The Department of Interior Local Government (DILG) leads in the orientation on disaster preparedness manual yesterday with about a hundred local government units (LGUs), academe, civil society among others in Dumaguete City to know its level of readiness and strengthen the local disaster plans.

An international children’s medical charity conducted surgeries for free to more than 50 children and infants in Negros Oriental, suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City recently.

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo debunked media reports yesterday quoting him as having said “yes” to the proposed Negros Island Region, or NIR, at a meeting with Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental at the Dumaguete City Capitol.

“We are not closing our doors to the possibility of a one island, one region. But, not at this moment”, Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo said yesterday as he again explained his stand on the need for further consultation with the people of Negros Oriental.

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo said it is not true that it is an overwhelming consensus of the people to revive the plan to integrate the two provinces of Negros into one region, as stated in the resolution approved by the Dumaguete Sangguniang Panlungsod in its regular session Wednesday.

For the first time in the province’s history, a governor has taken the Sanggunian Panlalawigan to court so that the legislators will be legally compelled to restore and approve the controversial appropria tions that they found prudent to delete from the 2015 annual budget.

Provincial Jail Warden Joselito Bitoon and two guards have been suspended following the escape of a high-profile carnapping suspect identified as Ricardo Ebasan Jr. from the Negros Oriental Rehabilitation and Detention Center in broad daylight on March 5.

If no compromise is reached, another contentious item in the annual budget of the provincial government may trigger a string of suits that might further strain the relations between the Governor and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

The Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) targets to demonetize old peso notes next year, to give way to the full circulation of the new generation currency (NGC).

Some 125 member-women of local government units’ Gender and Development (GAD) and other women organizations are expected to participate in a Kapihan forum and workshop on March 27 with Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. (VFFI)  at Negros Oriental Convention Center, Dumaguete City.