Top Stories

The Bureau of Fire Protection is on Red Alert for the elections on Monday, May 9, Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi, Bacolod Fire Marshal, said.He said 124 members of the Bacolod City Fire Station were recalled for the deployment plan from May 7-11.Fire trucks will be deployed to 12 Bacolod schools that serve as voting precincts, a BFP press release said Saturday, May 7.The 12 schools are:*Andres Bonifacio Elementary School 1 - Aguinaldo St.,*Andres Bonifacio Elementary School 2 - North Drive E-Ramos*Bata Elementary School 1*ETCS 1-3, Brgy. 16,*Rizal Elementary School, Brgy. 16*Luisa Medel National High School, Ramylu Drive, Brgy. Tangub*Mariano G. Medalla Integrated School, Araneta St.*Sum-ag Elementary School, Araneta St., Brgy. Sum-ag*JJ Gonzaga Elementary School, Bakyas,Brg...

“Vote early, vote wisely, vote safe.”That was the advice of Acting Provincial Elections Supervisor Roberto Salazar to the voters of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City on the eve of Election Day.Voting will be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 9, and standard health and safety protocols are required to prevent the spread of COVID-19, he said.These include temperature checks, physical distancing, and wearing of face masks at all times, Salazar stressed.Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said his advice to voters is: “Vote for our motherland.”Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon said: “Let us put the good of our country above anything else. Hence let’s choose leaders who are men and women of integrity, competence and commitment to the common good. Let us pray that our ...

City PIO photoBacolod City dengue cases in April have increased compared to the same period last year, data from the Bacolod City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (BCESU) showed.City Health Office Environment Sanitation Division Chief Dr. Grace Tan said the city tallied 101 dengue cases with three fatalities as of April 30, 2022.This came as a 44.3 percent increase compared to the reported 70 dengue cases with two deaths during the same period in 2021.BCESU data further indicated that Barangay Singcang recorded the most number of cases with 12, followed by Barangay Mansilingan, 10; Granada, Estefania and Mandalagan with nine dengue cases each; Alijis and Sum-ag, seven; Tangub, six; Banago, five and Barangay Pahanocoy with four cases.Most common breeding places for Aedi...

The Iglesia ni Cristo has endorsed Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, mayoral bet Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (l-r).*The influential Iglesia ni Cristo has endorsed Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya and mayoral candidate Alfredo “Albee” Benitez of Asenso Bacolod, and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran of Grupo Progreso (GP) in the May 9 polls, an INC source confirmed Friday, May 6.The INC has also endorsed five Asenso Bacolod candidates for councilor and seven from GP.The candidates for councilor are Thaddeus Sayson, Bart Orola, Kalaw Puentevella, Simple Distrito and newcomer Jason Villaroso of Asenso Bacolod, and incumbents Israel Salanga, Renecito Novero, Cindy Rojas, Dindo Ramos, Carl Lopez, Archie Baribar and returning councilor Em Ang of GP.The endorsemen...

The Commission on Elections, in partnership with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, will arrest all those violating the Comelec liquor ban on Sunday and Monday, May 8 and 9, Bacolod Elections Officer Revo Sorbito warned Friday, May 6.“We will be strictly enforcing the liquor ban and arrests will be made,” he said.Those consuming liquor in public places and responsible for selling such drinks will be arrested, he said.Meanwhile, the Central Negros Electric Cooperative and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines have assured Comelec Bacolod of continuous power supply on May 9, Election Day, Sorbito said.Voters need not worry because if there is any power outage the vote counting machines have external batteries that can last from ...

Photo from Atty. Revo Sorbito FBThe final testing and sealing of vote counting machines (VCMs) in Bacolod City will be held Saturday, May 7, Acting Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Roberto Salazar said Friday.The VCMs were delivered to the voting areas in Bacolod City on Friday.The VCMs for the towns and cities of Negros Occidental will be delivered to voting areas on Saturday, where they will also undergo final testing a sealing, he said.Salazar said on Election Day there will be a separate line for voters who are persons with disabilities, heavily pregnant and senior citizens.The Comelec in Negros on Friday was waiting for the arrival of non-accountable election forms and COVID-19 protective gear, he added.If they do not arrive on time they will n...

PNA file photoThe Negros-based Public Interest Forum (PIF) is calling on the people and faith communities “to keep their vigilance and readiness at all times to stand up and resist all attempts at undermining the pillars of our democratic and sovereign life”.The PIF, a local ecumenical voluntary agency composed of religious leaders, academics, researchers, writers, artists, and students committed to social reform and people empowerment, issued the call in a statement released Friday, May 6.They expressed concern over the trends in the run up to May 9 polls.PIF cited the flooding of social media with surveys leading the public to believe that the Ferdinand ”BBM” Marcos Jr.–Sarah Duterte ticket is the sure winner in the elections. This narrative is hyped by various surveying ...