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A private armed group (PAG) responsible for the series of killings in Negros Oriental has been neutralized following the death of a key member, a police official said Tuesday, August 1.In a press briefing, Col. Ronan Claravall, acting police provincial director, said the death of alleged hired gun Alex Mayagma on Monday will lead to the eventual downfall of the group.“Mayagma is a PAG member operating in Negros Oriental. There are still members, but they are already crippled due to previous arrests as a result of intensified operations,” Claravall told reporters in a briefing held at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) headquarters in Sibulan town.Mayagma, tagged as the topmost wanted person in the Central Visayas region, was shot dead in Barangay Malabugas, Ba...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has ordered an impartial investigation into a commotion that took place at Purok Lampirong, Brgy 2, Bacolod City, on Friday while demolition work was underway.An impartial investigation will be conducted by the City Legal Office to determine what really happened and we will act accordingly, Benitez said at a press conference on Tuesday, August 1.He stressed the need for government employees to exercise maximum tolerance, which means not using force.The clearing of illegal structures along the waterway at Lampirong was required by the Department of Public Works and Highways as part of its flood control measures, he said.He said once the Yuhum Village housing units are up by October informal settlers could be relocated there, he said....

The 762 hogs raisers of San Enrique town whose pigs died from various diseases will be the first recipients of financial assistance from the Negros Occidental provincial government.Chiqui Gonzales, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, said on Tuesday, August 1, that P4.5 million has been initially allocated under the first tranche of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation.It will cover 2,260 hog raisers in Negros Occidental who will receive P2,000 each, she said, but did not give a specific date for the release of the assistance.On July 30 the pig deaths in Negros Occidental were 17,744 with total losses of P198.7 million, the Provincial Animal Biosecurity Incident Management Team reported.Total hog raisers affected were 4,244, it added.*

Councilor Richard Jaojoco posted this on his FB page*The Toboso Sangguniang Bayan passed a resolution authored by Councilor Richard Jaojoco declaring drag queen Amadeus Fernando Pagente alias Pura Luka Vega persona non grata during its regular session on Tuesday, August 1.Church groups have slammed her viral drag performance of “Ama Namin” (Our Father). In a video posted on Twitter she is seen wearing a Black Nazarene-drag costume while dancing to a remix version of Ama Namin inside a bar.Jaojoco said as a Catholic he feels that what Pura Luka Vega did was wrong and disrespects God.He authored the resolution stating that she is not welcome in Toboso as a reminder that what was done was wrong, Jaojoco said.*

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Tuesday, August 1, that he is looking for ways to increase enrollment at the Bacolod City College.The mayor said at a BCC Board of Trustees meeting on Monday it was disclosed that out of 5,250 student applicants at the school only 1,310 were accepted for the coming school year.Benitez said he was told that the rest did not meet the 75 percent passing grade.He asked the BCC to review the entrance exam standards and requirements.Benitez said he was informed that the college can accept more students, and that they will review its manpower complement.He has also directed the City Engineer’s Office to fast track repairs and the energizing of new classrooms so they will be ready for the opening of classes.Benitez said he want...

Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio (left) signs the deed of donation and acceptance with Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban (right) for 4,000 metric tons of Thailand white sugar on Tuesday.*BOC photoThe Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Tuesday, August 1, donated 4,000 metric tons of seized Thailand white sugar to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to benefit local consumers.BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said “We firmly believe that, through DA, this donation will reach various local communities and enable our fellow Filipinos to conveniently access sugar".Rubio made the remark following the signing of the deed of donation and acceptance alongside DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban.The donation is comprised of 80,000 bags of Thailand white sugar w...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is creating a task force to look into businesses with fake or no permits that have caused the city government millions of pesos in lost revenues.The establishments in Bacolod without valid permits are about 15 percent and some of them are big businesses, he said.The task force will visit city business establishment to check on the validity of their permits, he said,Meanwhile, the mayor said DLC Junk Shop at Mabini Street in Brgy 25, that was closed down by the city government on July 6 will be allowed to resume operations if it pays the necessary fines.Benitez issued a notice of revocation of business permit and closure of the DLC Junk Shop for violation of the conditions of the business permit issued by the Bacolod City...

Seven suspects were arrested and P68,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in separate buy-bust operations in Bago City and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Monday, July 31, the police said.Six suspects were arrested in Brgy. Isio, Cauayan, and P40,800 worth of suspected shabu was recovered on Monday night, the police said.Arrested were Jerome Perez, Robinson Suerte, Joemar Ibañez, Evegen Talaquienes, Pancho Tabujara Jr., and Perey Peruello.Recovered from the suspects were six grams of suspected shabu, a weighing scale, and various drug paraphernalia, the police said.Aljin Dave Alit, 24, a street-level target from Purok Masulhay, Brgy. Ma-ao, Bago City, was also arrested on Monday afternoon, the police added.Recovered from the suspect were four grams of suspected shabu ...

The Department of Labor and Employment has assumed jurisdiction of the labor dispute between Central Negros Electric Cooperative and the CENECO Union of Rational Employees and called for a meeting between the two parties on Tuesday, August 7.The Notice of Order issued by Labor and Employment Sec. Bienvenido Laguesma said any intended strike will not be allowed while maintaining the prevailing terms and conditions of the CENECO workers.The assumption of jurisdiction was attributed to the nature of the business and industry CENECO operates, as work stoppage can disrupt economic and social activities, it said.In June, CURE filed a notice of strike due to alleged union busting, dismissal of union officers and members due to the joint venture agreement entered by CENECO, and unlawfu...

Ramon Uy Sr. and his wife, May, with Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga (left) at the awarding rites.*The Department of Environment and Natural Resources recognized a Negrense businessman and inventor for his help in mitigating the oil spill in the waters of Oriental Mindoro during the “Para sa Bayan: DENR’s Milestones and Pathways to Environmental Sustainability” rites at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, on Monday, July 31.Ramon Uy Sr., RU Foundry president, was one of the individuals and organizations in the country given special awards for being “DENR Partners in Environmental Sustainability and Resilience”.Using the “coconut boom” technology made of coconut husks, Uy led in creating a tool to help absorb the oil spill at sea.The MT ...