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Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya authored House Bill 293.*The House Committee on Transportation approved the bill seeking the creation of a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) office in Bacolod City on Wednesday, November 9.House Bill 293, authored by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, was approved during the Committee’s regular meeting.LTFRB officer-in-charge, Engr. Riza Marie Paches, expressed their full support for the bill to ensure the delivery of efficient and effective services to the public, Gasataya said.“The LTFRB also acknowledged our primary concern on the accessibility of the LTFRB office for Region 6 as it is situated on a separate island from Negros and Bacolod City,” he added.Gasataya thanked the LTFRB, and the House Committee on Transportati...

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and his supporter Juwin Estiñoso.*Norppo photoThe family of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo is calling for justice for the death of his supporter Juwin Estiñoso.Estiñoso, who ran for councilor in the recent election, was gunned down outside the Bayawan City High School in Bayawan City on Monday, November 7.Estiñoso was at his foodcart outside the school when he was approached by a gunman pretending to be a customer who shot him several times.The governor said Estiñoso was fifth person killed in the province in two days.His administration will launch an anti-criminality campaign to maintain peace and order in the province, Degamo said.*

Acting Governor Jeffrey Ferrer and a Department of Public Works and Highways official will inspect the possible site where the planned Guimaras-Negros bridge will connect in Pulupandan town on Thursday, November 10.Ferrer said he along with a DPWH undersecretary and Pulupandan Mayor Miguel Peña will visit the proposed site.The acting governor said he wants to discuss the funding for the Guimaras-Negros Bridge because he has received information that there are funds only for the Panay-Guimaras bridge.Ferrer said he believes that there are a lot who are willing to fund the Guimaras-Negros bridge.He hopes the bridge will be realized during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Ferrer said.NIR BETTERThe acting governor also said he is in favor of creatin...

Negros Occidental Acting Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer (right) and presidential son William Vincent “Vinny” Marcos during the presidential campaign.*Negros Occidental Acting Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer said it is too early to speculate that presidential son William Vincent “Vinny” Marcos will run for congressman of Bacolod City in the next election, and he has not heard him mention any such plan.Ferrer was reacting to rumors that the presidential son will run for congressman of Bacolod when a second congressional district is created.He does not know where talk that Marcos will run for congressman of Bacolod City came from and the presidential son may not even know about it, Ferrer said.The elections were just over, 2025 is a long way off, Ferrer, a close friend and supporter of the Marcoses,...

Consul General Hideki Yamaji turns the books over to Negros Occ. Board Member Rita Gatuslao, Provincial Librarian Rio Rio Lynne Panisa, and April Duran of the Special Projects and Concerns Division.*Consul General Hideki Yamaji of the Japanese consulate in Cebu led the turnover of books to the Negros Occidental Provincial Library in Bacolod City, on Wednesday, November 9.The books were received by Negros Occ. Board Member Rita Gatuslao, Provincial Librarian Rio Rio Lynne Panisa, and April Duran of the Special Projects and Concerns Division.The Read Japan Project was implemented in cooperation with the Nippon Foundation and the Japan Science Society together with the Consulate-General of Japan in Cebu.Negros Occidental Acting Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer hands gifts to Consul General...

Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez delivering his House Bill 05 sponsorship speech.*The House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 05 or the In-City Housing Bill on second reading on Wednesday, November 9.Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), who authored and sponsored the bill for the establishment of an on-site, in-city, near-city, or off-city local government resettlement program,refiled it in the 19th Congress.He said the bill aims to uphold the rights of the urban poor to the city, save informal settler families from being relocated to faraway relocation sites, and empower informal settler families to design for themselves the development of their community through the People's Plan.Benitez, in his sponsorship speech, said "House Bill No. 5 aims ...

The Operation Smile volunteers at work at the Adventist Medical Center – Bacolod on Wednesday*Operation Smile volunteers began reconstructive surgery on indigent children with cleft lip and palate deformities at the Adventist Medical Center – Bacolod this week.They conducted 60 surgeries from Monday to Wednesday and hope to hit 73 by Thursday, November 10, Emiliano Romano, Operation Smile Philippines executive director, said.Among the beneficiaries of this year’s Operation Smile mission were 4-year-old twins who were abandoned by their parents, Edith Villanueva, Hope Foundation chairperson, said.The Operation Smile Negros Mission Team 2022*One twin underwent cleft lip surgery, while the other for the palate.The twins from Salvador Benedicto were abandoned by their 1...

The videoke house where the shooting incident took place in San Carlos City, Tuesday, November 8.*San Carlos PNP photoTwo men sustained injuries after they were shot in a videoke house at Barangay 5 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday, November 8.The victims were identified as 28-year-old Arnel Canete and 30-year-old Kier Sabordo.The victims were singing and drinking inside the videoke house when the unidentified gunman entered and shot Canete, while Sabordo was hit by a stray bullet, the police said.Canete had an altercation with someone before the incident, the police added.The police investigation is still ongoing.

Authorities consolidate Bacolod City’s drugs watchlist.*PIO photoThe Bacolod City Anti-Drug Abuse Council led the consolidation of the watchlist of illegal drug personalities in the city on Tuesday, November 8, at Balay Silangan, Barangay Singcang-Airport.With them were officials of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 (PDEA-6).PDEA provincial officers, chief intelligence police non-commission officers and police-community relations officers from all 10 police stations of the city counterchecked and consolidated local, regional, and national watchlists with the aim of having a coordinated and efficient drug clearing operation, especially at the barangay level.The participating law enforcement agencies and offices identified the stat...