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A 21-year-old man was found dead after being stabbed near a sugarcane plantation in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental,  on Monday morning, Sept. 7.The San Carlos City Component Police Station identified the victim only as alias “Willy,” a resident of Purok Sinalikway, Brgy. Codcod.Police said a witness saw the victim along a pathway near a sugarcane plantation running in a zigzag manner with blood visible on his mouth and hands before he collapsed.Minutes later, the witness reportedly heard a motorcycle speeding away from the area.Responding personnel later found the victim with no signs of life.The identity of the assailant and the motive remain unknown.*

A 42-year-old construction worker was shot dead after an argument during a drinking session in Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental, on Monday night, Sept. 7.The Hinoba-an police identified the victim only as alias “Ramy,” a resident of Brgy. Bulwangan.Police identified the suspect as alias “Romel,” 43, a laborer and resident of Brgy. Asia.The shooting happened at around 10 p.m. in Purok 4, Brgy. Asia.Initial investigation showed that the victim was drinking with companions outside a sari-sari store owned by his live-in partner when the suspect allegedly approached him.A heated argument followed before the suspect allegedly drew a firearm and shot the victim three times.Police said the victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and was found apparently lifeless a...

NEPC Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe-Mel Zaporteza explains the power supply situation at a press conference Monday*CPG photoShorter power outages are expected starting the first half of September, but an upward trend in prices is anticipated, a Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) official said Monday, Sept. 7.NEPC Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe-Mel Zaporteza explained during a press conference that daily rotating brownouts have been caused by a power supply shortage in the Visayas grid.Three coal units have been offline since May 13, taking 488 megawatts off the Visayas grid, while another 268 MW of capacity is running below its rating, triggering supply shortages, he said.This shortage has prompted yellow alerts issued when supply is suf...

Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez*Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has filed a resolution directing the House Committee on Visayas Development to investigate the worsening power crisis in the Visayas grid.In the resolution released Monday, Sept. 7, Benitez expressed alarm over the worsening situation.“The frequent rotational brownouts in the Visayas region have increased from around one hour to five to nine hours,” Benitez said.“This inflicts direct economic losses on businesses, disrupts schools, endangers medical patients, and erodes investor confidence in the region”, he said.The inquiry aims to hold stakeholders accountable and ensure a stable, reliable power supply for the region.Benitez noted that the ...

Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" L. Benitez filing House Resolution No. 1430*Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" L. Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), together with 11 other Visayas representatives as principal authors, filed  House Resolution No. 1430 directing the Committee on Energy to inquire, in aid of legislation, into what Visayas consumers paid for ancillary services this year and whether the reserves they paid for were delivered when the grid went under red alert.The measure was filed by Benitez with  Reps. Julienne L. Baronda (Iloilo City), Emilio Bernardino L. Yulo (5th District, Negros Occidental), Maria Vanessa C. Aumentado (2nd District, Bohol), Kristine Alexie B. Tutor (3rd District, Bohol), Junard Q. Chan (Lapu-Lapu City), Eduardo R. Rama, Jr. (2nd District, Cebu City), Kathr...

Bacolod City residents may now use a single hotline to follow up transactions, raise complaints and access services of different City Hall offices without having to look for separate contact numbers, Mayor Greg Gasataya announced Monday, Sept. 7.The city government launched the Bacolod City Government Centralized Hotline at (034) 479-6100, which will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Sunday.Gasataya said the centralized system was developed after residents repeatedly encountered difficulties determining which number to call when following up concerns with different city departments.“The challenge for our residents has always been that when they need to follow something up, they have to contact different departments, and every office has a different number,” Gasataya sai...

Two men were arrested while about P442,000 worth of suspected shabu was seized in separate buy-bust operations in Bacolod City on Sunday night, Sept. 6.The Bacolod City Police Office said the operations yielded a combined 65 grams of suspected shabu.The larger seizure was recorded at around 11:24 p.m. in Purok Kagaykay, Brgy. 2, where personnel of the City Drug Enforcement Unit arrested alias “Debs,” 58.Police classified the suspect as a high-value individual and a personality listed by the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.Authorities recovered 14 sachets containing approximately 60 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated standard drug price of P408,000, along with the buy-bust money.Earlier at around 10:15 p.m., Police Station 8 conducted another operation in Brgy. ...