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Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer*Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said on Saturday, October 22, that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Finance is set to start holding hearings on the proposed P5.1 billion 2023 budget for Negros Occidental.The committee headed by Board Member Rommel Debulgado will be inviting provincial government department heads to the hearings to discuss the budget allocations, Ferrer said.The SP aims to approve the 2023 budget by the first week of December, he said.The proposed General Fund Budget for 2023 is P4,952,981,428, while the annual operating budget of the Economic Enterprise Development Department is P190,379,525.15.Ferrer said the bonuses of the provincial government employees will be a priority.*

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Agriculture’s Western Visayas office on Sunday, October 23, to test all pig breeding sites in the region to control the spread of the African Swine Fever (ASF).The directive came after the DA – Western Visayas regional office reported during a situation briefing in Bacolod City that cases of ASF had been reported in Iloilo, a press for the Office of the Press Secretary said.Marcos said all measures to prevent its spread is already in place, including banning pork products from infested areas.He said testing all breeding farms for ASF is one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of infection.Marcos noted that one of the challenges in fighting the infection is that ASF has been reported to spread through ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday, October 23, discussed concerns about amending the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) in order to make use of renewable energy to bring down the cost of power.This came after he was told by Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez that they were thinking of entering into joint venture agreements with solar power generators to enable them to buy the power at lower prices, a press release from the Office of the Press Secretary said.Benitez said the EPIRA Law does not allow producers to sell to the users but directly goes to the grid.Bacolod City should get the opinion of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Marcos said.He said whatever will be the opinion of the ERC on the matter would be the basis of an amendment to the ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (second from left) turns over a check worth P11,056,317.63 to the Cabagnaan Active Producers for Social Enterprise Association of La Castellana representative in the presence of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan.*President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the distribution of checks to farmer organizations and financial assistance to individuals in crisis in Negros Occidental at the Department of Public Works and Highways-Negros Occidental First District Engineering Office in Talisay City on Sunday, October 23.The Philippine Information Agency placed the total aid at P176.5 million.Department of Agriculture projects worth P96,626,092.64 were among the government’s assistance that were distributed.Pr...

The pork products seized by the African Swine Fever Task Force at ports of entry in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have reached P178,725, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Friday, October 21.The bulk of the pork products totaling P166,105 seized at the BREDCO port from October 15 to 21 were from Iloilo, Diaz said.Pork products were also seized at the San Carlos and Escalante ports, Bacolod Silay Airport and the Kabankalan Public Market.Some of the products were shipped back to their points of origin while others were confiscated.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez created the Joint ASF Task Force to prevent the entry into Bacolod City and Negros Occidental of live pigs, boar semen, pork and pork products from places affected with AS...

The farmer who was found dead.*Moises Padilla PNP photoA farmer was found dead at Barangay Guinpana-an, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, October 20.The victim was identified as Eliseo Amparado, 58.The victim was lying on a bamboo chair, covered in blood, when the police found him.He sustained multiple wounds on his body.A bolo was recovered from the crime scene, which could have been used by the unidentified suspect to kill the victim.The police are still investigating the incident.*

First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos flanked by Olivia Yanson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the Masskarade Ball.*Ronnie Baldonado photoPresident Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, October 21, called on Filipinos from around the country to join Bacolod’s MassKara Festival.Marcos, in a statement released by Malacañan Palace, said he invites “people from across the country to join in, explore unique places in the city, and meet new people along the way, as they may fill the great and urgent need to uplift our dispositions at this crucial time”.“May the vivid colors and smiles so common and abundant during the festivities serve as declarations of resilience, even as we tackle our deepest concerns and overcome our greatest hurdles, especially now that we are steadily gaining ...

The Philippine National Police approved the request to suspend the Permits to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) during the 43rd MassKara Festival in Bacolod City.The memorandum from the national police headquarters came out Friday, October 21.Lt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, Bacolod City Police Office public information officer, said the ban will be from 12:01 a.m. of October 17 to 11:59 p.m. of October 23.He said that only members of the PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other law enforcement agencies who are performing official duties and in agency-prescribed uniforms will be allowed to carry firearms.This is to ensure that the activity will be free from firearm-related incidents and for the safety of the community as well as local and foreign tourists, he...

The drugs recovered during the buy-bust operation in Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City.*Police Station 8 photoA drug buy-bust operation at Henrietta Village in Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City, on Thursday night, October 20, led to the recovery of P170,000 worth of shabu.Nabbed was Kimber John “Puswak” Garces, 28.During the bust, he yielded 25 grams of suspected shabu , the P500 buy bust money, and a coin purse.The suspect is now detained at Police Station 8, and is facing drug charges.*