Carla P. Gomez

Former councilor Ricardo “Cano” Tan with his wife, Nita, after he filed his COC Friday morning.*CGS photoThe race for the lone congressional seat of Bacolod is now a five-cornered fight with businessman Danny Atayde joining the race, while Ricardo “Cano” Tan is seeking a comeback as city councilor.Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, who is running for reelection under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, has chosen to stay neutral on the race for city mayor, saying incumbent Evelio Leonardia and his challenger Alfredo Abelardo Benitez are both his friends.Atayde, a former consultant of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) port and a businessman from Barangay Villamonte, said he wants to see to the creation of an economic zone in the city to give people jobs and help the po...

Former vice governor Emilio “Dino” Yulo holds up his COC for congressman of the fifth district of Negros Occidental.*CPG photoSugar Board member Emilio “Dino” Yulo III (Independent) filed his certificate of candidacy for congressman of the fifth district of Negros Occidental Friday, October 8.He is challenging incumbent Rep. Ma. Lourdes Arroyo (Lakas CMD/UNegA) and Anthony Javelosa (Independent), a former Himamaylan City barangay captain.Yulo is also a former vice governor and fifth district board member of Negros Occidental.Arroyo is the sister-in-law of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and ran unopposed in the 2019 elections.“It is important that the people of the fifth district are given a choice”, Yulo, who is also a lawyer, said.Yulo said if elected he ...

The Negros for Leni caravans from Bago City in the south and Silay City in the north.*Bernaldo Eres photoClose to 100 vehicles joined festive caravans from northern and southern Negros Occidental to Bacolod City Friday afternoon, October 8, to celebrate Vice President Leni Robredo’s announcement that she is running for President in 2022, Edwin Nacionales, and Negros for Leni (N4L) co-convenor, said.The caravans kicked off from Silay City in the north and Bago City in the south with about 60 vehicles and were joined by more on their way to Bacolod City where they converged at the South Capitol Road.Participants on board the vehicles, decked in Negros for Leni tarpaulins and pink ribbons and balloons, honked and flashed their headlights to celebrate.Drumbeaters from La Carlot...

Twelve Local Government Units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental will be joining the three-day expanded contact tracing and early detection drive through rapid antigen testing Saturday to Monday, October 9-11, provincial consultant on economic affairs Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said Friday.The drive was initially set to cover 10 LGUs but was expanded to 12, he added.To be covered by the expanded contact tracing drive are the cities of Silay, Talisay, La Carlota, Himamaylan and Kabankalan, and the municipalities of Toboso, Salvador Benedicto, Pulupandan, San Enrique and Binalbagan, using the number of cases and daily attack rate as basis.The towns of Pontevedra and Hinoba-an requested to be included, Benitez said.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson issued a memorandum to all local chief...

La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan is seeking reelection with her father Alberto Nicor as her runnning mate*Team Arangka photoHimamaylan City mayoral candidate Ernesto Agustin Bascon, fourth from left, after filing his COC Friday.*Family partnerships appear to be the fad in the fifth district of Negros Occidental.La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for reelection with her father, former mayor Alberto Nicor Jr., as her running mate under Team Arangka, Friday, October 8.Her candidates for councilor are Leonardo Bacquian, Ryan Canoy, Patrick Estoya, Donato Dumaguit, Kent Magnabe, Alberto Nicor, Anejo Nicor and Carlo Vincent Ocampo.Board Member Ernesto Agustin Bascon also filed his COC for mayor of Himamaylan City with his co...

BCPO photoThe suspect in the killing of a senior high school teacher at her house at Sitio Canipa-an, Barangay Banquerohan, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, Wednesday, was arrested in Bacolod City at past 1 a.m. Friday, October 8, Lt. Col. Rocky Desear, Cadiz police chief, said.Arrested for killing Jessica Transmonte Ducay, 28, a teacher at the Dr. Vicente F. Gustilo Memorial National High School, was Delleon Del Rosario, alias Toto, Desear said.Del Rosario is also accused of stealing P79,000 from the teacher and charges for robbery with homicide will be filed against him, the cop chief said.Desear said Del Rosario had been hired as a painter at the house of Ducay.Footage from two CCTV cameras showed that Del Rosario was the lone person who entered and exited the Ducay ho...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is offering a P500,000 reward for any vital information that could lead to the capture of the person or persons responsible for the murder of the provincial consultant on hospital operations, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Friday, October 8.Mariano Antonio “Marton” Cui III was killed as he was leaving his office at Emerald Arcade in Barangay Palampas, San Carlos City, on April 12.Lacson said those who have any vital information may contact Renoir Baldovino, National Bureau of Investigation Bacolod chief, at (034) 703-2931.0The NBI is conducting a parallel investigation to that of the police into the killing of Cui, who also served as chief of staff of former Rep. Julio Ledesma.*

Photo from Leni Robredo FB“After serious reflection and much effort to unify the anti-administration forces, Vice President Leni Robredo has finally made the only logical decision - that she must lead the fight to reclaim our country from the clutches of a treacherous administration,” former Negros Occidental Gov. Rafael Coscolluela said Thursday, October 7.Robredo, 56, announced Thursday that she is running for president in the 2022 national elections as an independent candidate.She has “the courage, the competence and track record, the integrity and empowering leadership that our next President must have, if we want an end to misgovernance and incompetence,” Coscolluela, a 1Sambayan convenor, said.Coscolluela said he joins the many Filipinos all over the country and aroun...

Capitol file photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government will kick off its rapid antigen testing of 20,000 Negrenses on Saturday, October 9, to speed up the contact tracing efforts in selected cities and municipalities with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Thursday, October 7.The ten initial areas to be covered by the rapid antigen testing are La Carlota City, Talisay City, Himamaylan City, Kabankalan City, Silay City, Pulupandan, Binalbagan, Toboso, San Enrique, and Salvador Benedicto.The cities and municipalities are determined based on the COVID-19 daily attack rates for the past seven days.Negros Occidental had 4,300 active COVID-19 cases and seven new deaths on Thursday, the Provincial Incident Management Team repo...

Vice mayoral candidate Wilson “Jun” Gamboa (center) with the candidates for councilor running with him.*Opposition Councilor Wilson “Jun” Gamboa Jr., who is running for vice mayor of Bacolod City, led what he called an “alliance of independents” in filing their certificates of candidacy before the Commission on Elections on Thursday, October 7.They are the group that will bring real change to Bacolod City, he said.Gamboa will be challenging Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran of Grupo Progreso and former councilor Caesar Distrito of Asenso for a Better Bacolod for the second top post of Bacolod.“We are currently facing a medical health and economic crisis, and also a crisis in leadership. There is a big clamor now from the people of the city of Bacolod for a leader that can give...