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Pinky Mirano-Ocampo and mayor-elect Alfredo "Albee" Benitez (right) meet on the MassKara Festival on Tuesday.*Patrick Lacson photoLawyer and event organizer Pinky Mirano Ocampo will head this year’s MassKara Festival.Bacolod mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez has appointed her this year’s festival director, Ocampo confirmed Tuesday night, June 21.Benitez will announce the details of the festival in July, she said.Pinky Mirano Ocampo, seated 3rd from left, with the participants at the MassKara Festival meeting on Tuesday.*All those interested to help the festival were gathered by Benitez on Tuesday, Patrick Lacson said.They discussed the possible schedule of the festival that will take into consideration the COVID-19 situation in October, he said.Benitez said he...

The scene of the accident in in Barangay Tinampaan, Cadiz City, on Monday, June 20.*The police are preparing to file charges for reckless imprudence resulting to homicide against the driver of an Isuzu Canter that figured in an accident that caused the death of one and the injury of four in Barangay Tinampaan, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, at 4:20 p.m. Monday, June 20.The driver of the Isuzu Canter was identified as Julieto Discarten Jaranilla, 59, of Hacienda Reboton also in Barangay Tinampaan.The canter figured in a collision with a tricycle driven by Rodrigo Lucot Magbanua, 53, of Barangay Zone 2, Cadiz City, who died in the mishap, a police report said.The injured tricycle passengers were identified as Lucilyn Siason, 43, Karmen Toriado, 43, Eric Maguliman, 31 and Ther...

The Bacolod transition teams will meet at the Bacolod City Government Center.*The transition teams of mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and outgoing mayor Evelio Leonardia are set to meet at the Bacolod City Government Center 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, Rep. Greg Gasataya said.Gasataya, who heads the Benitez transition team, said they expect Leonardia’s camp to turn over documents that they requested through the Department of the Interior and Local Government.They have already completed the documents requested from the different departments and are ready for their turnover, Victoria Parreñas, secretary to the mayor, assured on Tuesday.Benitez takes over the helm of the Bacolod City government at noon of June 30.The oath taking rites of the new Bacolod officials will be...

San Carlos City is celebrating its Charter Day on July 1.*July 1 has been declared a special non-working holiday in San Carlos City.Proclamation No. 1373 said the special non-working day was declared to enable the people of San Carlos to celebrate the city’s Charter Day.The proclamation, which was signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea by authority of President Rodrigo Duterte, said public health measures should be observed during the celebration*

Department of Health COVID-19 performance report for Western Visayas*The release of rice incentives for senior citizens in Negros Occidental who were vaccinated against COVID-19 has started, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, June 21.Initially released were 66 sacks of rice for 661 senior citizen vaccinees who will receive 5 kilos each, Diaz said.The results of the simultaneous provincewide COVID-19 vaccination drive on June 16 and 17 were not available yet, “that means it’s not good,” Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday.The provincial government has been trying to ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination drive so more local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental can be deescalated to Alert Level 1.Only 9 out of the 31 LGUs in Negros Occidental are un...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (right) and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer will lead the oathtaking rites on Saturday, June 25.*The inaugural rites of the Negros Occidental provincial government officials led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer will be held at the Capitol grounds in Bacolod City at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 25.They will try to keep the oathtaking rites simple, no national personalities have been invited, Lacson said on Tuesday, June 21.Lacson, who was reelected to a second term, said he will take his oath before Judge Amy Alabado Avellano of the San Carlos City Regional Trial Court.Ferrer, who is also entering his second term, will take his oath before Bago City Judge Aireen Bonghanoy.There are 10 returning board members and two newly-elected ones w...

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who is set to lead the Senate in the 19th Congress.*Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who is set to lead the Senate in the 19th Congress, said on Monday, June 20, that he is committed to file and spearhead the Negros Island Region Act in the upper chamber.“I thank president-elect Bongbong Marcos for assuring us, this early on, of his support for the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR),” Zubiri said.Twelve representatives on Negros Island and Siquijor are also jointly filing a bill seeking the establishment of the NIR on the first day of the 19th Congress on July 1, Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg., Occ., 3rd District) said Saturday.The bill will include the provinces of Negros Occidental and Oriental and Siqui...

Coordinated Bacolod City and Negros Occidental law enforcement efforts tackled at meeting Monday, June 20.Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez met with the top police officials of the province and city to discuss coordinated law enforcement efforts on Monday, June 20.“It’s an indication that Bacolod and Negros Occidental will work together in the next three years,” Lacson said.Synergy between the city and province in law enforcement was tackled.They also met to discuss the recent spate of shootings that are starting to be alarming, Lacson said.The police have said that it is something that has not greatly affected us but it should already be discussed to find solutions, Lacson said.PCol. Thomas Joseph Martir, Bac...

A drug surrenderer was killed Sunday night, June 19, in the ninth shooting incident in Bacolod City this June.Christopher Lumbayan Guanzon, 38, of Barangay Taculing was onboard his tricycle when he was killed by an unidentified gunman in Brgy 31, Bacolod City, at 9 p.m. Sunday, PMaj. Leo Estopa, Police Station 6 chief, said Monday.He was about to park the tricycle he was driving and pick up his family from the house of his sibling when the gunman approached and shot him in the head.CCTV footage showed that the gunman on a motorcycle was following the tricycle of the victim prior to the shooting, Estopa said.The shootings in barangay Singcang Airport and Banago last week were also drug related, Col. Thomas Joseph Martir, Bacolod police director, said.Estopa said they are...

“Agriculture is vital to our food security," Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer said.*Ronnie Baldonado photoPresident-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Monday, June 20, that he will head the Department of Agriculture (DA) in a concurrent capacity to take a proactive stance versus a looming food crisis.“Agriculture is vital to our food security, and surveys would tell us that some countries are already food insecure due to the resurgence of many problems caused by war and the high cost of crude and gasoline. The president is the best person to take care of this sector as the power to decide is with him,” Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said.“We hope he will recognize the threats of ever-increasing fuel and fertilizer prices being faced by our farmers...