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The cooks Teresita Villegas and Connie Magbanua from Barangay Luna.*Bilis Cadiz photoRepresenting the Negros Island Region (NIR), Cadiz City's "pinakbet mais-aya" is set to join the "Walang Gutom" Program Kusinero Cook-Off Challenge in Manila on July 17.Cadiz's version of pinakbet was declared the champion in the region-wide cooking tilt on July 2.“Cadiz's pinakbet has a twist with sweet corn kernels. But what really makes it more distinctly salty-funky is the city-made shrimp paste (ginamos),” a press release from Cadiz City said Sunday, July 12.The champion cooks behind the winning dish are Teresita Villegas and her niece Connie Magbanua.Dubbed as the "hacienda cooks," Villegas, 64, is from Hacienda Fe Palid while Magbanua, 51, is from Hacienda San Remigio—all in Bara...

A 20-year-old construction worker died after he was electrocuted while working at a construction site in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, July 11.Police identified the victim only as “Bitoy,” a resident of Sitio Tique, Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City.He was employed by JVC Tough Core Construction and Builder Corporation, a subcontractor of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).The incident happened at around 2:30 p.m. in Sitio Kanangkaan, Brgy. General Luna.Initial investigation by the Toboso Municipal Police Station showed that the victim was about to retrieve a cylinder molding when he came into contact with a live electrical wire while walking.His co-workers immediately rescued him and rushed him to the Vicente Gustilo District Hospital in Escal...

Authorities found no explosives or suspicious items after conducting security inspections in several establishments in San Carlos City following an alleged bomb threat posted on social media.Personnel of the San Carlos City Police Station, Philippine Coast Guard San Carlos Canine Unit, and City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office inspected the San Carlos City Auditorium, VIAST Outsource Solutions, and Empire One BPO starting at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 11.Police said the operation was launched after they monitored a post in the Facebook group “6127 Marketplace San Carlos City” allegedly threatening to plant bombs in schools and other establishments, including Empire One BPO and an ongoing job fair.A bomb detection dog from the Coast Guard assisted in checking t...

The collapsed cemetery wall in Bacolod.*BCCO photoThe combined effects of the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and Tropical Cyclone "Inday" have triggered widespread flooding across Negros Occidental, forcing residents to flee their homes, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 11.According to the report, a total of 2,787 individuals (946 families) from nine Local Government Units (LGUs) have been directly affected. As of Saturday morning, 41 evacuation centers were actively housing 2,575 displaced persons.The affected populations are from the cities of Bago, La Carlota, and Sipalay, as well as the municipalities of San Enrique, Pontevedra, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Isabela, and Hinoba-an.Property damage ...

Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez delivering his State of the District Address,*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe ₱418-million expansion of the Bacolod-Silay Airport passenger terminal will begin next month as part of an infrastructure push aimed at transforming Bacolod into a highly connected economic hub.Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez announced this during his State of the District Address at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod on Friday, July 10.The immediate terminal upgrade will significantly improve the airport experience by nearly tripling the pre-departure seating capacity from 500 to 1,480 passengers.Benitez said he is also continuing to advocate for the proposed ₱380-million runway expansion, ...

Two persons, including a businessman earlier tagged by law enforcers as a member of the New People’s Army (NPA), were separately found dead due to multiple gunshot wounds in Barangay 11 (Gawahon), Victorias City, on Friday, July 10.The fatalities were identified as Jerome Seballos, 57, and Alex Cunanan, 59, according to PCol. Dennis Wenceslao, Negros Occidental police director.Investigators are still determining the motive for the killings, Wenceslao said.Seballos' body was found in Sitio 5, Barangay 11, at 5:30 a.m., the  police director said.The police investigation disclosed that at around 5:30 a.m., several residents living near the scene of the incident heard multiple gunshots. Shortly after, two residents saw the lifeless body of Seballos lying near a motorcycle ...