Carla P. Gomez

About 20 persons were rescued from a vacation home for rent in Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental, after a landslide destroyed the landing of its stairs, Mayor Marxlen de la Cruz said Monday, October 11.No one was injured but he has ordered the temporary closure of the establishment for inspection, he said.Heavy rain triggered the landslide in Purok Kulasi, Barangay Kumaliskis, Salvador Benedicto, Monday, he said.The guests staying at the vacation home sought help from the municipal government through social media early Monday morning because they could not get out since the landing of the stairs at the vacation home had been hit by the landslide, the mayor said.The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office personnel immediately responded to assist them, he sai...

The Commission on Elections has no jurisdiction over candidates until the local and national campaign periods start, Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Monday, October 11.“We only regulate (their activities) during the campaign period…prior to that its part of their Constitutional right to freedom of expression,” he said in a virtual press conference.As of now, they are free to put up billboards, posters, streamers, advertisements, and conduct campaign activities without being subjected to Comelec rules, he said.Their activities cannot be considered premature campaigning unless the law is amended, Ananoria said.“As far as the Comelec is concerned they are not yet candidates, we call them aspirants. They are called candidates when the cam...

There are 10 candidates for mayor and 11 for vice mayor in Negros Occidental who are running unopposed in the 2022 polls, a Commission on Elections list released by Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria Sunday, October 10.All 21 will only need one vote each to win, he said.In Ilog, Salvador Benedicto and Sipalay City siblings are sure wins for mayor and vice mayor.The unopposed candidates are:BAGO CITY: Mayor - Nicholas Yulo (Nationalist People’s Coalition/United Negros Alliance) and Vice Mayor – Ramon Torres (NPC/UNegA);CADIZ CITY: Vice Mayor – Lilia Decolongon (UNegA/PDP Laban);CAUAYAN: Mayor – John Rey Tabujara (NPC) and Vice Mayor – Anna Liza Soriano (NPC);EB MAGALONA: Mayor – Marvin Malacon (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan);ILOG: ...

Manila mayor and Aksyon Demokratiko presidential candidate Francisco "Isko Moreno” Domagoso was met by shrieking fans at the Manokan Country in Bacolod City Saturday, October 9.As Moreno, a former movie actor, stepped out of Manokan Country his fans, most of whom were women, chased him for selfies, which was captured in a video posted by his campaign team on his Facebook page.A source said Moreno made brief stops in Bacolod City, Cebu City, and Angeles City on Saturday on a borrowed private plane.Moreno met with Bomber Zayco, uncle of Kabankalan Councilor Miguel Zayco, the district chair of Aksyon Demokratiko who is running for vice mayor of Kabankalan City, and with a member of the Yanson family, the source said.*

Provincial consultant on economic affairs Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said 599 Negrenses in five cities and six towns in Negros Occidental underwent rapid antigen testing and 56 tested positive on Saturday, October 9.The Negros Occidental provincial government aims to tests 20,000 Negrenses to speed up the contact tracing efforts in 12 cities and municipalities with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said earlier.The rapid antigen testing of close contacts of COVID-19 hit Negrenses will resume Monday, October 11.Rapid antigen testing was conducted in the cities of La Carlota – 6 residents, Himamaylan -19, Silay – 131, Talisay 38 and Kabankalan - 112, and in the municipalities of Pulupandan - 8, San Enrique – 17, Pontevedra – 85, T...

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, PGen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, commended the Cadiz City police in Negros Occidental for immediately solving the robbery-slay of a senior high school teacher.“I commend our personnel at the Cadiz City Police Station led by PLt. Col. Rocky Desear for the speedy resolution of the killing of senior high school teacher Jessica Ducay with the arrest of suspected killer Delleon Del Rosario,” Eleazar, who was in Negros Occidental, said Saturday, October 9.Del Rosario who killed Ducay, 28, at her house at Sitio Canipa-an, Barangay Banquerohan, Cadiz City, on October 6, was arrested in Bacolod City at past 1 a.m. Friday, October 8, Desear said.Del Rosario is also accused of stealing P79,000 from the teacher and has been charged for robbery with h...

Comelec Bacolod photo“Register to vote early, don’t wait until the last minute again”, Ian Lee Ananoria, Negros Occidental provincial elections supervisor, appealed Sunday, October 10.Voter registration resumes Monday, October 11, until October 30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, he said.There will be no registration on Saturdays, except for October 30, he added.In Bacolod City, voter registration will be at SM City Bacolod from October 11 to 13, the venue for October 15 is awaiting approval, Ayala Malls Capitol Central – October 14, 18 and 19, Robinsons Place Bacolod – October 20 to 22, and University of Saint La Salle – October 25 to 30, the Comelec announced.The following are the venues for voter registration in the towns and cities of Negros Occidental:...

Four congressional candidates and six board members seeking reelection in Negros Occidental only need one vote to win.They are running unopposed in the 2022 polls, Commission on Elections records showed Friday night.The eight-day filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 polls ended at 5 p.m. Friday, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said.Incumbent representatives Gerardo Valmayor (Nationalist People’s Coalition) – first district and Juliet Marie Ferrer (National Unity Party/United Negros Alliance) – fourth district, and returning members of the House Alfredo Marañon III (NUP/UNegA) – second district and Mercedes Alvarez (NPC) – sixth district are unopposed.The unopposed candidates for board member seats are Rommel Debulgado (NPC) and Araceli Somosa (N...

Gubernatorial candidate Juan Orola Jr. arrives at the Comelec to file his COC with his sister, Cecile.*Former Bacolod Rep. Juan Orola Jr. filed his certificate of candidacy for governor of Negros Occidental before the Comelec Friday morning, October 8, under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) ticket.PDDS is in alliance with the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan Cusi wing, Orola said.Orola is challenging Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (NPC) and “psychic” Ma. Socorro Sibulan Okada (Independent) in a three-cornered fight for the governorship.Also running under the PDDS with Orola are Bago Councilor Cleo Gaudite for fourth district board member and Pedro Bolaño for fifth district board member.In all his political battles he has feared no one, because as h...