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Samuel Gustilo died after his motorcycle hit this tree*BCPO photoA driver died after his motorcycle crashed into a eucalyptus tree along Lacson Extension at Magsaysay Avenue, Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City, Saturday night, July 16.Killed was Samuel Gustilo, 50, of  Brgy. 28.The victim’s motorcycle overshot the road and hit  the tree.The impact of the crash caused his instantaneous death.*

A Bacolod resident was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday, July 15, for the sale of P300 in shabu to a police poseur buyer.Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier of Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 52 sentenced Cezar Jan Adolfo Decosta to life imprisonment and to pay a fine of P500,000.Decosta sold .107 gram of shabu to the police poseur buyer at Purok Sigay, Barangay 2, Bacolod City, of Feb. 10, 2020.On his arrest an additional 9.766 grams of shabu and drug paraphernalia were seized from Decosta.He was sentenced to 20 years and one day and to pay a fine of P400,000 for possession of the 9.766 grams of shabu.He was also sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of six months and one day as minimum, to two years and seven months as maximum and to pay a fine of P1...

Bacolod City and 11 local government units in  Negros  Occidental will remain under Alert Level One, while the rest of the province will  be under Alert Level 2 pending the review of the alert level classifications nationwide, Malacañang announced on Saturday.The status quo covers the entire country. The members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) are set to meet on July 18 to discuss the alert levels, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said.Under Alert Level 1 in Region 6 are Aklan, Bacolod City, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Iloilo City.The 11 LGUs under Alert Level 1 in Negros Occidental are Cadiz City, Candoni, Talisay City,  Victorias City, Enrique B. Magalona, La Carlota City, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Sagay ...

A policeman died while three others, including the Negros Oriental police director, were injured in a mishap at San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Friday, July 15.*San Carlos PNP photoThe chief of the Guihulngan police in Negros Oriental was killed while the director of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office and two others were injured after a truck collided with their motorcycle at the highway in Barangay Rizal in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental Friday, July 15.Killed was Lt. Col. Ruben Verbo, while NORPPO director Col. Germano Mallari sustained minor injuries.Based on the initial investigation, the group - Verbo on board a motorcycle with rider Richie Dayday, and Mallari also on a separate motorcycle with Edwardo Aceñas - was hit by a dump truck from the opposite la...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Friday, July 15, that  he will seek the national government’s assistance in settling  the account of  Bacolod City  with  AstraZeneca.Benitez, who was furnished a copy of the tripartite contract by AstraZeneca on Thursday,  said he will coordinate with the Department of Health.They are now studying the contract, he said.An AstraZeneca representative who met with Benitez recently said that the city government owed a balance of P98 million for the 650,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines ordered by the Leonardia administration.The Leonardia administration had paid AstraZeneca an initial P65 million, Benitez was also informed.Benitez said 434,000 doses of  the vaccines ordered had not been received by Baco...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez has directed a traffic aide to explain a viral video showing him “acting discourteously and inappropriately” against a jeepney driver and his partner.Benitez in his show cause order addressed to Traffic Aide 1 Chris Aragon released Friday, July 15, directed him to submit an affidavit containing his written explanation within three days on why no formal charge should be filed against him relative to the incident.Failure to file the written explanation shall be construed to be a waiver of his right to be heard and contravene allegations against him, the mayor added.The viral video showed an altercation between Aragon and a certain Regie Desuyo and his partner Joan Ducay at Lacson-BS Aquino Drive in Bacolod City.Maj. Junji Liba, B...

Samples were taken from the hazardous materials for laboratory testing.*DRRMO photoMembers of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the City Health Office already contained the foul odor from the chemical spill at the abandoned compound in Barangay 39, Bacolod City, Thursday, July 14.Councilor Pao Sy, head of the council's Committee on Fire, Social Defense and Natural Disasters, said they are planning to dispose of the containers once it is known what kind of chemical are in them.Sy and Karol Joseph Chiu, secretary to the mayor, led the inspection after residents complained about the foul smell from the compound since Wednesday, July 13.They are already investigating who owns the property and what the hazardous chemicals were for, Sy said.*

The items recovered from the encounter site in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, July 14.*3ID photoGovernment forces encountered about 10 suspected rebels at Sitio Hanot, Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, July 14.The state troopers received a report from residents regarding the presence of members of the New People’s Army. This resulted to a 10-minute encounter.No casualty was reported on  the government’s  side, while blood stains were seen on the  withdrawal route of the rebels.Recovered from the encounter site were a homemade grenade, .45 caliber  pistol with magazine, anti-personnel mine paraphernalia, 50-meter long electric wire, three cellphones, chargers, four backpacks, medicines, food packs, p...

The drug recoveries from a bust at Brgy. Poblacion, Bago City, Negros Occidental Thursday, July 14.*Bago PNP photoAt least P1.8 million worth of illegal drugs were seized while a suspected high-value individual was arrested in a bust at Brgy. Poblacion, Bago City, Negros Occidental, Thursday, July 14.Nabbed was 42-year-old Rex ”Pedic/Pedik” Quilong of Brgy. 35, Bacolod City.Recovered from his possession were 275 grams of suspected shabu, the P500 buy-bust money, drug paraphernalia, a backpack, P2,553 in cash, and a .45 caliber pistol.The suspect is now detained at the Bago City police station and is facing drug charges.*