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The fire in Brgy. Palaka, Valladolid, Negros Occidental.*BFP Valladolid photoTwo houses were destroyed after accidentally catching fire in Sitio Pawud, Brgy. Palaka, Valladolid, Negros Occidental, 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 6.Destroyed were the houses of brothers Lifeber Doroteo, 70, and Reiznel Doroteo, 65.The fire started at Reiznel’s house and spread to Lifeber’s house next door.Estimated losses were placed at P150,000.The cause of fire is still under investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection.*

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez delivering his state of the city address.*Ronnie Baldonado photo“The state of the city is strong – and it will be stronger. The best of Bacolod is yet to come,” Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said in his first state of the city address on Wednesday, July 5.Benitez, in his speech delivered at the Bacolod City Government Center, cited increased city revenues, business investments and improved services under his watch, and spoke of more programs geared towards making Bacolod a “super city”.Clean, efficient and people-centered government is what is needed to transform Bacolod into a Super City, Benitez said.Benitez said he has zero tolerance for corruption, abuse and neglect of duty.The old system of having ghost employees, gho...

Negros Oriental Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria (left) and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Wednesday, July 5, that he will discuss the push for the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) with Negros Oriental Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria.“I understand Gov. Sagarbarria is open to the NIR,” Lacson said.Lacson said he will call Sagarbarria to discuss the matter.The Senate hearings on the proposed creation of the NIR are expected to resume after the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 24, Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said Monday.Benitez is one of the authors of House Bill 7355, creating the Negros Island Region composed of the provinces of...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is open to a separate probe by the Department of Agriculture (DA) on its missing 789 bags of fertilizer, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Wednesday, July 5.“We are open to a DA investigation, we will also ask them why the fertilizer was delivered at night,” he said.The missing fertilizer intended for farmers planting high value crops who were victims of Typhoon Odette were discovered missing from the Negros Occidental provincial government Rice Processing Center warehouse in Bago City in October.The Negros Occidental provincial government filed formal charges against Agriculturist 1 Joy Cardinal and Herminigildo Basilio of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist for the missing fertilizer and an investigation is underway.Former DA...

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is inviting the public to join the BSPPiso Caravan at Robinsons Place Bacolod 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 7 and 8, to exchange their coins and unfit banknotes with new ones.The public can also conveniently open digital wallets, online bank accounts and/or basic deposit accounts with participating financial service providers, the BSP announced Wednesday, July 5.The activity aims to promote recirculation of coins by flushing out idle coins from storage and strengthen the effective implementation of the BSP Clean Note and Coin Policy, and Coin Recirculation Program, Maria Jocelyn Ladero, BSP deputy director, said.Those who wish to open accounts should bring valid identification, she said.*

The police arrested Erlinda Delfin in Brgy. Handumanan, Bacolod City.*BCPOphotoThree suspects were arrested while two others escaped in a series of buy-bust operations in three cities and a town in Negros Occidental on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 4 and 5, the police reported.Seized was suspected shabu worth P274,366, the police said.A Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Regional target was arrested in Brgy. Handumanan, Bacolod City, early Wednesday morning.Erlinda Delfin, 66, of Purok San Roque 1, Brgy. Handumanan was arrested in a buy-bust operation and recovered from her were 26 grams of shabu estimated at P176,800, the police reported.Meanwhile, Emedy Roullo and Ronesa Isidro of Mambulac evaded arrests in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Mambulac, Silay City, on Tuesday,...

Rosemar Herrera was rushed to the Candoni Rural Health Unit.*PNP photoA man arrested for alleged rape died after a seizure and vomiting blood at a Candoni Police Station cell in Candoni town, Negros Occidental, Tuesday afternoon, July 4.Rosemar Herrera, 51, a tricycle driver from Brgy. West, Candoni, tagged as a Person Under PNP Custody (PUPC), was rushed to the Candoni Rural Health Unit where doctors were unable to revive him, the police said.PMaj. Ruel Culanag, Candoni police chief, told DIGICAST NEGROS that Herrera has tuberculosis and was served a warrant of arrest on Sunday for alleged rape.The police received the warrant for his arrest last month and asked Herrera’s family for help for his surrender, Culanag said.*

The inflation rate of Western Visayas dropped to 6.8 percent, but it is 1.4 percent higher than the national average of 5.4 percent, Philippine Statistics Authority records showed Wednesday, July 5.The region’s inflation declined by 0.3 percent from 7.1 percent in May to 6.8 percent in June.The region had the second highest inflation rate in June next to MIMAROPA Region at 7.2 percent, the PSA reported.Cordillera Administrative Region registered the lowest inflation rate in the country at 3.2 percent.While all the commodities decelerated in the Western Visayas, inflation in basic utilities like housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose by 1.1 percent, from 6.8 percent in May to 7.9 percent in June, the PSA said.The inflation rate for food and non-food alcoh...

The National Electrification Administration has directed Central Negros Electric Cooperative to suspend the plebiscite on its joint venture agreement with Primelectic Holdings Inc. for a period not exceeding 60 days while it verifies its list of voters.The plebiscite is being held for CENECO member-consumer-owners (MCOs) to vote for the approval or denial of the JVA.Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Monday said he and the mayors of the five other areas within the franchise coverage of CENECO were seeking a temporary suspension of the plebiscite that was set July 8 and 9 so NEA could verify its list of voters.CENECO in an advisory Wednesday, July 5, said the plebiscite on June 8 and 9 is suspended until further notice in compliance with the NEA directive.NEA Administ...