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Contestant No. 6 Allona Nejar.*MBM photoA daughter of a fried chicken vendor brings her advocacy on women empowerment as she competes in this year’s Miss Bacolod MassKara (MBM) pageant.Allona Nejar, 24, a Tourism Management graduate of Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, said that her mother was a “chicken joy” vendor who raised her seven siblings, including her, single-handedly.During the MBM press presentation on October 1, Nejar shared that aside from her mother’s chicken joy, she enjoys eating sweets like chocolate cake and pastries.“I am a person with a sweet tooth and I associate myself with a chocolate cake for its authenticity”, Nejar, who is contestant No. 6, said when asked what dish she associates herself with.The media also asked her to comment on Artificial Intell...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez Benitez*The no parking rule along the entire Lacson Street in Bacolod City will take effect Monday, October 9.“It will not just be clamping, we will make sure that the vehicles are towed,” Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said on Saturday.Benitez also said that the road closures for this year’s MassKara Festival will be the same as last year’s festival.“We’re launching more awareness on the road closures. Whatever road closures we had last year are the same this year”, he said.Drones will also be flown over the festival sites so people can see the traffic situation in real time, he said.Patrick Lacson, Bacolod traffic consultant, said there will be temporary road closures at the area where the plaza festival kiosk...

Silay Councilor Ryan Gamboa, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Chef Margarita Fores and Edgar Allan L. Caper (l-r) at the opening of CIBO SM City Bacolod Saturday, October 7.*Chef Margarita Araneta Forés said on Saturday, October 7, that she hopes more Manila-based Negrenses decide to invest in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.“There is so much more development in Bacolod, you can see a real spike in the economy…the energy is changing,” she said.Fores, who is upbeat about the local economy, opened her second Cibo restaurant in Bacolod at SM City on Saturday, which was attended by Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Silay Councilor Ryan Gamboa.The Cibo restaurant at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod that o...

Expect big fuel price drops on Tuesday, October 10.Diesel prices should go down by P2.30 to P2.50 per liter, and gasoline by P2.80 to P3.10 per liter, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said Saturday.Kerosene prices are also expected to drop by P2 to P2.20 per liter.All rollbacks are expected across the three main fuel products, said Assistant Director Rodela Romero of the Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau.The Department of Energy on October 3 reported that oil price adjustments have resulted in a year-to-date increase of gasoline by P15.30 per liter, diesel by P13.80 per liter, and kerosene by P8.94 per liter.*

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Sunday, October 8, warned the candidates for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) to take the warning against premature campaigning and vote buying seriously.“Take the warning by Comelec seriously and avoid violating rules,” Lacson said.The Comelec has served 73 show cause orders to Negros Occidental candidates facing complaints for premature campaigning and vote buying.Of the 73 show cause orders 40 were served in EB Magalona, 10 in Bacolod City, 8 in Himamaylan City, 6 in Bago City, 4 in Victorias City, 2 in Sipalay City, 2 in Kabankalan City and 1 in La Carlota City“The Comelec had warned candidates that it will be strict in implementing rules, especially o...

The decrease in prices of some commodity groups led to a slight decline in the inflation rate for all income households in Negros Occidental, from 7.9 percent in August to 7.6 percent in September, data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.Based on the summary inflation report dated October 7, the September inflation in the province was the same as July's, after higher rates in June, 8.1 percent; May, 8.3 percent; and April, 8.8 percent.“The decrease in prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, clothing and footwear, and personal care/miscellaneous goods and services contributed to a slight decrease of inflation rate for the month September,” the report said.It added that food inflation in the monthly decrease of season...

Fireworks over the Bacolod City Government Center at midnight ushered in the celebration the 44th MassKara Festival.* Ronnie Baldonado photoMayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez led the festive start to the 44th MassKara Festival that drew a crowd of 17,000 to the Bacolod City Government Center grounds Friday night, October 6.Benitez promised bigger and better 16-days of festivities filled with numerous entertainers and performances.He also took up the call of comedian and television host Vice Ganda to be invited to the 44th MassKara Festival.Benitez offered ABS-CBN the same offer he gave to TV5 to bring in Eat TVJ of Tito Vic and Joey who are set to arrive on October 20 and 21.If Vice Ganda is okay with the offer she is more than welcome, he said.Bacolod Mayor Alf...

The Kabankalan police has refused to release a copy of the spot report of an encounter between the Philippine Army and the New People’s Army that left six alleged rebels dead in Tabugon, Kabankalan City, on September 21 to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR),CHR Negros Occidental head Vincent Parra said on Friday, October 6, said they were seeking a copy of the police report to validate the names of the victims that appeared in media reports as part of their investigation into the incident.They were only able to validate the names after going to the funeral parlor where the dead were brought, he said.Of the six killed only one was from Kabankalan City. He was identified as tricycle driver Ruben Gaytan, Parra said.Parra said he went to the residence of Gaitan in Barangay Ca...

The Commission on Elections show cause orders served to Negros Occidental candidates facing complaints for premature campaigning reached 73 on Friday, October 6.The COMELEC Task Force Anti-Epal issued 25 additional show cause orders to Negros Occidental candidates in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Thursday, October 5.Of the 73 show cause orders 40 were served in EB Magalona, 10 in Bacolod City, 8 in Himamaylan City, 6 in Bago City, 4 in Victorias City, 2 in Sipalay City, 2 in Kabankalan City and 1 in La Carlota CityProvincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said earlier that the number of show cause orders were likely to increase with retaliatory complains expected to be filed.Candidates have 24 hours from receipt of the show cause orders to file t...

The police are investigating the involvement of the three “armed and dangerous” suspects who were arrested at Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City, Thursday night, in other robbery cases in Negros Island and for drug links, Col. Noel Aliño, Bacolod police director, said Friday, October 6.The three on board a Mitsubishi Pajero and motorcycle were arrested following a chase by the Talisay police and a dragnet set up by the Bacolod police after they robbed two Shopee Express Hub employees of their cellular phones at Barangay Zone 12, Talisay City, at 7:50 p.m. Thursday, Lt. Col. Salvador Trono Jr., Talisay police chief said.Two of the suspects were wearing bullet proof vests.Nabbed were three Bacolod residents - former security guard Rodolfo Jonatan Suelan, 49, of Purok Santan, Barangay ...