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PNP Chief PGen Benjamin Acorda Jr. during his visit to Negros Oriental takes a look at illegal and loose firearms recovered by the police in various operations.*Mary Judaline Partlow photoThe planned mass relief of all Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel in Negros Oriental as part of “cleansing the ranks” following the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo, has been put on hold, a key official said on Saturday, May 20.Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, made the announcement during a multi-sectoral stakeholders’ engagement at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) as part of the command visit of PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr.“The massive replacement of NOPPO police officers is currently on hold,” Aberin said. ...

Police process the crime scene where a farmer was shot dead by New People's Army rebels in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental on Saturday afternoon, May 20.*PNP photoA farmer in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, was shot and killed by suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) after he reportedly withdrew his support from the insurgency movement, a police official said on Sunday, May 21.The 47-year-old victim, Eduardo Antiquando Balansag, a resident of Sitio Mansalukon in Barangay Calupaan, was killed Saturday afternoon at his residence by four armed men who claimed to be NPA members.Lt. Col. Romeo Cubo, Guihulngan City police chief, said the suspects shouted “Mabuhay ang NPA (Long live the NPA)” before they fled.Cubo said the strongest possible motive for the killing w...

Five still unidentified alleged New People’s Army rebels were killed and firearms were seized in a series of encounters with 62nd Infantry “Unifier” Battalion soldiers in Brgy Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, today, May 20, the 62 IB reported.The 62nd Infantry “Unifier” Battalion launched combat operations in response to information regarding the planned NPA atrocities in Moises Padilla and La Castellana, Negros Occidental, resulting in the series of encounters with the rebels in Brgy Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, the 62IB statement said.The first encounter with 14 rebels at Sitio Napiluan occurred at 5:05 a.m. and lasted for 10 minutes, prompting the NPA fighters to splinter into smaller groups and withdrew towards the southwest direction.The second encounter t...

Not all pig deaths in Negros Occidental have been due to hog cholera, Dr. Ryan Janoya, officer-in-charge of the Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office, said Friday, May 19.Some of the 2,421 pig deaths in the province have also been due to pneumonia, heat strokes and other, he said.Janoya said the pig death toll has increased, mostly in the 4th District of Negros Occidental, but they were still consolidating the numbers.Their disease surveillance operations are ongoing to determine causes of death, he added.He also said only the Department of Agriculture or the Provincial Veterinarian can declare an outbreak in an area where there are high numbers of pig deaths.An outbreak would allow the local governments affected to use their calamity funds to assist affected g...

Pig movement is on lockdown in Barangay Sagasa, Bago City, Barangay Captain Rosalina Isuga said.The lockdown was imposed after 102 pigs died from hog cholera in Sagasa, she said.“There was an instruction from the province that our barangay will be placed on lockdown.” she said, adding that border control measures are now in place.Pigs in Sagasa are not allowed to leave the barangay, and new pigs are also not allowed in, she said.The directive is that the staff of the Bago City Veterinarian’s Office must be the ones to butcher the pigs in Sagasa to determine if they are fit for human consumption, she added.So far our barangay is still African Swine Fever free, Isuga assured.She also said that lately the number of pig deaths in the barangay have decreased.Pork pri...

PCol. Noel Aliño and the suspect Niel Nuñal.* BCPO photoThe Bacolod City Police Office reiterated its call on Friday, May 19, for junk shop owners to cooperate and report those who attempt to sell illegally obtained or stolen cable wires.This came after the police arrested an individual who was allegedly caught in the act of cutting cable wires along Araneta Street in Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod, early morning of Thursday, May 18.He was identified as Niel Nuñal, 35, of Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City.Recovered from his possession were six meters of cable wire owned by a telecom company with an estimated value of P13,000 and a hack saw, the police said.The suspect was detained at the custodial facility of Police Station 8 for proper disposition and filing of a case. ...

The Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center-6 (RJPSCC-6) declared Bacolod an insurgency-free city on Friday, May 19.RJPSCC-6 declaration was contained in a resolution signed during its 2nd Quarter regional meeting held at the Bacolod City Government Center. Among the signatories were Brig. Gen. Archival Macala - Police Regional Office-6 officer-in-charge, Commodore Arnaldo Lim - Coast Guard District - Western Visayas commander, and Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin - 303rd Infantry Brigade commander.Councilor Psyche Marie Sy, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Peace and Order, represented Bacolod City.Bacolod City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said “we’re here to make Bacolod a super city and in order to be a super city our city has to be safe...

Rice stocks at one of the NFA warehouses in Bacolod City.*NFA photoAs the province braces for the El Niño phenomena, National Food Authority- Negros Occidental manager Glenda Paz assured that there is enough rice buffer stock in place for the province.Currently there is a buffer of 30,000 bags of rice for the province for calamities and emergencies, Paz said on Friday, May 19.She said that if in buffer stock will not be enough, the province can get more rice from the NFA depots in Iloilo.Earlier this month, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) stated that recent conditions and model forecasts indicate that El Niño may emerge in the coming season (June-July-August) at 80 percent probability and may persist until the first ...

Himamaylan City has vaccinated 101.63 percent of its target population keeping its lead as the top performer in the Negros Occidental Chikiting Ligtas 2023 campaign, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, OIC provincial health officer, said Friday, May 19.Chikiting Ligtas is a supplemental immunization campaign to vaccinate children aged 9 to 59 months old against measles rubella.Negros Occidental also remains the top performer in Western Visayas for the Chikiting Ligtas 2023 campaign, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.Negros Occidental vaccinated 75.29 percent of its 222,590 target population.It had vaccinated 167,594 as of May 18, and has 44,967 more to cover before the end of the month.Trailing Negros Occidental is Guimaras with a 64.21 percent accomplishment rate, followed by I...

A septuagenarian woman was found dead inside her house in Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental, the police said Friday, May 19.Estrella Flores, 75, from Sitio Ubay, Brgy. Progreso in Binalbagan, was found dead on her sofa bed Thursday night.Her body had no physical wounds or signs of struggle, the police said.PMaj. Randy Babor, Binalbagan police chief, said the victim was found alone inside the house and might have been dead for almost a day.The cadaver was already decomposing, Dr. Hazel Pagunsan of the Binalbagan Rural Health Office reported.The victim was bedridden for almost three months having arthritis and was taking medications for a long time, the police said.*