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Two electric cooperatives announced a P1 decrease in electricity rates for the month of July.The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) and Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NOCECO) announced Monday, that their electricity rates for July decreased by P1.1902/kWh and P1.37446/kWh, respectively.CENECO’s member-consumers will pay P11.533/kWh this month from the previous P12.7835/kWh, and at NOCECO it will be P13.3741/kWH from P14.7487/kWh in June.CENECO attributed the drop to the generation charges that decreased by 11.22 percent compared to the previous month due to a decrease in prices at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) from P9.6952/kWh to P7.7711/kWH.They also attributed it to the decrease in other pass-through charges such as Lifeline and Senior Ci...

A man arrested for alleged possession of illegal drugs had a seizure and died at the Himamaylan City Police Station in Negros Occidental, early Sunday morning, July 16.Arthur James Vargas, 37, from Brgy. 1, Himamaylan, was reported by his fellow person under police custody (PUPC) to have suffered a seizure, the police reported Monday.The victim was brought to the Valriano M. Gatuslao Memorial District Hospital in Himamaylan where he was declared dead.PLtCol. Reynante Jomocan, Himamaylan Police Chief, said that the victim suffered from hypertension.The police have requested the Himamaylan City Health Office to conduct a post-mortem examination.*

The police arrested four suspects in separate buy-bust operations and seized P127,160 worth of suspected shabu in three cities and a town in Negros Occidental from Friday to Sunday, July 14 to 16.Abdul Wahed Dirindingon, 25, was arrested in Brgy. 6, San Carlos City, and 16 grams of suspected shabu worth P108,000 was seized on Saturday, the police reported on Monday.Kirth Lee Villa, 39, of Brgy. Zone-2 in Cadiz City was also arrested and the police confiscated 0.5 gram of suspected shabu worth P3,400 on Sunday, the police added.Joemar Milan, 20, a habal-habal driver, was arrested with two grams of suspected shabu worth P13,600 in Barangay 3, Moises Padilla, Friday.A street-level target was also arrested in Sipalay City.Ernesto Rama, 30, of Brgy. Maricalum was arrested an...

The skeletal remains of a missing man were found in a sugarcane field in Brgy. Inapoy, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Sunday, July 16.The victim identified as Roberto Cayaban, 60, widow, of Barangay Inapoy was found 11 days after he was reported missing, the police said Monday, July 17.Brgy. Inapoy Captain Roberto Tarosan reported the discovery of the skeletal remains.PCapt. Thurslie Castillo, Kabankalan deputy police chief, said that the probable cause of death of the victim was starvation or sickness as it was reported that he was mentally ill.There were no signs of foul play, he said.*

The seized smuggled cigarettes in San Carlos City.*About P4.5 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were confiscated at two houses in San Juan Tunga, Brgy. 5, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Thursday, July 13, the police said Sunday.The about 252 smuggled Master Cases cigarettes worth P4,536,000 were confiscated by the police and Bureau of Internal Revenue-Victorias City personnel.PLt. Col. Jesus Mesahon Jr., San Carlos City Police chief, said they confiscated the smuggled cigarettes in two houses that served as makeshift warehouses.The confiscation was implemented through a mission order from BIR-Victorias together with the San Carlos police, officers of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion and a tracker team of Police Regional Office-6, a police report said.The conf...

The Philippine Statistics Authority-Negros Occidental has retrieved about 87 national IDs that were allegedly found in the garbage in Brgy. Tiling, Cauayan town, Negros Occidental.PSA-Negros Occidental head Luis Gonzales told DIGICAST NEGROS on Sunday, July 16, that they have already gathered the IDs and are still conducting an investigation of the incident, which video went viral on social media last weekGonzales said that the initial investigation found that there were three PVC IDs and four e-Phil IDs found in the garbage, while 80 e-Phil IDs were turned over by the persons who recorded the video.They claimed that the 80 e-Phil IDs were also found in the garbage near the residence of the barangay captain, Gonzales said.A separate investigation is being conducted by the b...

A Talisaynon arrested for allegedly possessing 46.4 grams of shabu was acquitted almost three years after the incident by a Regional Trial Court judge in Bacolod City on Friday, July 14.Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 52 Judge Raymond Joseph Javier found Raymund Honorario, alias Pirot, not guilty for the sale and possession of illegal drugs.Honorario was arrested on Aug. 19, 2020 in Brgy. Zone 12, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, as the police allegedly recovered from him shabu weighing 46.351 grams, Court records showed.He was then charged for violation of Section 5, Article 2 of Republic Act 9165 for allegedly selling shabu to poseur buyers Police Officers Jheeryl Pedrajas and Daryl Pahilanga and for possession of dangerous drugs.However, the court finds the testimony...

The crime scene in Brgy. Camalobalo, Hinigaran.*Two Negrenses were killed in separate shooting incidents in southern Negros Occidental on Thursday and Friday, July 13 and 14.Barangay kagawad Alex Roca, 54, shot alias “Oscar” in Sitio Montello, Brgy. Pinggot, Ilog, on Thursday, the police reported.Roca together with barangay tanods, the purok chairman, and some residents responded to a complaint of Ramon Bicas that he was being chased by the victim with a bolo.When they arrived, the victim assaulted Roca with two bolos in both hands, causing the kagawad to draw his firearm and shoot Oscar on his legs in an attempt to pacify him, the police reported.However, Oscar continued to charge at Roca causing him to fall in a canal. Roca then shot the victim on his chest when he tr...

Fuel prices are expected to increase by about P2 per liter on Tuesday, July 18, Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. said Saturday.Diesel prices will increase by P1.90 to P2.10 per liter, and gasoline by P1.80 to P2 per liter, Unioil said.On July 11 fuel firms cut the per liter prices of gasoline by P0.20, and increased the price of diesel by P0.75 per liter.There has been a year-to-date per liter net decrease of P2.95 in the price of diesel and P5.50 for kerosene, and an increase of P5.65 for gasoline.*