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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should appoint an agriculture secretary to address the country’s rice crisis, a Negros labor leader said Saturday, September 2.Wennie Sancho, General Alliance of Workers Associations secretary general, was reacting to Marcos’ order last week placing price caps for rice at P41 to P45 per kilo nationwide.Marcos is the current agriculture secretary.Sancho said the action of Marcos is arbitrary, he should have appointed an agriculture secretary to address the issue.“The long history of our farmers being left behind despite the country’s economic progress has created a significant distrust on the strategies of PBBM in handling the rice crisis,” Sancho said.This is largely due to the failure of the government to capacitate the agricultural secto...

The bodies of two men who drowned in Toboso and Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, were found Saturday morning, September 2, the police reported.Ronie Dalugdog, 49, of Sitio Plarengdeng, Brgy. Salamanca,Toboso, was found at the shore by a fisherman, 8 a.m. Saturday.The police said Dalugdog was last seen alive on August 31 drunk and swimming at sea.There was no indication of foul play, the police said.Rolando Tubong, 64, was also found lifeless on the riverbank in Purok Masinadyahon, Brgy. Caradio-an, Himamaylan City, 11 a.m. Saturday, the police said.*

A man was stabbed dead by an unidentified person in Brgy. Guiljungan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Friday, September 1, the police said.Jed Angelo Jandinero, 24, was stabbed to death by an unidentified suspect in Sitio Mangga, Purok 1, Brgy. Guiljungan.The victim was seen running on the road and suddenly fell to the ground.When the witnesses discovered that the victim had a wound on the left side of his neck he was rushed to the Cauayan District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.*

There will be 29,640 candidates running for various posts in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City on October 30, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Sunday, September 3.The filing of certificates of candidacy that ended Saturday was peaceful with no untoward incident, he said.There are 1,611 barangay captain aspirants provincewide, 1,239 of whom are male and 372 female.The aspirants for Sangguniang Barangay member are 15,612, of which 11,097 are male and 4,515 are female.In the race for Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson, there are 1,882 candidates with 1,117 males and 765 females.Candidates for SK member posts are 10,535 with 5,616 males and 4,919 females.Bacolod Election Officer Kathrina Tri...

Mayor Raymund Tongson is offering a P200,000 reward for information that could lead to the identification and arrest of the person or persons responsible for the killing of a 67-year-old tricycle driver in Brgy. Aguisan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.Antonio Tobias, 67, was killed at 8 a.m. Friday, September 1.Tongson, in a post on his Facebook page, said that he strongly condemns the slay of Tobias and has instructed the Himamaylan City police chief to conduct a thorough investigation on this “brazen killing”.The victim was on board a Ford Everest driven by Cesar Buenaventura when a male suspect approached their vehicle and fired at them thrice.The victim sustained one gunshot wound on his head and was declared dead at the Binalbagan Infirmary.Tongson said on Sund...

Fuel prices are expected to go up again on Tuesday, September 5, for the ninth straight week.Diesel prices are forecast to increase by P1 to P1.20 per liter, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said on Saturday.Gasoline prices may stay the same, or could go up by 30 to 50 centavos per liter, it also said.Price adjustments have so far resulted in a year-to-date net increase of P14.80 per liter for gasoline, P9.50 per liter for diesel, and P6.64 per liter for kerosene this year, the Department of Energy said.*

The ratification of the joint venture agreement (JVA) between Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) and Primelectric Holdings Inc. is the people’s victory, Wennie Sancho, Power Watch Negros secretary-general, said Sunday, September 3.With an overwhelming vote of 98,591 or 55.53 percent yes votes as of August 27, the CENECO consumers ratified the JVA, Sancho said in a press statement.“It has been providential that the JVA was approved to meet the challenges of times, as we are beset by brownouts and power outages. Now the JVA shall pave the way for a new beginning in the franchise area of CENECO,” he said.By this overwhelming mandate, the consumers have spoken, he said.“We foresee that under the JVA, the immediate and long-term needs of the consumers will be provided....

AMHI's President Ramon Montelibano and ZRC's President Jabez Alvarez shake hands after singing the proposed 100-MW floating solar project agreement as Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. and Andy Montelibano look on.*Cadiz City in Negros Occidental will host the first floating solar farm in the Visayas and Mindanao, which hopefully will be up within a year, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said Sunday, September 3.The solar farm that has a target capacity of 100 megawatts (MW) will be built on a sprawling 90-hectare fishpond in Barangay Tinampaan, Cadiz City, he said.Project proponent Zonal Renewables Corporation (ZRC) recently inked an agreement with property owner A.M. Hijos Inc. (AMHI) of the Montelibano family.AMHI President Ramon Montelibano and Leandro "Andy" Monteli...

Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria*The number of candidates for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Negros Occidental were 24,387 on Thursday, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Friday, September 1.Hopefully there will be no huge influx of candidates filing their Certificates of Candidacy during the deadline on Saturday, September 2, since a lot have already filed their COCs, he said.There were 3,922 additional bets who filed their COCs on Thursday, he said.The total number of candidates who filed their COCs for punong barangay from Monday to Thursday were 1,395, Sangguniang Barangay member – 13,367, SK chairperson - 1,485 and for SK member – 8,140.*

The flooded Bago City Hospital.*Mayor Nicholas Yulo said Bago City will be declared under a state of calamity on Monday, September 4.The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) recommended the declaration of a state of calamity on Friday, September 1, citing the extent of Typhoon Goring’s damage to Bago City, Yulo said.Yulo said the Bago Sangguniang Panlungsod will hold a special session on Monday to act on the CDRRMC’s recommendation.An Initial report on Goring’s damage to Bago City placed losses to rice crops at P138 million, the Bago City Hospital – P40 million, livestock and poultry – P4 million and infrastructure – P13 million, Bago CDDRM Action Officer Dr. Merijene Ortizo said.Bago City residents affected by the “Goring” flooding were 9,354, the P...