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City government employees shutting down a business establishment.*BCCO photoFifty  business establishments were served closure notices and 19 have been shutdown as the Bacolod City government intensifies its crackdown on establishments operating without proper permits.The directive from Mayor Greg Gasataya aims to ensure a fair economic environment for law-abiding business owners,  a press release from the  Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) issued Friday, July 17,said.City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu said that the ongoing initiative is fundamentally about leveling the playing field, ensuring that honest, tax-paying entrepreneurs who diligently comply with local laws do not face unfair competition from those evading civic obligations.The enforcemen...

The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod approved on third and final reading a landmark ordinance requiring the installation of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in key public and private establishments across the city, a measure aimed at significantly improving emergency response to sudden cardiac arrest and increasing survival rates, Councilor Caesar Distrito said on Friday, July 17.Authored by Distrito and co-authored by Councilors Em Ang and Pao Sy, the Bacolod City Public Access Defibrillation Ordinance of 2026 mandates the installation of AEDs in shopping malls, schools, colleges and universities, hotels, resorts, barangay halls, government offices, transport terminals, sports complexes, convention centers, and other designated public places.The ordinance also requires pe...

The TAMA NA press conference on Friday*Barbara Mijares photoA Negros-based civic coalition is calling for systemic reforms and accountability from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration and the political camp of Vice President Sara Duterte ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA).Protesters will join the Taumbayan Ayaw sa Magnanakaw at Abusado Network Alliance (TAMA NA) - Negros coalition in a march rally from the Provincial Capitol Park and Lagoon  to the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the public plaza on July 27, Noly Rosales, Bayan Muna Negros secretary-general, said during a press conference on Friday, July 17.About 5,000 protesters are expected to join, he said.A TAMA NA statement released Friday said bureaucratic corruption remains deep...

Marchel Espina (right) with her lawyer Abegail Bayona (center) being read her Miranda rights*CPG photoFormer SunStar Cebu and SunStar Bacolod Editor-in-Chief Marchel Espina who voluntarily surrendered to authorities  on Friday morning, July 17,  in connection with an unjust vexation case has been freed on bail.A  leader of a religious group filed an unjust vexation case against Espina and several others  before a Batangas court over an opinion piece written by a contributor and  published by Sunstar Cebu in December 2024.At the time of the incident, Espina was the editor-in-chief of the media outfit.Espina surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Negros Island Region in Bacolod City and posted a bail of ₱6,000. She was acc...

The Land Transportation Office–Negros Island Region (LTO-NIR) has recommended the revocation of the driver’s license of a motorcycle rider found administratively liable in the fatal road crash that killed a pedestrian at a crosswalk in Bacolod City.On July 17, LTO-NIR said the rider was found administratively liable for reckless driving in connection with the June 25 crash along Lacson Street in front of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).The incident involved a Yamaha Aerox 155 motorcycle that struck two pedestrians who were lawfully crossing at the designated pedestrian lane, resulting in the death of one victim and injuries to another.According to LTO-NIR, the rider failed to submit a written explanation despite being issued a Show Cause Order...

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Negros Island Region (BJMP-NIR) has welcomed 170 newly appointed Jail Officer 1 personnel under its 2026 recruitment quota.The new personnel, composed of 136 men and 34 women, formally took their oaths as the bureau’s newest public safety officers during a ceremony led by BJMP-NIR Regional Director JCSupt. Brendan O. Fulgencio, a press release from the BJMP said  on Thursday, July 16.BJMP-NIR said the new officers will help strengthen its operational capacity in providing custodial, developmental and security services across jail facilities in the Negros Island Region.During the ceremony, Fulgencio reminded the new jail officers that wearing the uniform carries a responsibility to uphold public trust and serve with discipline, com...

The van that figured in the crash*PNP photoTwelve people were reported injured after a  van and a tricycle collided in Brgy. Maquiling, Sagay City on Friday morning, July 17.The tricycle driver, identified as Rey Villarosa, 48, reportedly sustained a leg injury and was taken to a private hospital in Sagay.The van driver, identified as Panoy Estrella of Toboso, later surrendered to the Sagay police for investigation.The Sagay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) said its responders transported 10 patients to the hospital, most of whom sustained minor injuries and complained of chest pain.Among those injured were a minor, several senior citizens and a 39-year-old pregnant woman,  the CDRRMO reported.Meanwhile, the Sagay Component City ...