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Governors Eugenio Jose Lacson and Roel Degamo (right).*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, January 31, that it will not be easy for him to convince Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo to support the creation of a Negros Island Region, which will include Siquijor, but he will try.Degamo and Lacson on Tuesday were expected to set a date for their meeting.Lacson said he sought the meeting to try to see if Degamo will have a change of heart. Degamo has publicly announced that he is against the creation of the NIR.Lacson and all of the representatives of Negros Occidental and Oriental and Siquijor are pushing for the creation of the new region.*

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (second from left) leads the inauguration of the new facilities on Tuesday with Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz and board members Rita Gatuslao, Araceli Somosa and Jeffrey Tubola (l-r).*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson led the inauguration of the provincial government’s P26 million Technology and Livelihood and Development Center (TLDC), Shared Service Facility(SSF) and organic market at San Juan Street in Bacolod City Tuesday morning, January 31.The facilities located next to the Negros Occidental Food Terminal Market are designed to upgrade the products of organic farmers and assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to boost their incomes.“We will strengthen our assistance to our MSMEs through our SSF or shared service faci...

Vincent Parra, officer-in-charge of the CHR Bacolod Sub-Office, at the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism workshop on Human Rights Reporting*There were 81 human rights complaints in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City in 2022, including 64 for extra judicial killings, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) reported on Tuesday, January 31.About 30 of the EJK cases were for murders linked to illegal drugs, while the rest were agrarian reform and armed conflict related, Vincent Parra, officer-in-charge of the CHR Bacolod Sub-Office, said Tuesday, January 31.Parra was one of the speakers at the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism workshop on Human Rights Reporting led by its training director Rowena Paraan at the Seda Capitol Central hotel in Bacolod City.Th...

The University of St. La Salle (USLS) renewed its partnership for the fourth time with its existing barangay and school partners for a three-year continued engagement in the areas of research, community development and student teaching and internship during the institutional memorandum of agreement signing (MOA) at the St. La Salle Coliseum in Bacolod City, recently.USLS President and Chancellor Br. Joaquin Severino S. Martinez along with university administrators led the signing of the MOA between USLS and its partners.A total of seven existing partner public schools represented by school principals and the DepEd- Division of Bacolod, seven existing barangay partners represented by their barangay captains, and two cooperating schools for the College of Education student teaching a...

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez at the launching of the Sidlak City Digital Network Assets and Project VECTOR on Monday*Victorias City continues to pioneer ICT innovations in Negros Occidental and Western Visayas Region with its launching of its Sidlak City Digital Network Assets and Project VECTOR at the Don Alejandro Acuña Yap Quiña Arts and Cultural Center Monday, January 30.“My vision is, Victorias City will be a city prepared and at the forefront of technology-driven local government in the region and the country…(and) that vision is starting now,” Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said in his speech.Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo and Department of the Interior and Local Government – Region ...

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo AlminazaSan Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said on Monday, January 30, that the recent suspected drug killings are a big challenge to the newly launched campaign against illegal drugs of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).The DILG has said that its campaign will be “within the framework of the law and with respect for human rights and with focus on rehabilitation and socio-economic development” dubbed as “Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan or BIDA”, he noted.“It also challenges those among us who are still in denial about the massive human rights abuses under the previous administration and its enduring negative consequences and impact even until now,” he added.“We reiterate again our cry which has now become even louder and urge...

Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria holds up the list of the latest number of voter registrants in Negros Occidental.*The Commission on Elections hopes to hit 50,000 new voter registrants for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City by the end of Tuesday, January 31, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Monday.The registration of voters for the Barangay and Sagguniang Kabataan Elections began in December and ends at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The elections are set on October 30.As of January 28 Negros Occidental and Bacolod City had registered 47,287 new voters.Of the total voter registrants, 11,640 are youth voters for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections, he said.There was no surge in voter registrants as the deadline neared, Ananoria said.In fact th...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez during the inventory of the city governent vehicles on Saturday.*Bacolod PIO photoThere were 122 out of about 500 vehicles owned by the Bacolod City government that were not accounted for during a final inventory conducted at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) grounds on Saturday, Secretary to the Mayor Karol Joseph Chiu said Monday, January 30.Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez has directed the Public Order and Safety Office to look for the 122 vehicles.Employees who were issued city government vehicles were required to bring them to the BCGC grounds for inventory.Only 378 vehicles were accounted for on Saturday, Chiu said.City employees who cannot account for vehicles assigned to them could face malversation ra...

Tangub barangay captain Noli Villarosa*The Office of the Ombudsman (Visayas) has reversed a ruling against Tangub barangay captain Noli Villarosa and ordered his reinstatement, his lawyer Caesar Distrito said Monday, January 30.The Ombudsman in a January 9 decision absolved Villarosa and Kagawad Jose Ray Pendon of the charge of simple misconduct.“This is a vindication on the part of Kap Noli Villarosa and Kag. Jose Ray Pendon, who were just fulfilling their obligation as barangay officials,” Distrito said.This means the return of the two to office, the payment of their salaries and benefits, and the removal of the order perpetually barring Villarosa from running for office, Distrito said.On Sept. 1. 2022, the Office of the Ombudsman had granted the motion for reconsider...

The seized drugs in San Carlos City.*Six persons were arrested and more than P200,000 in suspected shabu was seized in buy bust operations in Negros Occidental on Sunday, the police reported on Monday, January 30.The police arrested two persons and seized P176,800 in suspected shabu in San Julio Subdivision in Brgy 2, San Carlos City, 10:06 p.m. Sunday.Nabbed in the buy bust operation were Oscar Dadale Siroy Jr., 30, and Mariel Dagumanpan Paslon, 24, of Brgy 6, San Carlos City.Estimated weight of the seized suspected shabu was 26 grams, the San Carlos police reported.The arrested persons are detained at the San Carlos Police Station.Two persons were also arrested and 5 grams of suspected shabu worth P34,000 was seized at Purok Paglaum, Brgy. Tanza, EB Magalona, at 1...