Ben Balce is the Associate Editor of Mindanao Gold Star Daily. A veteran journalist since 1997, Ben has served as a city reporter, editorial cartoonist, and regional correspondent for national dailies like Malaya and Abante. An active member of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club, he specializes in regional governance, investigative reporting, and visual commentary.
1458 stories
Former Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate the Senate Impeachment Court's ruling altering the two-thirds conviction threshold in Vice President Sara Duterte's trial. Rodriguez contends that reducing the requirement from 16 to 14 votes unconstitutionally modifies the 24-member Senate denominator.
The Senate impeachment court voted 13-1 to abandon a fixed 16-vote threshold for convicting Vice President Sara Duterte, opting instead to compute the two-thirds constitutional requirement based on participating senators. The shift triggered intense debate between defense lawyers and prosecution experts over the 24-member constitutional denominator.
Veteran labor lawyer, trade union leader, and law professor Atty. Gregorio A. Pizarro has passed away. Remembered by FFW and FDLO, Pizarro spent nearly six decades defending workers’ rights in courtrooms across Mindanao, teaching at MSU-IIT College of Law, and shaping Philippine labor jurisprudence.
The Department of National Defense is advancing plans to build a 300-hectare Philippine Navy base and dockyard within the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. While intended to serve as a strategic naval hub for Northern Mindanao, key details regarding overall costs and construction timelines remain unconfirmed.
![Graphic showing a gold 2026 Gawad Kalasag award shield next to text announcing Cagayan de Oro City as a Gold Recognition winner in the Highly Urbanized City Category for Northern Mindanao. The graphic includes official city seals and information on DRRM compliance under RA 10121[cite: 13].](https://uploads.mindanaogoldstardaily.com/2026/09/cagayan-de-oro-gawad-kalasag-2026-gold-award-highly-urbanized-city-medium-696x392.webp)
Cagayan de Oro City bagged a Gold Award under the highly urbanized city category of the 2026 Gawad Kalasag. Conferred by OCD Region 10, the recognition highlights the city's disaster risk reduction standards, emergency response efficiency, and adherence to Republic Act 10121 in protecting lives and local infrastructure.
The Federation of Free Workers argues that a nationwide P200 wage hike will trigger a positive velocity of money across regional economies, benefiting neighborhood micro-enterprises.
In a significant victory for labor groups, the Supreme Court ruled that absenteeism due to documented illness or hardship cannot automatically justify termination.
The Federation of Free Workers is pushing the Supreme Court for full backwages and reinstatement for Alvin G. Carpio, arguing that partial relief undermines the Labor Code.
Property owners in Cagayan de Oro have until July 5, 2026, to clear delinquent real property taxes with zero accrued penalties or surcharges.
A deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City has left multiple students dead and wounded, thrusting the country’s juvenile liability thresholds back into the spotlight.
NAGKAISA!, the country’s largest labor coalition, is urging the Senate to appoint Senate President Win Gatchalian—not Senator Chiz Escudero—to preside over Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial to ensure public trust.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A Commission on Audit (COA) special report has flagged the bulk water supply agreement between the Cagayan de Oro City Water District (COWD) and Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Inc. (COBI), revealing steep price increases for local households alongside unresolved infrastructure delays and water loss levels that exceed national regulatory limits.