
Bringing reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to small communities is at the heart of Negros Occidental’s energy transition, as the province advances its energy framework for 2030 alongside the Renewable Energy Week Expo 2026 set for May 7 to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)