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Oct32023 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Store owners shot at market, husband killed, wife injured

A store owner was killed and his wife was injured after they were shot in a public market in Brgy. Concepcion, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, early Monday morning, October 2.The couple, Ildefonso and Denalyn Medalla, were shot by unidentified suspects while they were opening their store at the Concepcion Public Market, the police reported.Denalyn was rushed to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.The suspects immediately fled after the shooting.The police have requested Scene of the Crime Operatives to process the crime scene while they conduct follow-up investigation to identify and arrest the suspect, the police report said.*

Oct32023 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Hinoba-an cancels classes

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Mayor Daph Anthony Reliquias issued an executive order declaring the temporary cancellation of classes at all levels in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental, due to Tyhpoon Jenny, on Monday, October 2.The mayor’s executive order said the cancellation was to ensure the safety of the students, teachers, and school personnel in the municipality.The EO covered the cancellation of work of the teaching and non-teaching personnel at schools within the jurisdiction of Hinobaan.It also urged the barangay councils in the town to activate their disaster response teams to take necessary precautions and urged residents living in low-lying areas to stay in elevated areas.As of press time, Typhoon Jenny had intensified to Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1.The typhoon was last spotted 600 kilo...

Oct32023 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Army’s 3ID neutralizes 30 rebels in September

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The Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division neutralized 30 members of the New People’s Army and seized 33 firearms from them in September, it reported on Monday, October 2.Of the 30 neutralized rebels, 16 were killed in encounters, 12 surrendered to government forces, and two were apprehended, a 3ID press statement said.Four of the slain NPAs met their fate in skirmishes in Iloilo province while six each died in Bohol and Negros clashes, it added.Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, 3ID commander, said that the success of neutralizing rebels last month was due to their anti-insurgency campaign in collaboration with government forces, local government units, and multi-stakeholders of Western and Central Visayas.“The overwhelming backing from the community, coupled with the voluntary sur...

Oct32023 by Inday Espina-VaronaNo Comments

Court okays probate of Yanson’s will disinheriting four children

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Olivia Yanson with her children Leo Rey Yanson and Ginnette Yanson Dumancas during her 89th birthday in January* Ronnie Baldonado photoBillionaire Olivia Villaflores Yanson, the matriarch of the clan that owns one of Asia’s biggest bus fleets, has received a legal greenlight for probate of her will that leaves only two of her six children as heirs to her fortune.Bacolod City Regional Trial Court Branch 44 Presiding Judge Ana Celeste P. Bernad’s 27-page decision, dated Aug. 31, 2023, said the last will and testament had complied with formalities required by law.Four Yanson children – Roy, Emily, Celina, and Ricky – have been dispossessed of the matriarch’s fortune.The big winners are Leo Rey Yanson and Ginnette Yanson Dumancas, the two siblings allied with Olivia.The fou...

Oct22023 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Miss Bacolod MassKara bet bats for sustainable fashion

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Georgette Ysabelle Millan, candidate number 1.*MBM photoSustainable fashion is what Georgette Ysabelle Millan, one of the Miss Bacolod MassKara (MBM) candidates, is pushing for in joining the pageant this year.Millan, MBM’s candidate number 1, brings to the pageant stage her advocacy on sustainable fashion, environment, and livelihood.She is 19 years old and taking up a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod.In her video introduction, she said that she is fond of thrifting and upcycling believing that you can make fashion through conscious choices.She is also a working student and has a fascination with the art of “drag”. In her video, she said she wants to be a drag queen someday.During the press presentation, she was asked how sh...

Oct22023 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

Sagay City’s mangrove island film wins top international award

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Acclaimed Filipino director Anton Juan (2nd from right) shows the poster of “Amon Banwa sa Lawod (Our Island of the Mangrove Moons)” with fellow filmmakers at the Louth International Film Festival in Dundalk, Ireland.*The “Amon Banwa sa Lawod (Our Island of the Mangrove Moons)”, a full-length film showcasing the mangrove island of Suyac in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, won the award for Best International Feature in the Louth International Film Festival (LIFF) in Dundalk, Ireland, Sunday night (Monday morning in the Philippines).Helmed by acclaimed Filipino director Anton Juan, who wrote the screenplay with Sagaynon assistant director Mark Garcia, the movie, devised from the play “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, revolves around the memories of the island centered on the life, love, ...

Oct22023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

4th lawmaker backing bill for NEPC franchise: mayor

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Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya is supporting the bill filed by three Negros lawmakers that seeks to grant the Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) a franchise to acquire and operate the electric power distribution system in the cities of Bacolod, Silay, Talisay and Bago and in the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, October 2.Benitez and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson also support the bid to grant NEPC a franchise.It is a welcome move and with Gasataya there will be four congressmen sponsoring the bill, Benitez said.House Bill 9310 was filed by Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod), Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) and Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) on Sep...

Oct22023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Lacson St. closure for MassKara Oct. 16 to 22, brace for rerouting

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The Lacson Street Tourism Strip.*Ronnie Baldonado photoBrace for the rerouting of traffic with the closure of a section of Lacson Street in Bacolod City for the MassKara Festival from October 16 to 22.PMaj. Junji Liba, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office head, said the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation (BYF) requested the closure, which will need the approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.North Capitol Road will also be fully closed from October 16 to 22, he added.Six corporate stages and one main stage, as well as food and corporate kiosks, will be set up along the Lacson Tourism Strip for the festival, Jecko Redil, BYF treasurer and director, said.Liba said the BYF is asking that the section of Lacson Street at Bangga Ramos be fully closed from October 16 to 22.That means tr...

Oct22023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

37th NTF resounding success, guv says as sales hit P47.6M

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The Negros Trade Fair shoppers on Sunday, October 1. *Richard Malihan photoThe 37th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) in Makati City that ended Sunday was a resounding success, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, October 2.The total sales during the six-day trade fair was P47,645,369.34 or P8.6 million above last year’s NTF sales, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.Total actual sales at the 2022 NTF was P33.5 million plus booked sales for a total of P39 million, he said. This year the P47.6M was all in actual sales, Diaz said.The non-food products’ sales hit P29.7 million and food – P17.9 million this year, he added.“I congratulate the Association of Negros Producers, especially all those who exhibited their products at the 37th Negros Trade Fair,...

Oct22023 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

Victorias goes car-free every first Monday of each month

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Victorias City in Negros Occidental is implementing a “car-free day” every first Monday of the month starting this October to reduce air pollution and promote a healthier environment for its residents.Mandated by City Ordinance (CO) 2023-59, approved by Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez last month, the city government has designated car-free zones where entry and operation of vehicles are restricted or completely prohibited.“The ‘no-car zone’ policy represents an initiative designed to mitigate air pollution by effectively reducing the volume of vehicles that release harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. This ordinance aims to promote sustainable transportation, reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and create a safer and more liveable environment,” the Committee on Transport...