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Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District) in South Korea?The government is unmoved in its resolve to go after the suspected killers of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, including Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District).Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Monday, May 14, that charges against Teves will be filed “most probably on Wednesday” by the National Bureau of Investigation.The DOJ initially planned to file the suit Monday but the suspects were provided with private lawyers and “are no longer talking,” a move which he said was expected “considering the extent of the resources involved."“Obviously, some people are interested in the statements they want to give and now they don’t want to cooperate anymore,” Remulla told reporters...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meeting with the SRA officials*President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved on Monday, May 15, additional importation of sugar following the recommendation of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to stabilize the price and boost the country’s stock.“We agreed to additional importation of sugar to stabilize the prices. Maximum amount will be 150,000 MT but probably less,” the president said after meeting with SRA Acting Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and Board Member Ma. Mitzi Mangwang, representing the millers.Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and SRA Board Secretary Rodney Rubrica were also present, a press release from the Presidential Communications Office said.“The exact amount will be determ...

Less than half of the Bacolod City government employees have received their midyear bonuses that is equivalent to a whole month’s salary.So far the city government has released about P23 million, City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said.They will check on the other departments where midyear bonuses have not been release yet, he said, noting that the city government has more than 1,000 employees.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the city government’s monthly payroll is more than P50 million so they have covered almost 50 percent of its employees so far.State workers should receive their midyear bonuses starting May 15, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said Sunday, May 14."So, we are reminding all government agencies and offices to en...

Negros Occidental’s active COVID-19 cases have risen to triple digits but the situation is still manageable, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday, May 15.The province had 148 active COVID-19 cases on Sunday, May 14, from 91 on May 1.Lacson said it is not just in Negros Occidental, COVID-19 cases are going up in the whole country.“But they are still manageable, our hospitals are no getting filled up. Many of those who have been vaccinated are experiencing mild cases, which are treatable at home,” he added.Lacson again reminded senior citizens who are unvaccinated to wear masks.Those who wish to be vaccinated can get in touch with their local health units, there are still Sinovac vaccines available, he said.They are no vaccine brand choices since the national governme...

The e-jeepney in front of the Bacolod City Government Center on Monday.*Bacolod PIO photoElectric jeepneys will be cheaper and more environment friendly if Bacolod transport operators find them viable, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Monday, May 15.The first of three sample e-jeepneys manufactured by China-based Jiangsu Fengchuen New Energy Power Technology Co. Ltd. has arrived in Bacolod for trial runs by transport operators to determine their durability, performance and efficiency, the mayor said.It will also give Bacolod transport operators the opportunity to make suggestions on how to further improve the e-jeepneys, he said.One suggestion is to move the passenger door from the back to the side to ensure the safety of passengers boarding the vehicle, he said....

The Negros Occidental and Bacolod City governments are stepping up efforts to protect hogs against illnesses brought about by the hot weather that have already caused deaths among the local swine population.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Monday, May 15, directed the City Veterinary Office (CVO) to inspect backyard hog-raising operations in various Bacolod barangays to ensure that the animals are free of hog cholera.“Visit backyard piggeries just to make sure. Let us guarantee the safety of the public,” he said.Dr. Maria Agueda de la Torre, city veterinarian, said the CVO has been monitoring hog deaths, but they have yet to conduct confirmatory tests to determine the cause.“We have already visited most of the barangays, and based on our monitoring, most of them have negat...

A suspected drug dealer, who claims to be a grade six student, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Purok Totong 4, Brgy. Felisa, Bacolod City, Saturday, May 13.Confiscated from the 18-year-old Bacolodnon were 1 gram of suspected shabu worth P6,800 and the P500 buy-bust money, the police reported Monday.PMaj. Richard Fajarito, Bacolod Police Station 10 Chief, said that the suspect claims that he is a student in an elementary school and is currently studying through the modular system.The police also said that the person had previous records for theft when he was a minor.A case for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act will be filed against the suspect, who is detained at Police Station 8, Fajarito said.*MLG

Fernando Camporaso Jr. on top of the bridge's steel truss.*PNP photoHe drank, robbed, and made a scene by climbing the steel truss of a bridge.This is how an incident went after an allegedly intoxicated individual robbed two loan collectors in Brgy. Caliban, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Sunday, May 14.Fernando Camporaso Jr., 35, of Brgy. Caliban robbed Jenelyn Jimenez Suico, 35, and Glenn Linogon Ortaniza, 34, collectors of a lending company from Bacolod City, when they passed through the Old Caliban Bridge, a police report said Monday.PMaj. Mark Joeil Reclamado, Murcia police chief, said that while the victims rode a motorcycle, the suspect declared a hold-up and threatened them with an improvised fish bow or “Baslay” and took P7,800 from Suico’s bag.Witnesses said Campo...

A farmer found a grenade along the riverbank of Brgy. Camingawan, Kabankalan City, Sunday, May 14.Jenus Sarrosa, 35, a resident of Purok Bougainvillae, Brgy Camingawan, found an MK II grenade along the riverbank of Sitio Cabatal while collecting firewood, a Kabankalan police report said Monday.PLTCol. John Joel Batusbatusan, Kabankalan police chief, said they coordinated with the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and Provincial Explosive Ordinance and Canine Unit (PECU) for the retrieval of the grenade.PCpl. Rex Totol of PECU together with PExecutive Master Sgt. JD Capunong retrieved the rusty hand grenade, with a brittle safety lever and without a safety pin.The grenade is currently in the custody of the PECU bomb squad for proper disposition.Batusbatusan said...