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The recovered drug items*San Carlos PNP photoAn alleged street-level drug personality was arrested in a police buy-bust operation at Ylagan Street, Brgy. 6 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday, September 20.Nabbed was 34-year-old Junemark Lombrino.During the bust, he yielded 14.8 grams of suspected shabu worth P100,640, the P600 buy-bust money, a coin purse, and a tooter.The suspect is now in the custody of San Carlos police and will face drug charges.*

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer lead the ringing of the Arima bell to signal the opening of the 36th Negros Trade Fair in Makati City Tuesday night, September 20. *Ronnie Baldonado photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson opened the 36th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) in Makati City on Tuesday night, September 20, with a call to “Buy Local, Go Lokal “.The trade fair of the Association of Negros Producers, with the theme “Hidlaw”, will run until Sunday, September 25, at the Glorietta 2 of the Ayala Center, after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Acknowledging the substantial contributions of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to the local economy and nation building, and the severity of the economic blow of th...

The husband who was found dead in Talisay City on Monday.*Talisay PNP photoA fight between a husband and wife turned fatal after one of them ended up dead.Rolly Mahinay, 57, who was allegedly drunk returned to his home in Barangay Zone 10, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Monday night, September 19, when he figured in a fight with his 53-year-old wife, case investigator Cpl. Aljon Bautista said.Their fight led the husband to grab his wife’s hair that caused them to fall to the ground.The husband was knocked unconscious.This prompted the wife to leave her husband thinking that his unconsciousness was due to drunkenness.She went to bed and the next day discovered that her husband was deadThe children of the victim did not file a case because they were convinced th...

The current registered voters in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are 1,984,848, an updated report from the Commission on Elections released Tuesday, September 20, showed.The consolidated quarterly report as of August 1 after the conduct of Election Registration Board hearings is for the December 5 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on December 5 should they push through.The following is the list of registered voters in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City:

SRA Administrator David Alba and board member Pablo Luis Azcona (l-r) at a press conference in Makati City on Tuesday*The Sugar Regulatory Administration expects prices of refined sugar to stabilize at between P70 and P80 per kilo by November, SRA Administrator David Alba said Tuesday, September 20.“In essence, there is supply, we see prices stabilizing by next month when the imported sugar startscoming in,” he said.He said 150,000 MT of imported sugar is expected to arrive in the country before November 15.“We continue to monitor the production output but we are happy to report that the mills in Negros are efficiently milling so we expect to be in time for the November opening of refineries”, he added.He said the country’s total physical raw sugar in stock is 134, 526....

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza called for an end to “the systematic erasure of the historical truth” on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.Former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., whom Alminaza called a dictator, signed Proclamation No. 1081 on Sept. 21, 1972, placing the Philippines under Martial Law.“The truth remains – that the Martial Law regime plundered our nation’s wealth and committed massive human rights violations,” Alminaza said in a pastoral message issued Tuesday, September 20.Describing the Martial Law period as a “Golden Age” is a historical distortion, Alminaza said, as he reiterated his call to end “the massive disinformation that escalated in the last presidential elections”.Alminaza said he continues to call “for an end...

The House of Representatives voted on third and final reading Tuesday, September 20, to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) to Dec. 4, 2023, Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said.The BSKE is set to be held on Dec. 5, 2022, and a similar vote to postpone it from the Senate is needed in order for it to pass into a law.Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier expressed confidence that the Senate would approve a similar bill.House Bill 4673, which proposes to postpone the BSKE to Dec. 4. 2023, passed with 265 affirmative votes, six negative votes, and three abstentions, Benitez said.It sets the BSKE on the first Monday of December 2023 and every three years thereafter.In the meantime incumbent barangay and SK officials will ret...

The wanted man who survived an attempt on his life.*Kabankalan PNP photoA man wanted for murder escaped an attempt on his life in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, early Monday morning, September 19.The victim was identified as Jimmy Fermo, 37, of Barangay Tampalon.He was sleeping at his friend’s house when he was attacked by four unidentified suspects, who mauled and blindfolded him, police said.When he tried to escape, he was shot in the leg and feet, Lt. Dennis Melgarejo, Kabankalan City Police Station deputy chief, said.He was then taken to a multicab and was left at the diversion road in Barangay Talubangi, where he was found by responding policemen.Following a background check, the police found out that the suspect was wanted for murder. He is also one of th...

Rey Blanco*A radio commentator was stabbed to death at Brgy. Himocdongon in Mabinay town, Negros Oriental, Sunday night, September 18.He was identified as Rey Blanco, a resident of Bais City and an anchorman of Power 102.1 DYRY RFM, a radio station in Mabinay.The victim went to the house of Wilbert Amada, who is the brother of the suspect identified as Charles Amada, when he was stabbed in the neck, an initial police investigation report said.Police said the victim was attacked from behind by the suspect without any reason.The victim was rushed to Mabinay Community Hospital but he did not make it.The suspect surrendered to the authorities and is now detained at the custodial facility of the Mabinay police.Police are looking at grudges as the motive for the killi...

The opening of the 22nd Negros Occidental Tourism Week and fair at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City on Monday.*Ronnie Baldonado photoNegros Occidental is aiming to become a top tourism destination in Western Visayas again, Provincial Administrator Rayrando Diaz said on Monday, September 19.Diaz, in an interview at the opening of the 22nd Negros Occidental Tourism Week at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central, said before the COVID-19 pandemic Negros Occidental came in next to Boracay as a top tourist destination in the region.The province hopes to regain that position, he said.The theme of this year’s tourism week in Negros Occidental is “Rethinking Tourism”.Diaz said they are rethinking tourism to ensure sustainable development and that economic benefits trick...