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The filing of the charges before the Negros Occidental Prosecutor’s Office in Bacolod City on Wednesday, September 20.*Charges for large scale estafa were filed against a councilor of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and a Bacolod resident on Wednesday, September 20, for involvement in an the alleged illegal police recruitment scam.The charges were filed against Councilor Donato Domaguit and Mary June Abao Delos Santos before the Negros Occidental Prosecutor’s Office in Bacolod City, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said.The charges were filed by 8 of 47 complainants, as the others are still preparing their affidavits, Nellas said.Nellas said the filing of the charges was done by the complainants with the help of the police.Large scale estafa is a non-baila...

Councilor Em Ang, proponent of the Crisis Intervention Center ordinance.*A crisis intervention facility operating 24/7 will soon be established in Bacolod City after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved an ordinance creating it on third and final reading Wednesday, September 20.The ordinance, authored by Councilor Em Ang, requires the establishment of a Bacolod “Crisis Intervention Center”, which aims to provide a 24-hour, 7 days a week action center to immediately act on cases of individuals or families in crisis situations.The facility will have an appropriation of P13,123,023 from the city’s general fund for the construction or renovation of the facility, for the plantilla position of a Psychologist III, general services that cover other personnel, and its operation and maint...

Bacolod Councilor Al Victor Espino, proponent of the security seal ordinance.*In Bacolod, acquiring city government documents will soon require a security seal.This came after the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on third and final reading Wednesday, September 20, the “Bacolod City Document Security Seal Ordinance” that will require all city government documents to have a document security system that will ensure their authenticity and genuineness.The ordinance, authored by Councilor Al Victor Espino, said that the prevalence of fake, counterfeit, bogus, and forged documents has made the need to put an additional security feature to official and regularly issued legal and original documents of the Bacolod City government.The ordinance will have an allocation of P35 million f...

Food security a priority in 2024 budget.*Ronnie Baldonado photoInfrastructure projects and food security programs will be among the priorities in the P5.5 billion Negros Occidental provincial government budget for 2024, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, September 20.Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said that the proposed budget for 2024 will be P5.5 billion, or P400 million higher than this year’s P5.1 billion budget.The increased budget will allow the provincial government to resume extending support to national government agencies in the province, he said.It will also allow the allocation of funds for more infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and facilities, food security through nucleus farms, digitalization at hospitals in preparat...

The Negros Occidental provincial government can pay its legal obligations to its contractors and suppliers for projects despite the current election period ban.Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria gave the assurance, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Wednesday, September 20.Diaz said he asked Ananoria for his opinion because the Provincial Treasurer’s Office has beenworried about paying contractors and suppliers for contracts already perfected, because of the election ban.Ananoria said COMELEC Resolution 10944 states that payments can be made if the projects, programs, activities (PPAs) sought to be implemented during the prohibited period from October 20 to 29 were established before that period and duly reported to the Commission on Audit.In no insta...

The 2022 MassKara arena competition at the Paglaum Sports Complex.*The Negros Occidental provincial government is allowing Bacolod City to use the Paglaum Sports Complex for the MassKara Festival arena dance competition free of charge, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, September 20.Bacolod City Administrator, Pacifico Maghari III, City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. and Bacolod Yuhum Foundation president Katherine Matiling met with Diaz on Monday.The provincial government only needs a formal letter from Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez requesting the use of the Paglaum Sports Complex for the last week of October addressed to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, he said.The request cannot be made by the Bacolod Yuhum Foundation because it has no lega...

The Bacolod SP in session*Complaint affidavits against two Bacolod barangay captains for alleged violation of the government officials’ code of conduct and falsification of documents were submitted to the city’s Sangguniang Panlungsod during its regular session on Wednesday, September 20, for appropriate action.The complaint affidavits were submitted by Mark Jayson Torres against Brgy. 28 Capt. June Mark Carpio for allegedly violating Republic Act 6713 or Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Government Officials and Employees and John Keng Seng against Brgy. 12 Capt. Ely Alcantara Jr. together with other barangay officials for alleged falsification.In an affidavit filed by Torres, it said that Carpio allegedly borrowed P150,000 from him last year and vowed to pay it within...

A man was found dead in Sitio Paho, Brgy. Batuan, San Enrique, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, September 19, three weeks after he was reported missing.Armando Beduare, 66, of Sitio Quia, Brgy. Alijis, Valladolid town, was found dead in a rice field.Farmers were harvesting rice when they smelled foul odor and found the victim in a prone position, the police reported.The victim was found in its advanced stage of decomposition.Beduare was identified by his daughter Analiza.His body was brought to a funeral parlor in Valladolid and will be subjected to an autopsy on the request of the Scene of the Crime Operatives.*

House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar (center) receives a plaque of appreciation on behalf of her mother, Senator Cynthia Villar, with Philippine Shrimp Industry president Joseph Edgar Sarrosa, Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District), Philippine Shrimp Congress chair Ryan Michael Alegre, and Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson (l-r) at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod Wednesday.*Richard Malihan photoThe Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking at the continued increase in shrimp and prawn production for 2023 because of investments in research and the adoption of new technologies and best practices.Highlighting the industry’s contribution to the national economy and food security, Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban lauded the “remarkable achievement” o...

The recovered belongings of the NPA at the encounter site.*3ID photoA soldier from Ilog town in Negros Occidental was killed when the Army’s 82nd Infantry Battalion encountered New People’s Army rebels at Sitio Agdalusan, Barangay Jayubo, Lambunao, Iloilo, on Tuesday, September 19.Killed was PFC Mars A. Echevarria, while injured was PFC Jomarie C. Llesis from Cauayan, Negros Occidental, MGen. Marion Sison, 3rd Infantry Division Commander, said in a statement Wednesday.Sison assured the family of Echevarria of the Army’s support.He also assured Llesis that the Army will take care of him until he fully recovers.“Appropriate medical treatment and other personal necessities will be accorded to PFC Llesis for him to immediately recuperate and recover. Likewise, we will ensur...