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Antonino Panique, right, takes his oath before CENECO District Election Committee chairperson Joel Cabalatungan.*shAn incumbent director was proclaimed the winner of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. election for District V – Bacolod West on Saturday, March 11.Antonino Panique was re-elected as representative of District V covering the areas of barangays 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and Singcang in Bacolod City, a press release from Ceneco said.Panique was formally proclaimed winner by the CENECO District Election Committee (DECOM) headed by chairperson Joel Cabalatungan, secretary May Bautista and member Aireen Gedorio at the CENECO Mabini Main Office.Meanwhile, regular elections for District IV (Bacolod East) and District VIII (...

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez *House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Sunday, March 12, sought a congressional inquiry over the failure of several police escorts of slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo to report for duty on the day he was gunned down in his own house.He noted reports that five out of the six police escorts of Degamo did not show up for duty on March 4, when a group of gunmen attacked his house and killed him, along with eight other individuals, mostly civilians, in Pamplona, Negros Oriental."Gov. Degamo had earlier reported to the police about the threats to his life so it stands to reason that his security detail should have implemented stricter measures to ensure his safety. That's why it's highly suspicious why these police escorts we...

First Lady Louise ”Liza” Araneta-Marcos meets with the newly weds.*Ronnie Baldonado photoFirst Lady Louise ”Liza” Araneta-Marcos shared three marriage tips, which she learned from being married to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for almost 30 years, with 2,023 couples who joined a historic mass wedding at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds on Saturday, March 11.Mrs. Marcos, who was the guest of honor at the mass wedding officiated by Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, said she and the president will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on April 17.“I don’t need to tell you that each couple is unique. There’s no magic formula which will make a marriage work a hundred percent,” she said.But she was sharing three lessons she learned from her marria...

Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. , AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Andres C. Centino and Philippine National Police OIC Lt. Gen. Rhodel O. Sermonia at the wake of Gov. Roel Degamo in Dumaguete City on Saturday, March 11.*DND photosDepartment of National Defense officer-in-charge (OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. on Saturday, March 11, assured the continued support of the DND and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the Special Joint Task Force, in accordance with the verbal instructions of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to suppress lawless violence in Negros Oriental.“Under the orders of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we have organized a Joint Task Force to step up the law enforcement operations of the AFP ...

The CIDG seized guns in Negros Oriental on Friday.*CIDG photoThe Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) seized about 15 firearms, explosives, and ammunition in raids on three houses in Barangay Malabugas, Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, one of which was allegedly owned by Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District), on Friday morning, March 10.The two other houses were believed to be owned by the congressman’s relatives, identified as Hannah Mae and Jojo Maturan, PCol. Thomas Valmonte, CIDG Legal Division chief, told reporters.Search warrants were also reportedly implemented at a house and a beach resort allegedly owned by Teves in Basay, Negros Oriental.Candice Colleen, the wife of Teves, on her Facebook page said “they planted so many things in our p...

Governors Roel Degamo and Eugenio Jose Lacson met in Dumaguete City last month.*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is holding off discussing the Negros Island Region (NIR) until slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo is laid to rest.Degamo was against the creation of the NIR, which will be composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.Lacson was set to meet with Degamo for a second time to discuss the NIR, but he was assassinated in Pamplona on March 4.“Can we talk about NIR after Gov. Degamo has been laid to his eternal rest… Let’s put Governor Degamo to rest and then we will start again,” Lacson said.Lacson, who said Degamo was a friend, visited his wake at his home in Dumaguete City on Tuesday.The House of Representatives unanimously approve...

The Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) simultaneously carried out the order to shut down Small Town Lottery (STL) operations on Thursday evening after the termination of Four Aces’ STL Authority to operate.This was in line with the memorandum order issued by the NOPPO dated March 9, on the termination of Four Aces’ STL Authority to Operate, under a letter from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).That letter from PCSO General Manager Melquiades A. Robles was addressed to Christopher R. Santiago, president of Four Aces Resources Management Group Corp., informing him of the termination by PCSO of the Agency Agreement and Authority to Operate STL in Negros Oriental.Lt. Col. Richard Gadingan, Tanjay City police chief, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) ...

The newly completed P5.1 million farm-to-mill road in barangays Cabadiangan and Mambagaton Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. *DPWH photoTwo tourism access roads and a farm-to-mill (FMR) road with a total cost of P102.2 million was completed in three locations across Negros Occidental, recently.The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 6 reported on Friday, March 10, that a P5.1 million FMR now provides infrastructure support to two villages of Himamaylan City.Benefiting sugarcane farmers and residents of barangays Cabadiangan and Mambagaton, the 312-meter road facilitates convenient transport of local products to various locations and access to neighboring cities and towns.“The completion of this farm-to-mill road provides sugarcane farmers with infrastructure su...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he is encouraging the National Bureau of Investigation to continue investigating and filing cases against barangay officials who may be involved in illegal Small Town Lottery (STL) operations.They should file charges, especially if they have very strong cases, Lacson said on Friday, March 10.“Why should we operate an illegal numbers game when there is also a legitimate numbers game here in Negros Occidental?“ Lacson asked.The NBI filed criminal charges on Wednesday against three barangay captains for alleged involvement in illegal STL operations in Kabankalan City.Named in the complaint were Noli Villarosa of Tangub, Bacolod, who was tagged as the “financier”, and Franz Leonard Seguero and Joel Alibango of Kabankalan City, who...