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Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez delivering his state of the city address.*Rep. Kiko Benitez FB page photoMayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez announced more new infrastructure projects and programs for Victorias City during his State of the City Address at the Victorias Coliseum on Monday, July 3.“Many good and promising things are unfolding not only for us today, but for the next generations of Victoriahanons to come”, he said as he assured his constituents that “the state of the city is strong.”Benitez, in his hour-long speech, revealed new projects for the city like the recent congressional approval of the tertiary-level Victorias City General Hospital, a regional museum on sugar heritage, the Sidlak Village, and the Abelardo and Remedios Bantug Memorial Hospital,...

Dina Gensola*Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, July 3, that Supervising Agriculturist Dina Gensola will be the officer-in-charge of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) effective immediately.Gensola was appointed OIC following the resignation of Edmundo Raul Causing as provincial agriculturist for health reasons, pending the appointment of his permanent replacement.Meanwhile, Lacson assured that the two OPA personnel facing charges for the missing 789 bags of Department of Agriculture fertilizer are being given all the opportunity to defend themselves.The two are Herminigildo Basilio and Joy Cardinal, who both hold the position of Agriculturist 1.The contract of Cardinal who is a casual employee will not be renewed while Basilio ...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the advertising firm that produced the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) “Love the Philippines” promotional video should be blacklisted.They were paid P49 million for a tourism promotional video of the country and used stock footage from other countries, how can you love the Philippines if they show videos from out of the country, Lacson said.“They should be blacklisted, they should never be allowed to do any government work for tourism,” he said.He also said there is probably also some oversight on the part of government.The DOT on Monday announced that it had terminated its contract with DDB Philippines, the advertising firm behind the promotional video.*

The mayors of the four cities and two towns covered by the Central Negros Electric Cooperative franchise area are asking the National Electrification Administration (NEA) to temporarily suspend the plebiscite on the joint venture agreement (JVA) between CENECO and Primelectric Holdings Inc. to allow for verification of the voters list.Mayors Alfredo Abelardo Benitez – Bacolod City, Nicholas Yulo – Bago City, Neil Lizares – Talisay City, Joedith Gallego – Silay City, Gerry Rojas – Murcia, and Marxlen dela Cruz- Salvador Benedicto sought the temporary suspension in a letter to NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda, which they signed on Monday July 3.The plebiscite is being held for CENECO member-consumer-owners (MCOs) to vote “yes” or “no” to the JVA.The mayors said they have ...

The Visayas needs a more than P150 billion allocation for infrastructure in the 2024 national budget as its equitable share, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardro Benitez said Monday, July 3.Benitez, who was recently appointed Regional Development Council chairman for the whole Visayas, said the mandate of the position is to ensure that the resources being allocated by the national government are properly and fairly distributed so there is no disparity of resources.Benitez said the budget for 2023 shows that the appropriation for the Visayas only accounts for 11 percent of the total national budget.He said during his meeting with the Visayan congressmen he told them that it is incumbent upon them to lobby for a fair share in the national budget.This is needed so the Visayas is no...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, July 3, that the Bacolod City government will close down the junk shop where cell site batteries of telecommunication firms were recovered last week.The mayor said they are just waiting for the documents and the recommendation of the Bacolod City police.This is a warning to all, we have to draw the line, if we allow this nothing will happen, he said.The police seized of 151 stolen cell site batteries of telecommunication firms worth P15.1 million from three suspects and a junk shop in Bacolod City on Thursday, June 29.The three arrested persons Erwin Aribato, 30, Romelyn Quiatchon, 26, and Joseph Villanueva, 30, of Brgy. Banago, Bacolod City, were turned over to the Mabinay police where theft charges have been filed against the...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez has moved into the newly renovated mayor’s office at the Bacolod City Government Center.He is personally paying for the P16 million cost for its renovation, which included demolition of some of the old structures and the repair of the leaking roof, Benitez said during his weekly press conference on Monday, June 3.The new office has a modern luxury design, which includes new furniture, outer and inner waiting rooms, two conference rooms and a glass wall that gives one a full view of the BCGC grounds and fountain.“We would like to present the mayor’s office as a symbol of Bacolod City, which has to have a certain level of wow factor,” Benitez said.It is also designed to be a comfortable and relaxed w...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, July 3, that he is appealing to Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas to withdraw his declaration of Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as persona non grata.Treñas issued an executive order on June 22 declaring Familiaran persona non grata for the arrival of 80 Badjaos from Bacolod City in Iloilo City.The Bacolod City government was sending the Badjaos back to Mindanao but they instead disembarked at the Dumangas port.Treñas blamed Familiaran, who was acting Bacolod mayor at the time, for the “lack of coordination” in the transfer to Badjaos that caused them to instead end up in Iloilo.Benitez, who was abroad at the time, apologized to Treñas for the incident.“I have expressed concern that maybe he can recall his declaration of ...

Passengers of a Cebu Pacific flight undergo baggage re-checking after a bomb scare at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental Sunday night.* PNA contributed photoThe Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station in Negros Occidental province is seeking assistance from the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to investigate the bomb scare that affected a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Manila on Sunday night, July 2.Passengers were asked to deplane after they were informed about a bomb threat sent to iPhone users through the file-sharing application AirDrop.“We just requested the Cybercrime (Group to investigate). There is no number, only a name," said Maj. Deejay Domingo, chief of Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station, in a media interview on Monday.He said the board...