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Mayor Salvador Escalante confirmed that a Grade 2 pupil died at the Cadiz East Elementary School 2 after reportedly choking on food on Friday, April 14.A Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Cadiz incident report said at about 9:30 a.m. the boy was taking his snacks during recess time when he suddenly embraced his teacher and asked for help.The teacher said the boy already had difficulty in breathing and was cyanotic or had bluish discoloration of the lips.She tried to do the Heimlich maneuver but was unsuccessful and a DepEd doctor found the boy pulseless, the DepEd report said.The teacher sought help to bring the child to a nearby emergency clinic and he was found to no longer have a heartbeat. An attempt to resuscitate the boy was made but failed and he wa...

Muse of the Media Lyzabelle Blythe Siason Villa*Richard Malihan photoThe youngest of the 27 contestants was named Muse of the Media during the Lin-ay sang Negros 2023 Press Presentation held at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City on Friday, April 14.Lin-ay sang Himamaylan Lyzabelle Blythe Siason Villa, 17, is a Grade 11 student at La Consolacion College.The senior high school student said she had not expected to be chosen Muse of the Media as she is the youngest among the contestants.Executive Assistant to the Governor Charina Magallanes - Tan, Chona Gosiaco - KBP Negros Occ. president, and Merlinda Pedrosa - Negros Press Club vice president, presented the award.Also present was Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson Jr.The contestants also presented their ta...

The houses destroyed by the fire in Murcia.*Amity Volunteer Fire Bigade photoFire hit 16 houses in Barangay Zone 1 Poblacion, Murcia, Negros Occidental, at 7:10 a.m. Friday, April 14.The fire destroyed 12 houses and damaged four, which were estimated to cost P100,000, Fire Officer 3 Rona Magdaluyo said.She denied claims that the Murcia firetrucks did not immediately respond and that they were not filled with water.Fire trucks from other areas also assisted, Magdaluyo said.She pointed out that the fire station is located in front of the area where the fire broke out and that first responders even ran on ahead with fire extinguishers, she said.However, the fire spread swiftly because the houses were made of light materials and the weather was very hot, she said.Mu...

Forty-six graduates of two universities in Bacolod City passed the 2022 Bar Examinations, the Supreme Court announced on Friday, April 14.Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa said 3,992 out of 9,183 or 43.47 percent of the examinees passed the 2022 Bar Examinations.In Bacolod City the University of Saint La Salle had 20 passers and the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletes had 26.The USLS first takers had a 69.23 percent passing rate and the university’s overall passing rate was 62.50 percent, College of Law Dean Rosanne Gonzaga said.The USLS passers are:Abastillas, April Mae AbellarAlquiza, Stefan Pax De RuñaApelo, Orly John PeñasAuxtero, Carlos Morenis IIIAzucena, William GevidoAzurin, Victoria Veronica LongnoCaldit, Ariel Del ...

Former New People’s Army rebels meeting with Escalante Mayor Melecio Yap Jr. on Wednesday*79IB photoMayor Melecio Yap Jr. of Escalante City, Negros Occidental, has assured protection for former New People’s Army rebels facing threats from their former colleagues in the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF).“I will not turn my back on you. The government will continue to extend help and provide ways to shield you from any threat as you continue living in the mainstream of society,” Yap said in his message during a meeting with the former rebels (FRs) on Friday, April 14.In a report on Friday, the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (79IB) said some 40 FRs met with the mayor together with Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines - 79IB commander, Maj. Wence Alcube - deputy chief of Escalant...

Sta. Catalina residents opposing mining exploration in their town.*Mayor Peve Ligan FB page photoMunicipal and barangay officials and residents of Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental, urged the provincial government to stop the mining exploration in the town before this could become a full-scale operation that would endanger humans and the environment.Sta. Catalina Mayor Peve Ligan said they are seeking the help of Governor Carlo Jorge Juan Reyes before the problem gets worse as tension is now brewing in Sitio Taruga, Barangay San Francisco, where the gold mining exploration has started.“This situation is now brewing between those who favor or are opposed to the mining exploration, and in fact, a protest rally was held yesterday,” Ligan said.Three villages within the immediate v...

The police have been asked to organize a special team to focus on the arrest of persons behind the rampant stealing of cables of telecommunications firms, which have been affecting the internet connections of Bacolod residents, City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said Thursday, April 13.The latest of be affected were Internet connections in downtown Bacolod City on Thursday caused by the cable theft at Rizal Street.Maghari met with the police and the head of the Business Permits and Licensing Division on Thursday to discuss strengthening their campaign against cable thieves.Smart Communications alone reported 400 theft incidents last year, he said.Maghari said they will also closely monitor junk shops to prevent them from buying the stolen cables, and to ask them to rep...

Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante*Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante admitted on Thursday, April 13, that his name along with those of several other politicians are being floated to run for vice governor in 2025 but pointed out that nothing is definite.Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, United Negros Alliance (UNegA) president, is on his second term but could run for representative of the 4th District in 2025.His wife Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer is currently on her third and last term as congresswoman of the 4th District.Escalante said the best scenario would still be for the vice governor to go for a third term and run for governor after Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson finishes his last term.Lacson, who who is a member of Love Negros, said the choice of the candidate for vice governor of th...

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources issuing the notice of violation at So. Pakol, Brgy. Celestino Villacin in Cadiz City.*DENR 6 photoAll structures built within the Multiple Use Zone of the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) in Cadiz City without clearance from the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) will be demolished and charges will be filed against the culprits, Mayor Salvador Escalante warned Thursday, April 13. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently issued a notice of violation and halted the construction of a two-storey concrete house owned by Florante Halipa at So. Pakol, Brgy. Celestino Villacin in Cadiz City.The structure within the NNNP-Multiple Use Zone was being built without a clearance or permit from the PAMB, the DENR repor...

Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr.*Show cause orders may be issued against two employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) and three security personnel for the loss of 789 bags of fertilizer, Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said on Thursday, April 13.The PLO received an incident report from the OPA and the Security and Safety Division on April 3 that 789 bags of fertilizer valued at P2.367 million from the Department of Agriculture were discovered missing from the Rice Processing Center (RPC) warehouse of the provincial government at Tabunan, Bago City, in October 2022.“We are verifying the allegations contained in the incident report for the purpose of issuing show cause orders. After we have verified those allegations w...