Marchel P. Espina

The San Carlos City government has allowed the distillery of San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. to operate starting Monday, March 8, Mayor Renato Gustilo confirmed.The mayor stressed that only the distillery has resumed operations and not the molasses production.“It has huge discharges of spent wash. Spent wash appears dirty, but it is organic. But the problem is, if it is in large volume, then it becomes pollution,” he pointed out.The city government had temporarily shut down the operations of SCBI on February 19 due to several environmental violations, including the water discoloration along the coastal waters of So. Maloloy-on, Brgy. Punao, due to its wastewater discharges.Gustilo said that the city has yet to receive the result of the investigation of the Environmental Managemen...

Gabriela Negros marked the International Women’s Day with a protest at the Bacolod City public plaza, Monday, March 8.*Julius Dagatan photoGabriela Negros marked International Women’s Day with a protest march and rally at the Bacolod City public plaza, Monday, March 8.More than 100 rallyists, who joined the protest, slammed what they called the continued repression of citizens, including illegal arrests, red-tagging of people’s organizations, and militarization in upland barangays.The group marched from the Fountain of Justice to the public plaza carrying placards with messages such as “Ayuda, bakuna, ligtas na lipunan ipaglaban!” and “COVID, krisis, at Duterte wakasan!”Marden Jalandoon, secretary-general of Gabriela Negros, said the government has had no significant progra...

A brutally killed man who was found in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, early Sunday, March 7, remains unidentified.A barangay tanod discovered the body of the victim, whose hands and feet were tied, at Imaculada Street in Canetown Subdivision, Barangay 19-A, the police said.A placard with the message “I love drugs” written on it was found on the body of the victim.The name of a person, whose identity was withheld by the police, was also written on the placard with the words “you’re next” beside it.Lt. Col. Eduardo Corpuz, Victorias City police chief, said they already interviewed the person named in the placard, who said he does not know the victim.“We’re still establishing the connection of this person with the victim and the suspects,” he said.RIBS CRACKED, EAR...

San Carlos LGU photoDrug surrenderers, barangay officials, public utility drivers, and policemen underwent drug tests in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, this week.The San Carlos City Anti-Drug Abuse Council continued its Oplan Tapok Hangyo (Taphang) in Barangay Prosperidad where surrenderers were profiled and tested for drugs on Thursday, March 4.The drug tests also included barangay officials, employees, and tanods.Ana Liza Macaraya, legal assistant at the City Legal Office and City Anti-Drug Abuse Council secretariat, said the drug tests covered 74 individuals.This is in preparation for the application of the barangay to be declared a drug-free village by the Regional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs-Western Visayas.SURPRISE DRUG TESTOn March 3, at l...

PDEA-6 photoOperatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 Special Enforcement Team seized more than P400,000 worth of shabu and arrested three high-value targets during a drug bust at Rizal Street, Barangay 26 in Bacolod City, Thursday evening, March 4.Nabbed were Gian Carlo “Rambo” Natavio, Georgie Garces and Benjamin Rosales, who are considered by authorities as high-value targetsShey Tanaleon, PDEA-6 information officer, said the suspects yielded 60 grams of suspected shabu worth P408,000.The suspects will be charged for the sale and possession of illegal drugs.The drug bust operation came a week after the policemen in the city hauled in P1.76 million worth of drugs in weeklong operations.*

Panay Today photoA human rights lawyer, who has handled cases of activists in Negros Occidental and of the “Sagay 9,” was stabbed by unidentified men in Iloilo City on Wednesday night, March 3.Lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen, secretary-general of the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) in Panay Island, was tailed by two masked men and stabbed with a screwdriver.The perpetrators then took his bags, which contained his laptop and case documents, and fled.He was rushed to the hospital for treatment and is now in stable condition.Rene Estocapio, NUPL vice president for Visayas, in a statement, said Guillen served as counsel in various public interest and human rights cases. He was also one of the 37 petitioners questioning the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act o...

Fifty-one of the 61 barangays in Bacolod City have had no coronavirus cases for two weeks.The city’s Emergency Operations Center reported today, March 4, that these villages have stayed coronavirus-free from February 19 to March 4.These are barangays 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, Alijis, Cabug, Felisa, Granada, Montevista, Pahanocoy, Punta Taytay, Sum-ag, Tangub, and Vista Alegre.The remaining 10 villages with active COVID-19 cases are Alangilan, Banago, Bata, Estefania, Handumanan, Mandalagan, Mansilingan, Singcang-Airport, Taculing, and Villamonte.As of March 3, Bacolod logged 69 active cases, with 5,836 total confirmed cases, 5,581 recoveries, and ...

Rennier Araco Jr photoAn alleged hitman botched the assassination of two businessmen at an eatery in Barangay Bagacay, Dumaguete City, Tuesday night, March 2.The would-be victims were identified by the police as Sandy Tinguha, 45, and Jason Ong, 36.Tinguha was sitting at an eatery when he was shot by the suspect, whose identity was not released by the police, but missed.The victim threw the chair at the suspect and escaped, the police report said.The suspect then chased and shot the second victim, Ong, but missed again.This prompted the witnesses to throw stones and stabbed the gunman to neutralize him, the police report added.They were also able to disarm the suspect, who was then shot and mauled by the bystanders.Five empty shells of a .45 caliber pistol w...