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Clearing operations were underway in quake-hit areas of Northern Luzon on Thursday.*BFP photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Thursday, July 28, said they are gathering information on the extent of the damage caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon to determine Negros Occidental’s assistance.“We’ll get information first as to the extent and if they declared a state of calamity. Our policy is it’s better to help than to receive,” he said. When Negros Occidental was hit by Typhoon “Odette” other local government units also helped Negros Occidental, he said.The provincial government usually sends P1 million in aid, he said.Abra Governor Dominic Valera said on Thursday that   his entire province has been placed under a state of calamity.The ...

The drug recoveries from a police buy-bust operation at Brgy. Singcang Airport, Bacolod City.*BCPO photoThe police recovered P2.14  million worth of illegal drugs in two separate buy-bust operations in Bacolod City early Thursday, July 28.Arrested at Purok Villa Baradas in Barangay Alijis was  31-year-old Ramon Vertudes, who yielded P1,394,000 worth of suspected shabu.The bust was conducted by the Special Operations Unit 6 with the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group.In Prk. Kahirup, Brgy. Singcang Airport,  21-year-old John Mark Melana, of Prk. Torre, Brgy. Mansilingan was arrested during a buy-bust operation. He was tagged as a street-level individual by Police Station 8.Recovered from his possession were 110 grams of suspected shabu worth...

San Carlos Mayor Renato Gustilo*The Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Office (PLO) is asking for an extension of time to submit its legal opinion  on the call for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s retraction of its Resolution of Non-Objection (RONO) to a 300 MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Combined Cycle Power Plant in San Carlos City.The SP in its regular session on Tuesday, July 26, directed the PLO and Provincial Environment Management Office to give them their opinions on the matter within five working days, Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko said. San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza and other environmentalists are demanding that the SP retract the RONO it granted for the building of the LNG power plant being proposed by the San Miguel Corp.-owned Reliance Energy Develo...

At least P64 million worth of illegal drugs were seized by the police in Negros Occidental in the first six months of 2022.In a report released by the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office Wednesday, July 27, around nine kilos of suspected shabu were confiscated in anti-illegal drugs operations from January to June.A total of 331 operations were conducted by NOCPPO in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG 6), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA 6), PNP Drug Enforcement Group (PDEG 6) and Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU 6) that resulted to the arrest of 414suspects.Also, an estimated P549,000 worth of marijuana were also confiscated by NOCPPO with 851 cases filed against the suspects.Col. Leo Pamittan, acting provincial po...

The Negros Cultural Foundation Inc. (NCFI) launched its “Pagsaulog: A Celebration of Negrense Culture” competitions on Thursday, July 28.The competitions this year, to be conducted in  partnership with the Negros Occidental provincial government, include the Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival, the "Cinco de Noviembre" short play competition, and the inter-local government unit (LGU) mural competition.The “Pagsaulog: A Celebration of Negrense Culture” is an integrated cultural development program aimed at benefiting the province of Negros Occidental and the Negrense community through activities that provide a venue for artistic expression, cultural promotion and appreciation, and wellness and recovery using the arts, the NCFI press statement said.It  was launch...

The seat of the Kabankalan City government* Mayor Benjie Miranda FB page photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, July 28, that he will not meddle in the so-called rift between Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda and the members of the city’s Sangguniang Panlungsod.“I will not meddle there. I think the mayor already said that he’s open to sit down with them. I think he should give that a priority and not only base it on his availability. They are grown men and women so they can settle that,” he said.Miranda said on Wednesday that he is open to dialog with SP members for the good of Kabankalan.The City SP had passed a resolution expressing their dismay and disappointment over Miranda’s hiring of persons who are not from Kabankalan for city government job...

Rep. Alfredo Marañon III and Rep. Stephen Paduano (right)*Two more Negros Occidental representatives have been named chairpersons of House committees in the 9th Congress, they confirmed Thursday, July 28.Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) was elected chairman of the House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources.Negrense Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist) chairs the Committee on Public Accounts.Earlier the committees of two other Negros Occidental representatives were also announced.Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) was named chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Committee again.Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) chairs the Committee on Justice.Benitez said more Negros representatives may...

The scene of what the Army said was an encounter*The Philippine Army in Negros Occidental insisted that the clash with the New People’s Army on Tuesday, July 26, that claimed the lives of three rebels in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, was legitimate.This, after Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the NPA’s Apolinario Gatmaitan Command, alleged that Christina Jacolbe, her 16-year-old daughter Kaye and their relative Roldan Montero were massacred by members of the 62nd Infantry Battalion.The Army said the three killed in a 10-minute firefight were NPA members.Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commanding general of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, said on Wednesday that he was expecting the NPA to twist  the truth to discredit the Army, which is not surprising since they have d...

Mayor Benjie Miranda being interviewed at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Tuesday.*Mayor Benjie Miranda said on Wednesday, July 27, that he is open to dialog with members of the Kabankalan Sangguniang Panlungsod to ensure a harmonious working relationship for the good of their city.Anytime time they want to come to my office they are welcome, he said.The Kabankalan City Sangguniang Panlungsod members had passed a resolution expressing their dismay and disappointment over the hiring of non-Kabankalanon residents by Mayor Benjie Miranda.Miranda said when he declared that he would not fire any employees, and job order and casual workers of Kabankalan, the SP should have also passed a resolution thanking him for doing that.“I prioritized the Kabnkalanons because they were th...