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Ninety fake Bacolod business permits have been discovered, and the number appears to be increasing, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Thursday, July 20.Fixers, who may be part of a syndicate, are believed to be behind the issuance of the fake business permits, Benitez said, adding that an investigation is underway.Those allegedly involved were job order workers from the previous administration, who are no longer working for the city government, he said, adding that it could have been an inside job.The Bacolod City Treasurer has found fake official receipts, assessments and business permits all because of reports from concerned citizens, he said.Benitez said he is encouraging Bacolod residents to be active participants in reporting illegal activities in the city government...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (left) and Councilor Vladimir Gonzalez at a press conference on Thursday*Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Thursday, July 20, that he is submitting a list of idle land owned by the national government in Bacolod City to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) so it can expand its housing program in Bacolod City.Benitez said this in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order (EO) 34 directing all government agencies, including local government units, to identify government properties that can be used for the expansion of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program.This EO will now force the national government agencies and departments to transfer their unutilized land to the DHS...

Patrick S. Lacson, Sonya M. Verdeflor and Bartolome N. Orola Sr. (l-r).*The Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, July 19, granted Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez authority to sign the contracts of service of six persons, including three of his Asenso Bacolod partymates in the 2022 polls.The six are former councilors Bartolome N. Orola Sr. and Sonya M. Verdeflor, former Negros Occidental board member Patrick S. Lacson, Lizel De Las Alas, Emmylou F. Iman, and Maria Louie A. Jomero.Orola, Verdeflor and Lacson, who lost their bids for councilor in 2022, were granted contracts of service from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.Documents submitted to the SP said Orola would advise the mayor on socio-economic and development matters, Verdeflor on social services with emphasis on ...

Vice President Sara Duterte has not authorized the solicitation of any membership fee.*Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson on Thursday, July 20, also warned the public against persons promising livelihood projects from Vice President Sara Duterte in exchange for a P50 membership fee in their organization.Tongson said they have asked the police and barangay officials to investigate the persons behind the scam and already have preliminary findings.Tongson said reports reaching his office is that the leader of the organization soliciting membership fees is not from Himamaylan City.They are reportedly promising their recruits P15,000 in livelihood support from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Tongson said.The public should not believe these people because they are ...

Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez at the Lasallian Education Symposium*Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ. 3rd District) urged the academic sector to adopt the “lifelong-learning model” to elevate the education system while addressing the impacts of digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic in Negros Occidental.Benitez, in his speech during the Lasallian Education Symposium at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City on Tuesday, July 18, said that there is a need to adapt and address the evolving digital landscape, traditional models of education, and learning deficiency due to the pandemic.The symposium provided a platform for crucial discussions on the future of education in Negros Occidental and the country, a press release from his office said.Benitez ur...

Noli Rosales, Bayan Negros spokesperson, (2nd from left) at a press conference at the Negros Press Club on Thursday.*No amount of rebranding by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can conceal that he is incapable of addressing the pressing demands of the people, having offered only an illusion of productivity, Noli Rosales, Bayan Negros spokesperson, claimed on Thursday, July 20.The first year of Marcos Jr.'s presidency was primarily focused on building his public image, as he attempted to rebrand his regime as "Bagong Pilipinas", reminiscent of his father’s “Bagong Lipunan" Rosales said in a press statement.“We must not be swayed by the empty promises of rebranding and propaganda, instead, we must continue to expose the truth and hold the administration accountable for its crimes a...

The 1983 MassKara Festival in Bacolod City.*Visayan Times file photoA multi-sectoral discussion on the history of the MassKara Festival will be held at Sea Breeze Hotel in Bacolod City on Saturday, July 22.Creative think-tank group “Bibliotikal” will organize the event, which will open discussions on the beginnings and history of the MassKara Festival.The event will be attended by representatives from the youth, urban poor, and academic sectors, among others, and will be open to the public.Event organizer and Bibliotikal founder Raniel Ponteras said that discussions pertaining to local history are very timely as the posting of fake historical narratives, especially online and on social media sites, is very rampant.He said that when the Philippine History subject was rem...

Bacolod City policemen arrested three station-level most wanted individuals for alleged homicide and violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act in Bacolod City, Wednesday, July 19.The police served a warrant of arrest to Jurry Distajo, 23, of Purok Tahong, Brgy. 2, Bacolod City.Distajo was charged with alleged homicide and Regional Trial Court Branch 50 Judge Ferdinand Elbert Jomilla set his bail at P120,000 on July 4, the police reported.He was arrested by members of the Bacolod City Mobile Force Company and a BCPO Tracker Team.Meanwhile, Alvin Caceres, 31, a tricycle driver from Brgy. 16, was also arrested by the police for alleged violation of R.A. 9165, Wednesday afternoon.The suspect was issued a warrant of arrest for alleged violation ...

There are four committed private sector-initiated power projects in Negros Island with a projected total capacity of 41.6 megawatts, the Department of Energy (DOE) said.There are 19 power projects initiated by the private sector in the Visayas and four will be installed in Negros Island, data posted on the DOE website on July 12 said.The projects are the 5.6MW Northern Negros Geothermal Project in Bago City and Murcia, and 30MW expansion project of the 70MW Biomass Cogeneration Plant in Victorias City, both from Negros Occidental, and 3MW and 6MW Biomass Power Plant Projects (Phase 1 and 2) in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.All these projects are renewable energy plants.The biomass projects in Bayawan and Victorias are expected to be commissioned in the second half of the ye...

The Office of Vice President Sara Duterte issued a public warning on Wednesday, July 19, against the illegal collection of money by unscrupulous individuals or groups in behalf of the OVP.Reports from Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, said that certain individuals have been asking for P50 from persons who want to avail of monetary aid or services from the vice president, the public warning posted on her Facebook page said.This is a scam, it said.The public is being urged to report such activities to the police station or any local authorities, the OVP said.The public may also inquire about OVP programs through its official platforms, the OVP Central Office, and its Satellite Offices, it added.The OVP Bacolod Satellite Office is located at the Mosser Building, Lacson Street...