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The Department of the Interior and Local Government in Western Visayas is monitoring if there are groups still engaged in e-sabong in Region 6, its regional director Juan Jovian Ingeniero said on Wednesday, May 4.Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has ordered the Philippine National Police and local government units (LGUs) to stop all online cockfighting games, popularly known as “e-sabong,” nationwide starting Tuesday night.The DILG chief said traditional physical cockfighting games would continue to operate with compliance to minimum public health standards as regulated by LGUs.Ingeniero said they have received verbal instructions to halt e-sabong, and pending receipt of a written order they have began monitoring operations.The decision to halt e-sabong was based on a survey ...

New data from the Bacolod City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit showed a 39.1 percent increase in dengue cases in April compared to the same period last year.City Health Office Environment Sanitation Division head Dr. Grace Tan said Bacolod recorded 96 dengue cases with two fatalities as of April 23.Bacolod had 69 cases and two deaths during the same month last year, she explained.Barangay Singcang-Airport had the most number of dengue cases with 10, followed by barangays Granada, Estefania and Mandalagan with nine each, Mansilingan - eight, Alijis – seven, Sum-ag and Tangub – six, Banago - five and Pahanocoy – four, a press release from the Bacolod Public Information Office said.Leptospirosis cases dropped by 46.2 percent this year with seven cases and two deaths, it adde...

City PIO photoMayor Evelio Leonardia and Commission on Higher Education officials will lead the inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremonies of the new facilities of the Bacolod City College on Thursday, May 5.The BCC site development, which includes the construction of the new activity center, a 1,000-seater fully airconditioned gym for student assemblies, meetings and conventions as well as sporting events, received a P350 million appropriation from the city government, a press release from the Bacolod City Government Center said.To join the mayor during the ribbon-cutting rites are Bacolod's First Lady Elsa Fuentes-Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, CHED Regional Director Raul Alvarez Jr., College Administrator Ma. Johanna Ann Rabago-Bayoneta, as well as school and other...

A crowd of 15,000 welcomed presidential candidate Leni Robredo at Bantayan Park in Bago City Tuesday night, May 3.*VP Leni Media Bureau photoVice President Leni Robredo called on her supporters to continue to work hard to win more votes with just four days left to campaign before the May 9 polls because the power for change is in the hands of the people.“Let’s have a good fight, let’s finish the race and continue to keep the faith,” she said.Robredo issued the call at a rally at the Bantayan Park in Bago City, and at a gathering of about 1,500 volunteers at the Convention Hall of Acacia Hotel in Bacolod City where she was met by rousing welcomes from supporters who chanted her name Tuesday night, May 3.At the gathering of volunteers from various sectoral groups in Negros O...

First two photos show Asenso Bacolod candidates for councilor Sonya Verdeflor, Patrick Lacson and Celia Flor (l-r) endorse Leni Robredo Tuesday night, while third photo shows Ed Guillem, Cash Montalvo, Renecito Novero, John Pangilinan - brother of Kiko Pangilinan, Leni Robredo, Dan Atayde, Dr, Chris Sorongon, Em Ang and Jonathan Diaz (l-r)*Candidates of Grupo Progreso and Asenso Bacolod endorsed the presidential bid of Leni Robredo at separate events at Acacia Hotel Bacolod Tuesday night, May 3.Grupo Progreso congressional bet Dan Atayde, and candidates for councilor Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Dr. Chris Sorongon, Cash Montalvo, Ed Guillem and Jonathan Diaz endorsed Robredo at the Grand Ballroom.They were also joined by about 1,000 GP leaders and brgy captains, an organizer said....

The Iglesia ni Cristo has informed Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson that it is endorsing his reelection bid, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, May 3.Other candidates in Negros Occidental have also announced that they have been endorsed by the influential INC.The INC endorsement is sought after by many candidates because the religious group is known to deliver votes via bloc voting.Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco said the INC is endorsing the mayoral run of his wife, Madonnah Marañon Jaojoco and, her running mate, Maria Luisa dela Cruz.The INC has also officially endorsed the re-election bid of Isabela Mayor Irene Montilla and of her runningmate Juan Miguel Montilla, posts on the Vamos Isabela Facebook page showed.The INC is expected to officia...

More than 3,000 security personnel will be deployed for the May 9 polls in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, which are expected to be generally peaceful, Acting Provincial Elections Supervisor Roberto Salazar said Tuesday, May 3.The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the security forces in the province are prepared for election day, he said, following a final Joint Provincial Security Coordinating Council meeting Tuesday morning.No new election areas of concern have been identified in the province, he said.Salazar said aside from the security forces he has asked the Provincial Health Office and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to go on heightened alert on May 9.The Philippine National Police will assign two policemen in each of the 743 voting ar...

The Commission on Elections is aiming to proclaim the winning candidates of Bacolod City in the May 9 polls as soon as possible, City Elections Officer Revo Sorbito said on Tuesday, May 3.Barring any technical malfunctions in their Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) and SD cards, Sorbito said they hope to have early trends by 10 to 11 p.m. on Election Day if everything goes well.“We want the elections to conclude as early as possible,” he said, when asked if the vote count would be finished by the morning of May 10.Voting could end at 9 p.m. in some areas in the city on May 9, he said.Acting Provincial Elections Supervisor Roberto Salazar said two replacement VCMs have been allocated to Bacolod in case of breakdowns.Sorbito said the early delivery of election forms, includin...