Marchel P. Espina

The man (right) who was arrested in Escalante City Saturday, July 30.*NOCPPO photoA man was arrested after he and his companions chased and fired a gun at a moving Ceres bus at the national highway of Crossing Cristobal, Barangay Mabini, Escalante City in Negros Occidental Saturday, July 30.Nabbed was Joefel Sante, 19, of Purok Makiangayon 2, Echarri Street, Barangay Balintawak, Escalante.Police said the conductor of the bus had sought the help of the police after they were chased by motorcycle-riding suspects.Responding policemen chased the suspects, but were only able to catch Sante.The driver reportedly didn’t stop the bus to pick up the suspects after one of them was seen with a pipe, and  there was also a previous incident of a hold-up in the area, a police re...

A farmer was shot to death at Purok 10, Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan in Negros Occidental on Friday, July 29.The fatality was identified as Panpelo Maban, 61.Police said that the victim and his wife were in their nipa hut in their farm when four unidentified men arrived to talk to him.When his wife left, the suspects shot Maban several times with an M-16 rifle. He died instantly.Police have yet to establish the motive of the incident.*

A man who was allegedly involved in gunrunning activities in northern  Negros Occidental was arrested in a buy-bust operation at Hda. Dagingding, Brgy Rizal, Silay City, Thursday, July 28.Nabbed was  Stephen Superal, 42, of Prk. Cagaycay, Brgy. Banago, Bacolod City. He was a newly identified member of “Kilas Group” that was allegedly involved in gunrunning activities in the cities of Silay and Talisay and adjacent localities.During an entrapment operation, the suspect yielded a  .45 caliber pistol with one magazine and six live ammunition, the P19,950 boodle money, the P50 marked money, and a paper bag.The suspect is now in the  custody of the Silay police.*

Alleged NPA member Adrian Omilig*PRO-6 photoAn alleged member of the New People’s Army in Negros Occidental was arrested by the Philippine National Police and Philippine Army at his home at Purok 6, Maote, Bulwagan, Hinoba-an on Thursday, July 28.Nabbed was Adrian “Tortor/Niko” Omilig, who was said to be a squad leader of  the Sentro de Gravidad Platoon of the  South West Front that operates in Southern Negros, Lt. Col. Arnel Solis, Police Regional Office-6 information officer, said Friday.Omilig was allegedly involved in an armed encounter with government troopers in April 2021 at Sitio Yuring, Barangay Bulwagan, Hinoba-an, he said.His apprehension stemmed from an arrest warrant for attempted murder issued by Kabankalan Regional Trial Court Judge Rodney Magbanua....

The Balik Tanaw Cafe and Event Place where the cases of softdrinks were stolen.*Silay PNP photoA 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing cases of softdrinks from a store at  Locsin Street in  Brgy VI, Silay City, Negros Occidental, early Thursday, July 28.Nabbed was Russel Amit, while his three companions were able to escape.The suspect and his companions were seen bringing three cases of softdrinks worth P815 from Balik Tanaw Cafe and Event Place.They gained entry into the store by destroying its glass window. They also carted away a cellphone worth P7,000 and P2,000 in cash.The suspect is now in the custody of Silay police.*

The drug recoveries from a police buy-bust operation at Brgy. Singcang Airport, Bacolod City.*BCPO photoThe police recovered P2.14  million worth of illegal drugs in two separate buy-bust operations in Bacolod City early Thursday, July 28.Arrested at Purok Villa Baradas in Barangay Alijis was  31-year-old Ramon Vertudes, who yielded P1,394,000 worth of suspected shabu.The bust was conducted by the Special Operations Unit 6 with the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group.In Prk. Kahirup, Brgy. Singcang Airport,  21-year-old John Mark Melana, of Prk. Torre, Brgy. Mansilingan was arrested during a buy-bust operation. He was tagged as a street-level individual by Police Station 8.Recovered from his possession were 110 grams of suspected shabu worth...

At least P64 million worth of illegal drugs were seized by the police in Negros Occidental in the first six months of 2022.In a report released by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office Wednesday, July 27, around nine kilos of suspected shabu were confiscated in anti-illegal drugs operations from January to June.A total of 331 operations were conducted by NOCPPO in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG 6), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA 6), PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG 6) and Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU 6) that resulted to the arrest of 414suspects.Also, an estimated P549,000 worth of marijuana were also confiscated by NOCPPO with 851 cases filed against the suspects.Col. Leo Pamittan, acting provincial po...

The scene of what the Army said was an encounter*The Philippine Army in Negros Occidental insisted that the clash with the New People’s Army on Tuesday, July 26, that claimed the lives of three rebels in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, was legitimate.This, after Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the NPA’s Apolinario Gatmaitan Command, alleged that Christina Jacolbe, her 16-year-old daughter Kaye and their relative Roldan Montero were massacred by members of the 62nd Infantry Battalion.The Army said the three killed in a 10-minute firefight were NPA members.Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commanding general of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, said on Wednesday that he was expecting the NPA to twist  the truth to discredit the Army, which is not surprising since they have d...

The minor who was hit by lighting is now in stable condition.*Sagay PNP photoA 60-year-old man was killed while his worker, a 17-year-old boy, was injured after they were struck by lightning Tuesday, July 26, in Brgy. Puey, Sagay City, Negros Occidental.Killed was Bernardo Tapia.The two were tending to their pigs when it suddenly rained, so they took cover at the waiting shed, but they were hit by lightning, a police report said.There were four more people at the waiting shed but they were not hit.Tapia was declared dead on arrival at the hospital while the minor is in stable condition, the police said.*