Marchel P. Espina

PDEA photoAt least 14 more barangays in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, have been cleared of illegal drugs.Members of the Regional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs cleared 51 barangays in Western Visayas during its deliberations on Monday, March 22.The barangays were screened and assessed by the members of the committee chaired by Edgar Apalla, regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6.During the deliberations, representatives from the different barangays assisted by their local government units presented and defended their applications in compliance with the parameters of the Barangay Drug Clearing Program, Shey Tanaleon, PDEA-6 information officer, said.The new drug-cleared barangays in the province are Dulao, Napoles, Balingasag a...

BCPO photoTwo persons were killed in a motorcycle accident along the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway in Barangay Cabug, Bacolod City Sunday night, March 21.Killed were 26-year-old Remy Christopher Bertolano and his friend, Julius Xander Urbano, 37.Maj. Ritchie Gohee, Police Station 9 chief, said the victims came from Barangay Punta Taytay and were on their way home to Barangay Handumanan.They took a shortcut through the economic highway, but may have been unfamiliar with the road, he said.Bertolano could have lost control of the speeding motorcycle after they reached a rocky portion of the road, which is still being constructed.Both victims were thrown off the vehicle.They died on the spot.*

Two men died in separate shooting incidents in Negros Occidental on March 19.In Calatrava town, 43-year-old Lito Villamor, onboard a motorcycle, was on his way home to Barangay Minautok when he was chased by unidentified riding-in-tandem suspects who shot him several times.The victim was brought to the Calatrava District Hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival, the police said.Recovered from the crime scene were six fired cartridges of a .45 caliber pistol and two fired bullets.In Silay City, 48-year-old Arnold Rivera, onboard a motorcycle with his wife, was on his way home to Barangay E. Lopez when he was waylaid by the four suspects on board a white sedan and two motorcycles.One of them shot the victim at close range. The perpetrators then fled the scene.Re...

The management of Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City said that the allocated beds of its hospital wards in the Department of Pediatrics have reached full capacity.Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH medical center chief, in an advisory Sunday, March 21, said that the temporary changes will take effect immediately.He said that the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will limit its admission services to extreme emergency cases only until further notice.He also said that the Pediatrics Ward will limit its admission serves to extreme emergency cases.He also requested the public to coordinate closely with the hospital’s Emergency Department prior to patient transfers or transport.*

BCPO photoA 55-year-old man who was celebrating his birthday was shot to death outside his residence in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, Thursday night, March 18.Killed was Jose Estaniel Villabeto, who was also celebrating the christening of his son.Three unidentified suspects, who wore face masks and were armed with unknown firearms, shot the victim outside his home, the police reported.They then fled on board a red Avanza vehicle.The victim’s relatives brought him to the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, where he died.Police investigators found three fired bullets and four fired cartridge cases at the scene.The victim’s family chased the suspects who were quick to escape, the police said.The police are still investigating the motive of the killing.*

PRO-6 photoPolice seized P13.6 million worth of drugs and arrested two suspects in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Lag-asan, Bago City, Negros Occidental, Thursday, March 18.Nabbed were street-level individuals Radney Pidol, 38, and Raphy Pradilla, 28, of Barangay 2, Silay City.Their companion, Rogie Senatin of Silay City, was able to evade the policemen.The suspects sold six sachets of suspected shabu worth P100,000 to a police poseur-buyer before they were busted for drugs.The police also recovered two kilograms of shabu worth P13.6 million, drug paraphernalia, and other belongings from the suspects.The joint operation was conducted by operatives of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit Region 6 and Bago City Police Station, where the suspects, who will face ...

Calatrava PNP photoTwo men, including a senior citizen, died in separate shooting incidents in Negros Occidental Wednesday, March 17.In Calatrava town, 63-year-old Bonifacio Catalogo of Barangay Ani-e was waylaid and shot to death by unidentified suspects while he was on his way to feed his cow at the mountainous part of his village.The victim succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds and died on the spot.Recovered from the scene were 25 fired cartridge cases of a 9mm firearm.Police Maj. Robert Indiape, Calatraval police chief, said they are looking at a grudge or land conflict as the motive of the killing.He claimed that the victim was linked to several killings in their area, but was not charged with murder as the cases were settled.In La Carlota City, 58-year-old ...

Barbara Mijares photoThe Barangay Tangub, Bacolod City, chief will again be suspended after he was reinstated following a six-month suspension.This time, for simple misconduct.Barangay Captain Noli Villarosa had just served his six-month suspension over complaints on the implementation of the first tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) subsidy.Villarosa, along with two other village officials in the city, only returned to work on Wednesday, March 17.However, Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer II Rogie Dela Cuesta-Fernandez of the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas, in his order on Aug. 12, 2020, found substantial evidence of simple misconduct against Villarosa and he will be suspended for three months without pay.His order was approved by Deputy Omb...

The Sipalay City government has further eased its restrictions on travelers coming from Western Visayas and other regions with the implementation of the national government’s uniform travel policy.Mayor Maria Gina Lizares, in an executive order signed Tuesday, March 16, said tourists from the province and Bacolod City are no longer required to present any travel documents.Travelers from the region will also be allowed entry to the city provided they follow the requirements set by the provincial and local governments, which include S-Pass registration and a Travel Coordination Permit.Tourists from outside the region are required to present their negative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests within 72 hours from the swab extraction.The mayor stressed in the orde...