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Five truckloads of garbage were removed form from the Mambuloc Creek in Barangay 2, Bacolod City, on Wednesday, May 10.*Bacolod PIO photoThe massive cleanup of the Mambuloc Creek in Barangay 2, Bacolod City, to prevent flooding began Wednesday, May 10, Councilor Pau Sy said.They removed five truckloads of garbage from the Mambuloc Creek on day one, she said. The area to be cleared of garbage is about 30 meters in length and 12 meters in width, Sy said.She said they cannot say when the cleanup will be completed but are hoping it will be as soon as possible.Notices to vacate are being issued to 32 families living in the Mambuloc Creek danger zone, City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said.The notices will be served Thursday, and recipients will be given 30 days to c...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has dismissed the former acting treasurer of Isabela, Negros Occidental, from the service for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and malversation of public funds amounting to P6.4 million.Nenette M. Escarda, cashier I of the Provincial Treasurer’s Office, was also perpetually disqualified from holding public office, barred from civil service examinations and her retirement benefits were forfeited in the decision dated Monday, May 8, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Tuesday.She was charged for the unauthorized removal of P2,600,000 in cash and P3,800,000 in checks totaling P6.4 million from the Municipal Treasurer’s Office of Isabela in January, which she claimed was then stolen from her house.The Commission on Audit also reported the f...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, MORE Power president Roel Z. Castro, Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, and Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko (l-r) at the Negros Residences Tuesday.*Richard Malihan photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer are supporting the proposed joint venture between Central Negros Electric Cooperative and MORE Power.MORE Power president and chief executive officer Roel Z. Castro explained the benefits of the joint venture to the provincial government officials at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City on Tuesday, May 9.Lacson said he is for the joint venture because based on MORE Power’s experience in Iloilo they will know how to bring down the frequency of power interruptions and reduce systems loss that will redound to the advantag...

The signing of the MOA at the Capitol*Richard Malihan photoThe signing of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Province-wide Health Systems memorandum of agreement is a historic moment for Negros Occidental’s health sector, Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH 6 regional director, said.Suba-an, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and the mayors of Negros Occidental signed the MOA at rites held at the Social Hall of the provincial Capitol in Bacolod City Tuesday afternoon, May 9.“It is a historical moment for Negros Occidental’s health sector because the local chief executives are giving their commitment to be part of the province wide health system we are establishing to be led by the provincial governor,” Suba-an said.It is a milestone not just for Negros Occidental, but for Western Visayas, he said....

Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH 6 regional director*The Department of Health will continue implementing preventive measures versus COVID-19 despite the World Health Organization’s declaration that it is no longer a "global health emergency", Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH 6 regional director, said Tuesday, May 9.“The stand of the DOH is we still need to continue social distancing and to use face masks, especially if there are a lot of people, now that we have a slight increase of COVID-19 cases,” he said.The COVID-19 active cases in Negros Occidental hit 102 on Tuesday, May 9.“We are not yet lifting all the preventive measures that we promoted up to the time that we will be fully safe,” Suba-an said.*

A fisherman drowned in Brgy. Punta Salong, Manapla, Negros Occidental, at about 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 7.Jebbie Bantre Descatiar, 29, was fishing together with his two companions using a compressor, when he was discovered unconscious and is believed to have drowned, the police reported.The victim was rushed by his companions to the Manapla Municipal Health Office but was declared dead on arrival.The victim’s sister said he had been suffering from asthma.*

Fugitive Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Occc., 3rd District) is seeking asylum in Timor-Leste, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has learned from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla bared Tuesday, May 9, the information relayed by the DFA in a letter dated April 29, saying Teves was spotted in the capital city Dili to apply for a protection visa.In turn, Remulla wrote DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo on Monday to apprise him of the “concrete steps” to designate Teves as a terrorist.The congressman has yet to return despite the expiration of his personal travel authority on March 9. His 60-day suspension in Congress is supposed to end May 22.He is a suspect in several killings in the province and may even be included in the murder charges rela...

Some of the Grade 7 students of Manapla National High School in Negros Occidental who are recipients of 850 learning tablets*The Negros Occidental provincial government has distributed some 850 computer tablets to Manapla National High School (MNHS) to boost learning through the use of technology among its Grade 7 students.The MNHS is the pilot school in the north for the implementation of the Project BONG or “Bata ang Ona sa Negros” named after Governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson.Ian Arnold Arnaez, information officer of the Department of Education Schools Division of Negros Occidental (DepEd-NegOcc), said on Tuesday, May 9, that the Project BONG is a continuing initiative and more schools will soon receive learning tablets for their students as well.In the south, schools ...

After 60 years of stellar service to the community Jack & Jill Schools and Castleson High School in Bacolod City are permanently closing their doors on June 30, Dr. Muriel Lopez-Wagner, president of both schools, announced Tuesday, May 9.Management cited the insurmountable burden on its finances due to the reverberating effects of the pandemic, despite its swift conversion to online classes and intensive teacher training, a press release said.Lopez-Wagner said they have been grieving the loss of Cecilia del Castillo Lopez since 2020 as well as feeling the distress as they watched the decrease in enrollment year after year.“I think several significant factors led to the ultimate financial collapse where the only way out was to sell a building,” she said.She expressed her...

Ronnie Baldonado photoThe initial damage to rice crops in Negros Occidental caused by heavy rains last week was P570,814, Provincial Agriculturist Edmundo Causing said Tuesday, May 9.Damage to rice crops in San Carlos City was P293,750 and in Cadiz City – P277,064, he said.Affected farmers were 33.The rains were brought on by an Intertropical Convergence Zone and Low Pressure Area.*