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The winning Barangay Granada performers*Ronnie Baldonado photoBarangay Granada won the 43rd MassKara Festival street and arena dance competition grand championship and P1 million on Sunday, October 23, festival director Pinky Mirano Ocampo said.The awarding of the winners, a concert and fireworks at the Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod City capped the three-week MassKara Festival celebration.Barangay Granada also won the best in music, most disciplined and Pau-Pau Choice awards, she said.Granada was also the champion for three successive years in 2014, 2015 and 2016.The first runner was Barangay Sum-ag that also won the best in mask and costume award and took home P500,000, Ocampo said.The second runner up was Brgy Estefania that also won the best in in concept award and ...

The man who was hacked to death in La Castellana Friday.*La Castellana PNP photoA man was hacked to death allegedly by a minor and his sexagenarian father in Brgy. Robles, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Friday night, October 21.Killed was 57-year-old Elmer Silverio.Police said the minor suspect was having a drinking spree at a store when his father, 62-year-old Joel Parcon, arrived and talked about their grudge against the victim’s brother.This led to a heated argument after the victim, who was said to be armed with a bamboo club, arrived in the area and confronted the two, police said.But when the victim, who was on board his motorcycle, fell to the ground and was hacked by the suspects several times. He died on the spot, the police said.In a police pursuit oper...

Evacuees of Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City return to their homes.*Mayor Tongson FB photoClasses in the three sitios of Barangay Carabalan in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, will resume Monday, October 24.Mayor Raymund Tongson, in an executive order issued October 20, said that the resumption of classes in Sitios Campayas, Medel, and Sig-ang was based on the recommendation of School Division Superintendent Gladys Amylaine Sales.Residents of the three sitios were the last ones to return home after the Army and the Incident Management Team previously cleared other areas in the village of insurgency.The encounters between the state troopers and members of the New People’s Army that started on October 6 claimed the lives of two soldiers and a ranking rebel leader.It...

A carpenter from Bacolod City died while doing construction work at Barangay 3 in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, Saturday morning.The fatality was identified as Anthony Bellardo, 47, of Barangay Villamonte.Police said the victim fell to a cemented pavement, hitting his head first, after he accidentally touched a live wire of the neighbor’s house that was under construction.He was immediately rushed to Sipalay City Infirmary but he was declared dead on arrival.*

The winning Barangay 17 dancers*Ronnie Baldonado photoBarangay 17 was the grand champion in the Electric MassKara float and dance-off competition in Bacolod City Saturday night, October 22, which drew a crowd of 35,000.It bested 12 other barangays whose dazzling floats and performers paraded through Megaworld’s The Upper East towards the Bacolod City Government Center for their dance-offs.Barangay 17, which won P300, 000, also bagged the best mask, costume and float special awards.First runner up was Barangay 25 that won P200,000 and second runner was Barangay 32 that won P150,000.The winning Electric MassKara float of Barangay 17.*Andrew Altarejos photoAmong the guests at the Electric MassKara were First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos and her sons Vinny and Rep....

Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer*Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said on Saturday, October 22, that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Finance is set to start holding hearings on the proposed P5.1 billion 2023 budget for Negros Occidental.The committee headed by Board Member Rommel Debulgado will be inviting provincial government department heads to the hearings to discuss the budget allocations, Ferrer said.The SP aims to approve the 2023 budget by the first week of December, he said.The proposed General Fund Budget for 2023 is P4,952,981,428, while the annual operating budget of the Economic Enterprise Development Department is P190,379,525.15.Ferrer said the bonuses of the provincial government employees will be a priority.*

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Agriculture’s Western Visayas office on Sunday, October 23, to test all pig breeding sites in the region to control the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF).The directive came after the DA – Western Visayas regional office reported during a situation briefing in Bacolod City that cases of ASF had been reported in Iloilo, a press for the Office of the Press Secretary said.Marcos said all measures to prevent its spread is already in place, including banning pork products from infested areas.He said testing all breeding farms for ASF is one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of infection.Marcos noted that one of the challenges in fighting the infection is that ASF has been reported to spread through ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday, October 23, discussed concerns about amending the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) in order to make use of renewable energy to bring down the cost of power.This came after he was told by Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez that they were thinking of entering into joint venture agreements with solar power generators to enable them to buy the power at lower prices, a press release from the Office of the Press Secretary said.Benitez said the EPIRA Law does not allow producers to sell to the users but directly goes to the grid.Bacolod City should get the opinion of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Marcos said.He said whatever will be the opinion of the ERC on the matter would be the basis of an amendment to the ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (second from left) turns over a check worth P11,056,317.63 to the Cabagnaan Active Producers for Social Enterprise Association of La Castellana representative in the presence of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan.*President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the distribution of checks to farmer organizations and financial assistance to individuals in crisis in Negros Occidental at the Department of Public Works and Highways-Negros Occidental First District Engineering Office in Talisay City on Sunday, October 23.The Philippine Information Agency placed the total aid at P176.5 million.Department of Agriculture projects worth P96,626,092.64 were among the government’s assistance that were distributed.Pr...