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Mechanized farming will help boost Negros Occidental's food production.*Richard Malihan photoMore than 200 hectares owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government will be  converted into  productive land  for agriculture and livestock, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz  said Wednesday, June 29.This is part of the provincial government’s thrust toward ensuring food  security for Negrenses, he said.Among the areas  to be used are the Negros First Ranch in  Murcia, and properties in Talisay and Himamaylan cities, he said.“There is a sense of urgency, so that we can address the gaps in the food supply for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City,” Diaz said.The more than 200 hectares for agriculture and livestock will be managed by t...

Mayor Evelio Leonardia and El Cid Familiaran (4th and 3rd from left) with GP councilors Israel Salanga, Cindy Tan-Rojas, Em Legaspi-Ang and Renecito Novero (l-r)*Outgoing Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia administered the oaths of office of reelected Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and four Grupo Progreso councilors, and delivered his final message as the top city executive at the Bacolod City Government Center Wednesday afternoon, June 29.Familiaran was accompanied by his wife, Portia, during the oath-taking rites.The mayor also swore into office GP councilors Israel Salanga, Em Legaspi-Ang, Cindy Tan-Rojas and Renecito Novero.Leonardia paid tribute to Familiaran, his Grupo Progreso peers and the barangay captains who stayed with him in his public service journey that has span...

Incoming Victorias City mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez takes his oath before his uncle Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) as his his father Bacolod mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, sister Bettina Marie, mother Dominique Lopez Benitez, and girlfriend actress Sue Ramirez (l-r) look on.*Ronnie Baldonado photoIncoming Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez vowed to be fair and just, and to lead by example in his inaugural speech on Wednesday, June 29.Benitez took his oath before his uncle Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) at inauguration rites at the Victorias City Sports and Amusement Center.The other Victorias officials who also took their oaths were vice mayor-elect Abelardo Bantug III, and incoming councilors Francis Frederick “De...

Wennie Sancho, Power Watch Negros Advocates Inc. secretary general*Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) should refund its consumers for over recoveries now, Wennie Sancho, Power Watch Negros Advocates Inc. secretary general, reiterated on Wednesday, June 29.CENECO deferred the implementation of its refunds to its consumers for its net over-recoveries of P237,949,425.51 incurred from February 2004 to December 2017 while it awaits a copy of the  Energy Regulatory Commission decision ordering it to do so.“That is our money, they should return it. They promised to pay and did not do it… that is a very strong indication that they are taking the rights and welfare of the consumers for granted,” Sancho said.Sancho, at a press conference, said CENECO must implement the...

Two dogs died and two persons were injured in a fire that hit three houses at Purok 7, Maso Street in Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City, at about 7:25 a.m.  Wednesday, June 29.Destroyed was the house   of Adela Peñaflorida, while damaged were the houses of Ma. Trinidad Seba Alfonso and Gertrudes  Quebrar, the Bacolod Bureau of Fire Protection reported.The BFP placed the estimated damage caused by the fire that originated from the second floor of the house of Peñaflorida at P1.5 million.Injured were Sharrah Mae Avila, 30, who sustained minor burns on her left hand, and Imar P.  Drilon, 36, who suffered from an abrasion on his left shoulder and a laceration on his left foot.Two Shih Tzu dogs died in the fire.Initial investigation indicated that th...

Former COA state auditor Marilou Reyes, and lawyers Romeo Carlos Ting Jr., Lyzander Dilag, Pacifico Maghari III and Karol Joseph Chiu (l-r) at the press conference Tuesday.*Mayor-elect  Alfredo  “Albee” Benitez has  red-flagged more than P1.5 billion  in  Bacolod City government  transactions for investigation,  his spokesperson  Lyzander “Bong”  Dilag announced  Tuesday, June 28.Benitez on his assumption of office will issue an executive order creating a committee, dubbed the truth commission, which will correct the errors of the past and ensure that they do not happen again, Dilag said at a press conference at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City.“To achieve our goal of good governance, it may be a necessary consequence to ho...

Bacolod City and 11 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental will be under Alert Level 1 from July 1 to 15, presidential spokesman Martin Andanar announced Tuesday, June 28.The 11 LGUs are Cadiz City, Candoni, Talisay City,   Victorias City, Enrique B. Magalona, La Carlota City, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Sagay City, San Enrique, and Valladolid, he said.The 20 other LGUs of Negros Occidental will remain under Alert Level 2.In Negros Oriental placed under Alert Level 1 until July 15 are Amlan, Bacong, Dauin, Dumaguete City Valencia and Zamboanguita,   while the rest of the province will be under Alert Level 2,  Andanar said.Other areas in Western Visayas under Alert Level 1 are Aklan,  Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo Province, and Iloilo City....

Former Bacolod mayor Monico Puentevella* The Ombudsman has dismissed a criminal complaint filed in 2017   against former Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella and three others    for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for lack of probable cause.Also dismissed was an administrative case for misconduct filed against the four for lack of substantial evidence. The dismissal of the cases was approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Dec. 2, 2021, and released to the media on Tuesday, June 28.The other respondents in the case   were Jerome Solinap, then   Bacolod Bids and Awards Committee chairman, Assistant City Engineer Josephus Cerna and maintenance foreman Harry James Magbanua.The complaints filed by Samu...

Dengue cases in Negros Occidental have further increased by 605 percent from January 1 to June 18 compared to the same period last year, the Department of Health in Western Visayas reported on Monday, June 27.Negros Occidental had 140 new cases from June 12 to 18 for a total of 1,368 cases and seven deaths this year, which is still the highest in Western Visayas, the DOH said.Bacolod City’s dengue cases from January 1 to June 18 increased by 153 percent compared to last yearThe city had 22 new cases from June 12 to 18 for a total of 238 and four deaths, the DOH said.The dengue cases in Western Visayas hit 3,653 as of June 18, or an increase of 298 percent compared to last year.The region has 24 dengue deaths this year, the DOH added.Aklan has  131 dengue cases ...