Top Stories

Jul272022 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Councilor seeks increase in seniors covered by pension

Councilor Celia Matea Flor, Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Senior Citizens and Veteran Affairs chairperson, has filed a resolution requesting an increase in the number of beneficiaries and budget allocation for social pension for the senior citizens of Bacolod City.As of April 2022, only 2,713 of the 40,000 estimated senior citizens of Bacolod City have benefitted from the social pension program of the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she said.Other highly urbanized cities such as Iloilo City receive pensions for 13,000 senior citizens, while more than 60,000 of Davao City’s senior citizens benefit from it, she added.“We have to push for more of our seniors to benefit from the National fund so we can help and cover more se...

Jul262022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

116K register to vote in Negros; Ferrer files bill to postpone polls

Top Stories

A total of 116,045 Negros Occidental and Bacolod City residents have registered to vote in the December 5 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Tuesday, July 26.Ananoria said the Commission on Elections is now preparing for the December 5 polls.However, Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) has filed House Bill 121 seeking the postponement of the barangay and SK elections to May 2023. Several other representatives have also filed similar bills.The number of applications fort voter registration in the Negros Occident and Bacolod was higher than expected, and about half came from the youth sector, he said.Bacolod City had the highest voter applicants at 10,309.There were some registrants ...

Jul262022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

SP seeks PLO, PEMO opinion on bishop’s opposition to RONO

Top Stories

The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan is seeking the opinion of the Provincial Legal Office (PLO) and Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) on the call for its retraction of a Resolution of Non-Objection (RONO) to a 300 MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Combined Cycle Power Plant in San Carlos City, Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko said Tuesday, July 26.The SP during its regular session Tuesday took up the letter of San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza and other environmentalists addressed to Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer and the Sanggunian members demanding their urgent retraction of the RONO.The building of the LNG power plant is being proposed by the San Miguel Corp.-owned Reliance Energy Development Inc.“We maintain that the resolution of non-objection ...

Jul262022 by Marchel P. EspinaNo Comments

3 ranking NPA leaders die in clash, It was a massacre, rebel spox claims

Top Stories

Sitio Natuling, Brgy. Budlasan in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.*Three alleged ranking New People’s Army (NPA) leaders were killed in an encounter with the state troopers at Sitio Natuling, Brgy. Budlasan, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, Tuesday, July 26.Killed were Cristina “Chave” Jacolbe, 40, finance officer of Central Negros 1 (CN1), Rodan “DJ” Montero, 42, Section Guerilla Unit, and Everly Kee “Kaye” Jacolbe, 18, the Army reported.Government soldiers were patrolling the hinterland area of Brgy. Macagahay, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, when they received a report about the presence of suspected rebels in the adjacent Brgy Budlasan, the Army said.When they reached Barangay Budlasan they encountered 10 suspected rebels that led to ...

Jul262022 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Negros Occidental holds 1st Prov’l DRRM Summit

Community, Top Stories

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson with the participants of the First Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Summit*The Negros Occidental provincial government spearheaded the First Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Summit at the Mambukal Convention Center at the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia, Tuesday, July 26.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said that it is only through the effective management of conditions of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability that the people and the government can prevent losses and ease the impacts of disasters.“Since we cannot control the severity of natural hazards, our window for reducing risk lies in reducing vulnerability and exposure,” he said.The governor also cited the expansion of the scope of servic...

Jul262022 by Marchel P. EspinaNo Comments

3 family members fall in drug bust

Top Stories

The three family members arrested in Brgy 2, Bacolod City, Monday night, July 25.*Police Station 2 photoThree family members were arrested in a drug bust at Purok Sigay, Brgy 2 in Bacolod City on Monday night, July 25.Nabbed were 23-year-old Michael Young, his 50-year-old mother Raquel, and 52-year-old father Harold.Both Michael and Raquel were tagged by the police as high-value individuals.Seized from them were 19 sachets containing suspected shabu worth P544,000, the P1,000 buy-bust money, a sling bag, coin pouch, and drug paraphernalia.The three, who are facing drug charges, are now in custody of Police Station 2.*

Jul262022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Ferrer, Gasataya push bills for heart, kidney centers

Top Stories

Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer and Rep. Greg Gasataya*Rep. Greg Gasataya (Bacolod) and Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) have filed bills for the creation of heart and kidney centers in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.Gasataya has filed House Bill 999 seeking the creation of the Bacolod-Negros Heart and Kidney Center in Bacolod City.Ferrer has filed House Bill 122 for the creation of a Negros Occidental Heart, Lung and Kidney Center.Gasataya said cardiovascular and kidney diseases remain the top causes of death in the country today.Patients from all over the country are often faced with no other choice but to go to the Philippine Heart Center and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute in Metro Manila to avail of specialized medical assistance, he poi...

Jul262022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Kiko’s bill creating commission for education reform now a law

Top Stories

Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez: The education emergency requires us to review the entirety of the sector.*A bill filed by Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) for the establishment of a Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) to review, assess and evaluate the state of Philippine education and recommend innovative and targeted policy reforms is now a law.The bill that was not signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte lapsed into law on July 23 in accordance with Article VI Section 27 (1) of the Constitution, and is now Republic Act 11899.“The education emergency requires us to review the entirety of the sector to ensure that the educational ecosystem can be made adaptive to contemporary conditions as well as upgraded so...

Jul262022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Kabankalan SP expresses dismay vs. hiring of non-Kabankalanons

Top Stories

The Kabankalan SP during its inaugural session.*The Kabankalan City Sangguniang Panlungsod members have passed a resolution expressing their dismay and disappointment over the hiring of non-Kabankalanon residents by Mayor Benjie Miranda. Resolution 2022-282 passed during the July 18 SP session said non-Kabankalanon residents were hired to various positions in the city government.Kabankalan Vice Mayor Miguel Zayco said on Tuesday, July 26, that they are trying to get a formal report on how many non-Kabankalan residents were hired. The initial report they received indicated that there were 23, he said.The majority hired allegedly came from Silay City, sources said.About six were reportedly assigned to the Bids and Awards Committee technical working group, while...

Jul262022 by Nico DelfinNo Comments

P1,000 fuel subsidy for tricycle drivers pushed

Business, Top Stories

Councilor Em Ang is pushing for the implementation of the Fuel Subsidy Program*More than 5,000 tricycle drivers in Bacolod City have not received any subsidy since the price of petroleum products started to rise.Councilor Em Ang is pushing for the implementation of the Fuel Subsidy Program in order to help the 100 legitimate members of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association in the city.Ang is hoping that the members of TODA will receive P1,000 to mitigate the impact of the high fuel prices.Meanwhile, a rollback in the price of oil products is expected Tuesday, July 26.*