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The Bacolod City government is waiting for the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) test results of blood samples from two pigs suspected to have been hit with African swine fever in Barangay Tangub, Bacolod, Acting Bacolod Mayor El Cid Familiaran said Tuesday, May 30.The ASF-positive test results of two pigs in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod, on May 26, have been confirmed by the BAI, Familiaran said.Agriculture Regional Director Jose Albert Barrogo said they sent the blood samples from the two Tangub pigs to the BAI Tuesday afternoon and expect the results out soon.A copy of the Department of Agriculture (DA) initial tests results were given to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez earlier and he said the city will wait for the official confirmation from BAI, Barrogo added.Meanwhile, Bar...

Leaders of small fishers associations in Negros Occidental signed the Negros Small Fishers Democratic and Reform 10-point agenda during their indoor rally held in celebration of the National FIsherfolks Day at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, Monday, May 29.About 100 small fisherfolk leaders from various coastal towns and cities, public officials, and civil society members in the province participated in the indoor rally and signing of the 10-point agenda led by the Negros Occidental Federation of Small Fishers Association (NOFSFA).The NOFSFA said they are calling for opposition to illegal fishing and illegal resource extraction in coastal areas and urged the government to increase the fisheries budget and assure more attention and support to the fisherfolk sector by creating...

The five students and two Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) personnel who were hospitalized Monday after inhaling colored smoke at the Bacolod City College Activity Center have been discharged, Dr. Johanna Ann Bayoneta, BCC administrator, said Tuesday, May 30.They were hospitalized for difficulty in breathing and some were hyperventilating, she said.They have not receive medical reports on the doctors’ findings yet, she said.The colored smoke incident affected 23 students, two POSO personnel, one utility worker and a parent, she said.The parent was not inside the activity center but hyperventilated when she learned about the incident, Bayoneta said.The incident happened when a group of first year education students gave a presentation for their final practical exami...

Power rates in northern Negros Occidental decreased, while there was an increase in the south of the province for the month of May.The power rates of the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative decreased by P0.536 per kilowatt/hour, from P13.6705 in April to P13.1344, its press release said.On the other hand, power rates of south Negros-based Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative increased by P0.1974/kWh from P14.3856 last month to P14.5830 this month, its press release said.NONECO attributed the decrease in its rates to the decline of the generation rate by 3.90 percent and fuel cost in power generators like Palm Concepcion Power Corp. (PCPC) and Panay Energy Corp. (PEDC).NOCECO said that there was a P1.4349 per kWh increase in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market from its ...

A female political detainee at the Negros Occidental District Jail on Tuesday, May 30, called on the Commission on Human Rights in Western Visayas to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation on the involuntary disappearance of her daughter and two habal-habal drivers from La Castellana town since April 19.Rossine Enyong , in a letter dated May 20 to the CHR, said that her daughter Lyngrace Marturillas, and habal-habal drivers Renel de los Santos and Denald Mialen, have not been located since they were abducted and went missing 40 days ago somewhere in the Aranda-La Castellana road in Hinigaran town.Their fourth companion in the abduction incident, alleged Communist Party of the Philippines-Negros leader Roger Posadas, surfaced dead two days after and the military convenient...

Rennier Araco Jr photoThe police seized guns and suspected shabu worth P102,000 in two separate buy-bust operations in the cities of La Carlota and Silay on Monday, May 39.Micheal Dionson, 40, of Brgy. Nangka, E.B. Magalona town was arrested through a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Mambulac, Silay City, the police reported Tuesday.Recovered from him were nine sachets of suspected shabu valued at P68,000, a .38 caliber revolver and ammunition, the report said.Emard Warte, 39, of Brgy. Cubay in La Carlota City was also arrested in buy-bust operation in Brgy. RSB, the police reported.During the operation the police recovered seven sachets of suspected shabu and a .38 caliber revolver.The suspected shabu was valued at P34,000.Both suspects allegedly violated Republic A...

One of the pigs that died in Taculing.*The two pigs that tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF) in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod, were among ten purchased for dispersal to students as a livelihood program to enable them to raise funds for enrollment, Barangay Captain Lady Gles Pallen said Monday, May 29.She said aside from the two pigs four others died so they decided to cull the four others that were alive.The pigs were purchased from a Bago City farm on May 6, she said.However, Bago City Veterinarian, Dr. Martin Samuel Miguel Torres, said there is no record that the Bago City farm named had sold such piglets to Taculing or that they had left the area.He also said the farm mentioned has a certification that it is ASF free.Bago City has had no ASF positive cases...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the United Negros Alliance and Love Negros coalition in Negros Occidental remains strong and unaffected by political shifts on the national level.Lacson, who is a Love Negros member, said right now he would like to also remain with the Nationalist People’s Coalition that has been his national party.Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez has announced his bid for the Kilusan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), which he heads, to be accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as a national party.Members of Love Negros are part of different national parties, we leave that to them if they want to join KNP, Lacson said.National parties can always form alliances, he said.Benitez said he will resign from the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan ...