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A poultry caretaker tagged as a hitman and member of the “Teves Terrorist Group” was arrested in a manhunt operation in Brgy. Sta. Catalina, Talugtug town in Nueva Ecija on Thursday, September 7, the police said Friday.Richard Namoco Quadra, 45, of Brgy. Milagrosa, Sta. Catalina town in Negros Oriental was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by Judge Amelia Lourdes Uy Mendoza of Branch 34 of Dumaguete City Regional Trial Court for a murder charge.No bail was recommended for Quadra’s temporary libertyQuadra was tagged in the murder of former Board Member Miguel Dungog in 2019 and linked to several other killings in Negros Oriental.A 9 mm handgun loaded with a magazine and 14 rounds of live ammunition was seized from him, the police said.Quadra will be charged ...

A “drug den” was dismantled after five of its members were arrested in Sitio Buswang, Brgy. Bio-so in Amlan town, Negros Oriental, Wednesday morning, September 6, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) -Negros Oriental reported.They arrested five suspects, including the drug den maintainer, in a buy-bust operation, the PDEA said in a press release.Ronie Niño Manlucot, the alleged drug den maintainer, and his cohort, Nesto Pecore, were arrested together with Jameson Pecore, John Reymar Rocamora, and Angelito Yanong, it said.PDEA-NegOr together with the Amlan police confiscated 16 grams of suspected shabu valued at P108,800, a digital weighing scale, the buy-bust money, a phone, cash suspected to be proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs, and other drug paraphernalia, the...

The police seized P98,600 worth of suspected shabu in separate buy-bust operations in three Negros Occidental towns on Thursday, September 7.Erly Jaronay of Brgy. Gahit, E.B. Magalona, was arrested with 10 grams of suspected shabu valued at P68,000 Thursday night, the police said.They also seized a .38 caliber revolver and three live ammunition from the suspect, the police added.In Manapla, Francis Villaruel, 23, of Sitio Sangay, Brgy. Purisima was also arrested in a buy-bust operation.Recovered from him was 3.5 grams of shabu valued at P23,800, the police said.Neiressa Gico, 31, was also arrested with one gram of shabu worth P6,800 at Purok Narra, Brgy. San Teodoro, Binalbagan, the police said.*

A man was arrested for allegedly causing a disturbance and violating the gun ban in Sitio Libas, Brgy. Delicioso, Ilog town, in Negros Occidental, on Thursday, September 7.John Ramirez, 40, was arrested for creating a disturbance outside of the residence of Kenneth Tabujara, 31, the police said.Warren Agudania, a Brgy. Delicioso tanod, turned the suspect over to the police after catching him in the act of holding a firearm and creating a disturbance at a public road fronting the victim’s house.Ramirez reportedly threatened Tabujara by saying “guwa da Kenneth kay tingg-an ko ulo mo”.The police said that the suspect violated the gun ban in relation to the barangay and SK elections.*

Vice President Sara Duterte delivering her speech with DepEd Regional Director Ramir Uytico, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Senator Imee Marcos behind her.*Richard Malihan photoVice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte announced reforms to ease the workload of public school teachers at the celebration of National Teachers’ Month at the Panaad Sports Complex in Bacolod City on Friday afternoon, September 8."These initiatives are a testament to our understanding of your challenges and our determination to ensure you focus on what you do best, and that is, teaching," Duterte said.Duterte, who spoke before 3,425 teachers and personnel of the Negros Occidental Schools Division, was accompanied by senators Imee Marcos and Francis Tolentino....

Senator Imee Marcos at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City for Teachers' Day on Friday, September 8.*Richard Malihan photoSenator Imee Marcos on Friday, September 8, said she thinks President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is actually looking for an agriculture secretary now.The senator, at a press conference in Bacolod City, was responding to a question on whether she was in favor of her brother’s looking for a permanent agriculture secretary.The president has been concurrently acting as secretary of agriculture.“I think he is actually looking now,” the senator said, although at the start she supported the idea of his heading the agriculture department.At the time he needed to mobilize not just the Department of Agriculture but other agencies to address agriculture concerns, she ...

Winners of the 3rd Battle of Bots Competition 2023 with Melvin Matulac, PRG founder, and Ma. Cristina Orbecido, NOLITC Vocational School Administrator (2nd and 4th from left, 2nd row).The winners on Day 2 of the 3rd Battle of Bots 2023 provincial robotics competition at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City were announced on Friday, September 8.The robotics competition is spearheaded by the Negros Occidental Language and IT Center (NOLITC), in partnership with Pinoy Robot Games (PRG).The Sumobot High School Level champion was Sanjo M. Alleja of the Rafael B. Lacson National High School in Talisay City, NOLITC Administrator Dr. Ma. Christina Orbecido said.The first runner-up was Elrey Jr O. Tejada of the Don Carlos Ledesma National High School in San Carlos City, and second ...

A Bacolodnon was sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday, September 7, for the sale of shabu to a policeman at his house in Purok Hervias, Barangay Villamonte in Bacolod City last year.Judge Raymond Joseph Javier of Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 52 found Oscar Sebuan Ogahayon guilty of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002 and sentenced him to life imprisonment and to pay a fine of P500,000 for the sale of .024 gram of shabu to a policeman in a buy bust operation on Nov. 10, 2022.On his arrest 3.515 grams of shabu were also seized from him for which he was sentenced to 12 years and eight months as minimum imprisonment to 17 years and eight months as maximum, and ordered to pay a fine of P300,000.The judge ordered the jail warden of the Bacolod District...

The rice and corn mill equipment received by the Ituman Bukidnon and Magahat tribes in Himamaylan City.* DOLE photoSome 116 indigenous peoples (IPs) from the Ituman Bukidnon and Magahat tribes in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, are benefiting from the rice and corn mill project funded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).Data on Friday, September 8, showed the project, turned over last week of August, is part of the various livelihood projects totaling P4 million proposed by the city government to the DOLE-Western Visayas (Region 6) intended for 223 beneficiaries.“We approved the implementation of the livelihood project as we recognize its impact to the IPs,” DOLE-6 Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. said in a statement.Situated in the remote Barangay Bue...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson*Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, September 7, that he is confident that there will be peaceful elections in the 55 barangays in Negros Occidental recommended to be tagged as election areas of concern.“These are the barangays where there were incidents between the military and the CPP-NPA” but they were not recommended to be placed under Comelec control, he said.“While there is concern we are confident that there will be peaceful elections in those areas”, he said.The Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Center (PJSCC) had recommended 55 election areas of concern in Negros Occidental, Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said Tuesday, September 5.However, this has to be approved by the Comelec that will then m...