Top Stories

There are five local government  units in Negros Occidental who had more than 30,000 residents still unvaccinated against COVID-19 among their target populations as of July 16.The topnotcher is Kabankalan City  that needs to vaccinate 54,446 residents to reach its target,  San Carlos City - 50,506, Bago City – 38,089, Calatrava – 34,261 and  Cauayan - -32,519, a report from Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz showed Thursday, July 21.The province has fully vaccinated 66.04 percent or 1,385,900 residents out of its 2,098,421 target population, and 71.37 percent or 1,497,683 residents of the target have been vaccinated with at least one dose.  The two LGUS that have vaccinated below 50 percent of their target population with first doses are Calatrava ...

The body of the nurse found in the yard of her home in Valencia, Negros Oriental, Wednesday, July 20.*NORPPO photoA nurse who was reported missing was found buried in the backyard of  her home at Barangay Palinpinon in Valencia, Negros Oriental, Wednesday, July 20.Maribel Glazier, 32, was reported missing by her friends since last week because they could no longer contact her.The police said they went to the victim's home and discovered she was buried in the yard of her house because of the  foul odor .The victim was found to have sustained a wound.The victim's husband, an American national, was reportedly considered as the primary suspect after he surrendered to the authorities. He is now in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.Police are s...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Ramon Uy Sr. of the RU-EcoAgri Foundation at the tramline turnover.*Gov. Eugenio Jose  Lacson led the turn over of the Tagukon Agricultural Tramline Project in Sitio Minaluha, Brgy. Tagukon, Kabankalan City,  Thursday, July 21, aimed at reducing travel time of product hauling from the farm source and enhance agricultural productivity and income of local farmers.The project costs P2,026,251 and built with two towers, landing pads, waiting shed, engine room, carriage, pulleys, and cables.Its maximum carriage assembly capacity is P350 kg and takes two minutes and 20 seconds per tramline trip from tower A to B, with a 320 m distance.The Minaluha Diversified Farmers Association (MIDIFA) and Bagacay Diversified Farmers Association (BADIFA) a...

The reassigned  hospital chiefs of eight Negros Occidental  provincial government-run hospitals have 15 days to transfer  to their new posts,  Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Thursday, July 21.They are asking for time for a transition, which was granted for humanitarian reasons,  Diaz said.The reshuffling was done to improve hospital services, he said.The aim is to change the image of government-run hospitals to really be caring towards their patients, he said.Dr. Mary Ann  Maestral, chief of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City has not been transferred to a new post.Those transferred are Dr. Claudelia Josefa  Pabillo to the Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City, Dr. Myre Parpa - Lorenzo D. Zayco Dis...

The sea cow locally known as “dugong” that was found dead in the Macahulom Reef *Sagay PIO photoA very rare sea cow locally known as “dugong” was found dead in Macahulom Reef within the Sagay Marine Reserve in Sagay City, Negros Occidental, on Monday, July 18.The last time a dugong was stranded in the area was in 2000.The dead sea cow was a female adult measuring 2.95 meters with an estimated weight of 300-350 kilograms in an advanced state of decomposition, Jose Roberto Togle, head of the Resource Management Section of the Sagay Marine Reserve, said Thursday, July 21.Bantay Dagat Volunteers Dionesio Pahayahay, Francis Gopio, and Paolo Hulleza were on duty at the Macahulom Watchtower when they saw the dead animal at around 9 a.m. on July 18 and reported the sighting to ...

Mayor Javier Benitez (center) presides over the City Development Council meeting.*The Victorias City government is planning  to reappropriate and reprogram 20 percent of its development fund amounting to P55,231,320.59 that was conserved from 2015 to 2021.This was highlighted in the first  City Development Council meeting led by Mayor Javi Benitez at the Victorias City Resort Restobar on Tuesday, July 19.Present in the meeting were the Sangguniang Panglungsod members, department heads, barangay captains, and representatives of non-government organizations who are also council members.Benitez emphasized that the top priority of his administration is to implement services for the welfare of the people, and  saving the budget is only next in line.The city’s ...

Mayor Benjie Miranda during the appointment of former Negros Occidental Board Member Reynaldo Novero (left) as Kabankalan city administrator.*Mayor Benjie Miranda has appointed former Negros Occidental Board Member Reynaldo Novero as city administrator of Kabankalan effective Tuesday, July 19.Novero was Negros Occidental board member from 1993 to 1998.Former city administrator of Silay City, Jose Edward Davila, has been appointed acting city administrator of Kabankalan, Novero said on Thursday, July 21.He said Miranda has not made any changes among the regular department heads assigned by the previous administration.Miranda has also retained job order and casual employees appointed during the term of Mayor Pedro Zayco,  Novero said.The mayor has emphasized that...

The Sandiganbayan found two current and two retired officials of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, guilty of “frauds against the public treasury” in connection with a heavy equipment lease contract with a private firm in 2008.The Sandiganbayan, in a decision promulgated July 15, fined Sipalay  City treasurer Renato Manilla and engineer Porferio Calderon Jr., and retired budget officer Fernando Balbin and general services officer Elizer Balbin P40,000 each. On July 20, 2021, accused Manilla, Balbin, Calderon, and Balbin filed a "Motion for Leave to Plead Guilty to Lesser 0ffense" of  frauds against the public treasury and similar offenses as defined under paragraph 1, Article 213 of the Revised Penal Code.In its comment dated July 21, 2021, the prosecution manifest...

The nine suspended cops had been assigned to the Silay City Police Station.*Nine policemen from Silay City, Negros Occidental, were suspended for 50 days for an administrative complaint filed against them four years ago.The order from the National Police Commission included then Silay City police chief Lt. Col. Noel Polines, who said the complaint stemmed from their operation against illegal gambling in the city in 2019. The grave misconduct complaint was downgraded to less grave misconduct, he said.They will be suspended with no pay for 50 days from July 16 to September 3.Lt. Judesses Catalogo, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said the suspension order came out on July 1.Following the order, eight of the nine policemen were relieved from ...