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A Bacolod Regional Trial Court judge has sentenced four Bacolod residents to life imprisonment for the sale of drugs to policemen in buy-bust operations.Sentenced by Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier of RTC Branch 52 to life imprisonment were Cyril Borerro Cuadra, Emelou Beronio Costelo alias Matet, Roderic de Guzman Cordero and Nelson de Asis Dewara alias “Moki”.Cuadra was found guilty for the sale of .103 gram of shabu for P500 to a policeman at his house in Purok Sigay, Barangay 2, Bacolod City, on June 11, 2020 and was sentenced to life imprisonment and to pay a fine of P1 million on Tuesday, June 21.He was also found guilty of possession of 31.880 grams of shabu and sentenced to life imprisonment and to pay a fine of P1 million.Costelo and Cordero were found guilty...

Negros Occidental, its 31 local government units (LGUs) and Bacolod City will suffer a P3.8 billion drop in National Tax Allotments for 2023, data from Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday, June 24, showed.That means they will receive a total of P22,509,531,116 in 2023 compared to P26,317,672,315 in 2022.The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) informed Lacson that all LGUs will face 14.47 percent NTA cuts in 2023 because of low tax collections at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.The Negros Occidental provincial government 2023 NTA share will drop by P782,280,808, Bacolod City – P302 696, 617, the 12 Negros Occidental cities – P2 billion and 19 municipalities – P706,076,15, the DBM said.The following are the 2023 NTA shares for Negros Occidental and Bacolod Ci...

Armed men gunned down a 14-year-old boy at Abada Escay, Brgy Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, at 10:35 p.m. Thursday, June 23.The victim’s name was withheld by the police.Police Capt. Elmer Bonilla, Police Station 7 chief, said when the armed men onboard a van arrived the victim ran and they chased and shot him.It is not known yet if he was a mistaken identity victim, Bonilla said.The victim’s father and uncle were previously jailed for drug offenses, Bonilla said.The arrival of the seven armed men in the area was captured by a CCTV camera.*

Dengue cases in Negros Occidental are now 521 percent higher than last year, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday, June 24.Negros Occidental’s dengue cases this year hit 1,161 with 143 new cases from June 5 to 11, and six deaths, making it the topnotcher in Western Visayas, the DOH reported.Bacolod City’s dengue cases rose to 206, with 10 new cases from June 5 to 11, or 137 percent higher than 2021.Bacolod City has four dengue deaths this year.Dengue cases in Western Visayas hit 3,029 as of June 11 or 241 percent higher than 2021.There have been 23 dengue deaths in WV this year, the DOH added.*

The seized marijuana plants in Bacolod City.*The police arrested two farmers for growing marijuana plants at Sitio Handalago, Brgy Nataban, in San Carlos City, Negos Occidental, at 8:49 a.m. Friday, June 24.Nabbed were Armando Mesino Quejado, 27, and Peter Benigay Laor, 30, of Sitio Handalago following reports from concerned citizens that they were growing marijuana plants, Lt. Ruby Aurita, San Carlos police spokesperson, said.Seized were 57 fully grown marijuana plants with estimated weight of 2,000 grams (2 kg), she said.The marijuana was valued at P 240,000.The suspects and the marijuana plants are now in the custody of the San Carlos City police.*

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia at the inauguration of the Rizal Park*Projects totaling P33.3 million were inaugurated by Bacolod City officials led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran on Friday, June 24.Inaugurated were the P9.4 million Rizal Elementary School park, P6.5 million improved promenade at the Negros Occidental High School and the P11.9 million Zen garden and children's playground at the back of the Bacolod City Government Center, a press release said.The mayor also joined the Balay Pasilungan inauguration by Soroptimist International Bacolod.The newly-built Balay Pasilungan inside the Bacolod City Police Office compound is a project of the Soroptimist International of Bacolod made possible through the help of Malcolm Merry, who donated P5....

Rowena Guanzon takes her oath as P3PWD partylist representative before Court of Appeals Justice Edwin Sorongon in the presence of Khalil Cruz, Rose Garcia, Didoy Cruz Fullon and lawyer Jeriel Sawit on Thursday.*Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Ma. Rowena Amelia V. Guanzon of Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, took her oath as P3PWD (Komunidad ng Pamilya, Pasyente at Persons with Disabilities) partylist representative to the 19th Congress before Court of Appeals Justice Edwin Sorongon on Thursday, June 23.“Today we start our work for the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities, children with special needs and those with chronic illnesses,” she said Friday.Guanzon said she will file 10 priority bills for the sector she represents when the 19th Congress co...

The provincial Capitol in Bacolod City flanked by the South and North Capitol roads.* Ronnie Baldonado photoThe South Capitol Road in Bacolod City will be closed on Saturday, June 25, for the inauguration of the Negros Occidental provincial government officials at the Provincial Capitol grounds.The inauguration of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer and the 12 board members of Negros Occidental will be held in front of the Capitol at 4 p.m. Saturday following a mass.The South Capitol Road will be temporarily closed and one-way traffic will be observed along the North Capitol Road, from Lacson Street to Gatuslao Street, an advisory from the Capitol said.Affected vehicles are advised to take alternative routes, it added.There are 10 returning board members ...

SRA says sugar shortage driving up prices.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe high sugar prices in the market have been caused by the greediness of some sugar traders, Manuel Lamata,  United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines president, said Thursday, June  23.“They are hoarding sugar to manipulate the market as if there was a shortage,” he said.Lamata said the  Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Customs  and the police should  raid sugar warehouses and file cases against the traders.Hoarding is  economic sabotage, he pointed out.The planned import program of Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator Hermenegildo Serafica  was  meaningless, Lamata said.The  200,000 metric to...