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Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez being interviewed at the Comelec in Manila on Tuesday.* Albee Benitez FB page photoThe Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to resolve the accreditation of the Kilusan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) by early June.Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the new political party has to submit its memorandum within five days after which the commission en banc will decide on their application for accreditation.“After they file a memorandum, maybe a matter of one week. Two weeks is too long for us to resolve whether they should be given accreditation or not,” he said in an interview after the hearing at the Comelec main office in Manila Tuesday, May 23.Asked if they can come up with a resolution by early June, Garcia said it’s p...

Silverio Tortocion III, during his graduation at the Kabankalan Catholic College, with his parents Silverio Jr. and Lovela, who are also teachers.*Two Licensure Examination for Teachers topnotchers from Negros Island come from two different backgrounds.One comes from a family of teachers, another was a lola’s boy; one was focused on studying daily while one did his review on the weekends; and one placed 9th and one placed 6th.But more than these differences, both of them proved that perseverance in your studies will take you to where your aspirations are.Alvord Valencia, 22, of Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, placed sixth in the secondary teachers’ exam, while Silverio Tortocion III, 23, of Kabankalan City, Negros Oriental, placed ninth in the exam for elementary teachers bas...

A civic group that monitors basic utilities in Negros Occidental supports the joint venture agreement between Central Negros Electric Cooperative and Iloilo’s More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) as long as it “advances the welfare of the consumers”.In a statement released to the media on Tuesday, May 23, Power Watch Negros said that “by incompetence, CENECO has attracted this JVA, because if they had only performed satisfactorily, there would be no reason at all for a JVA.”Wennie Sancho told DIGICAST NEGROS that the group supports the JVA as the electric cooperative needs to elevate its operations and rehabilitate its facilities and power lines.“We support the JVA as long as it will result in advancing the welfare of the consumers,” Sancho said, adding “CENECO need...

Fugitive Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District) was a no-show at the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the preliminary investigation Tuesday, May 23, of three killings allegedly involving the lawmaker in 2019.Instead, his lawyer sought the dismissal of the cases, one of which reportedly claimed the life of a former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent.Counsel Ferdinand Topacio questioned the testimony of the witness of the Philippine National Police - Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Gemuel Hobro, who claimed he served as lookout and driver in some of the killings.Topacio insisted that Hobro’s extrajudicial confession is “uncorroborated” and that he should be charged as an accomplice at the least.The charges involve Teves’ alleged part in the death...

The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City has declared an intra-facility outbreak of COVID-19, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said Tuesday, May 23.That means the protocols for infection control are in effect at the hospital that has 22 staff members who are active COVID-19 cases, he said.They have resumed mandatory testing of health workers and an average of four staff members are being hit with the virus daily, Drilon said.The COVID-19 positivity rate in Bacolod and Negros has been on the uptrend since April, he said, as he called on the public to be careful as there have been deaths.“Do not take it lightly”, he warned.He also pointed out that one XBB.1.16 “Arcturus” subvariant case has already been detected in Negros Occidental from c...

Dr. Julius Drilon*Open heart surgeries will be conducted at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City starting Monday, May 29, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said Tuesday, May 23.Fourteen Negrense patients with ages ranging for 6 months old to 47 years old will undergo free open heart surgeries, he said.A team from the Philippine Heath Center in collaboration with doctors from the CLMMRH and Iloilo will conduct the surgeries from Monday to Wednesday, he said.Meanwhile, a two-story P7.8 million building being constructed by the Department of Public and Highways-Bacolod at the CLMMRH compound is expected to be completed in two months, Drilon said.It will function as a cancer outpatient chemo therapy unit, Drilon said.*

Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez called an emergency meeting on Tuesday to address the foul odor problem in Victorias City.*Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez asked the Victorias Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday, May 23, to create a fact-finding committee to investigate the molasses spillage in the Malihaw River that has been emitting foul odor in Victorias City.He assured that the city will prioritize the welfare of the people and the environment.In a video statement, posted on the Victorias City Facebook page, Benitez said that earlier this month, one of the Victorias Milling Company (VMC) tanks exploded causing molasses spillage in the river, which caused the foul smell in the barangays near the sugar central.The smell that has been ongoing for two weeks has even hit the city prope...

Former vice president Leni Robredo at the "Tayo ang Liwanag" book signing event in Bacolod City with former governor Rafael Coscolluela on Tuesday.*CPG photoFormer vice president Leni Robredo stressed the need to develop strong civil society groups to be able to demand more from government.“We have to act for us to achieve our dreams”, Robredo said in her speech at the Paghimud-os Negros Inc. first general assembly at the Acacia Hotel Bacolod grand pavilion in Bacolod City on Tuesday, May 23.“Our dream for the whole country is that people will take it upon themselves to act…so that those in government will be forced to be transparent and accountable because that is what people demand from them,” she said.She said if people come together, instead of just complaining in their...

Former governor Rafael Coscolluela, Paghimud-os Negros chairman.*Paghimud-os Negros, a civil society organization, is preparing to launch a search for outstanding models of good local governance in Negros Occidental, former governor Rafael Coscolluela, its chairman, said Tuesday, May 23.They hope to launch the good local governance search later this year and hold the awarding rites for an outstanding city, municipality and barangay of Negros Occidental in January 2024.He said they are working with Galing Pook Foundation to come up with a criteria that will define good governance at the local level in terms of accountability and performance of duties.“The search aims to make local governments know what our measures of good local governance are and hopefully to motivate them ...

Noli Segovia was re-appointed as this year’s overall convention chairman.*The 69th Annual National Convention of the Philippine Sugar Technologists Association (Philsutech) will be held at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City, August 22-25.This year’s convention, which theme is “Gearing Towards a Competitive Sugarcane Industry to Adapt the Changing Global Situation”, is expected to be attended by 1,000 delegates from the Philippines and other sugar-producing countries.During the convention, top national government executives, policy makers and experts in various fields will provide updates and share their ideas on issues affecting the sugarcane industry, a press release from Philsutech said Tuesday, May 23.The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) will also deliver its nationa...