Top Stories

Jan192023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

3 Sipalay schools suspend classes following encounters

The evacuees at the Binulig Elementary School in Sipalay City on Thursday.*Sipalay LGU photoClasses in three schools at barangays San Jose and Camindangan in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, were temporarily suspended Thursday, January 19, until further notice following encounters between government and rebel forces that caused residents to evacuate.Classes were suspended at the Binulig Elementary School, Gil Montilla National High School – Binulig Extension, and Omas Integrated School, the Sipalay City government announced.Gunbattles between the 15th Infantry Battalion soldiers and New People’s Army rebels took place at the boundaries of barangays Camalanda-an and Baclao in Cauayan town at 11:10 a.m. and at Sitio Malipayon, Brgy. San Jose, Sipalay City, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday,...

Jan192023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NEA defends CENECO rates, names Lapore new acting GM

Top Stories

NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda and new CENECO acting general manager Arnel Lapore at a press conference Thursday.*CENECO photoAdministrator Antonio Mariano Almeda of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) officially installed lawyer Arnel Lapore as the new acting general manager of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) effective Thursday, January 19.Almeda said his marching orders to Lapore, who replaced Vic Alvaro as acting general manager, is to reduce the systems loss and improve the collection efficiency of CENECO.Lapore, a former CENECO president, has the knowledge and experience in managing the cooperative, he said.Almeda said the systems loss of CENECO is at 10.13 percent that by NEA standards is not acceptable so he is challenging Lapore ...

Jan192023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

DILG secretary says war on drugs will continue with different approach

Top Stories

Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (5th and 7th from left) with other officials of Western Visayas in Iloilo City on Thursday.*Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. stressed that the war on drugs in the country will continue with a different approach, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, January 19.Abalos met with the Western Visayas officials to discuss “Strengthening the National Development Roadmap through Intensified Local Government and National Government Connections” at Days Hotel in Iloilo City.Lacson said Abalos stressed the need for good coordination between the national and local governments.Abalos has stressed the need for a collective government effort in the war against dru...

Jan192023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

UNIFED okay to importation move, NFSP wants sugar production data

Top Stories

Manuel Lamata and Enrique Rojas (l-r)*The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) supports the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration to import 450,000 metric tons of refined sugar to help arrest retail prices.UNIFED President Manuel Lamata on Thursday, January 19, said "We are fully supporting the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to import refined sugar that will hopefully arrest runaway retail prices."The sugar stakeholders are being consulted on the volume which varies between 400,000-450,000 metric tons, which to UNIFED "is an acceptable volume for buffer stocks amidst speculation that there may be a shortage by the end of the milling season", he said.Lamata urged SRA to "program well the releases of these im...

Jan192023 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

SSS implements contribution hike

Business, Top Stories

The Social Security System (SSS) said Thursday, January 19, that it has started implementing the provisions of Republic Act of RA 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, which mandates a contribution hike to ensure the financial viability of the state pension fund for private sector workers.SSS president and chief executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said the law-mandated contribution increase would translate to immediate benefits to the country’s 13 million workers and will ensure the viability of the SSS fund designed to provide them with social security protection.Enacted on Feb. 7, 2019 by Congress, the Social Security Act of 2018 rationalized and expanded the powers and duties of the Social Security Commission (SSC) to ensure the long-term viability of the SSS. Under t...

Jan192023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Capitol allocates P10M for nutrition needs of Calatrava, SBenedicto kids

Top Stories

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz *The Negros Occidental provincial government is allocating an initial amount of P10 million to address the nutritional needs of children in 20 barangays in Calatrava and Salvador Benedicto towns, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Wednesday, January 18.They hope this will address the problem of malnutrition, stunting and wasting of children in the identified areas, he said.Diaz said while a Provincial Health Office (PHO) report shows that the nutritional status of pre-school children aged 0 to 59 months old in Negros Occidental improved in 2022, there are areas that are not doing well and need to be addressed.There is a significant decrease in the prevalence of wasting, stunting, and obesity, the PHO report said.A signif...

Jan192023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

15th IB soldier injured in battle, 530 Sipalay residents evacuate

Top Stories

The evacuees at the Binulig Elementary School in Brgy. San Jose, Sipalay City, Wednesday night.*Dionilo Bogtae photoAbout 530 Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, residents evacuated after two encounters between the 15th Infantry Battalion soldiers and New People’s Army rebels in southern Negros Occidental on Wednesday, January 18.Brig. Gen. Leonardo Peña, 302nd Infantry Brigade commander, said 15th IB soldiers encountered about five NPA rebels in Barangay Camalanda-an, Cauayan, at 11 a.m. and spotted about 20 during their pursuit operations.A second gunbattle between the 15th IB soldiers and the rebels took place at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the same barangay, he added.One 15th IB soldier was wounded and pursuit operations against the rebels were ongoing, he said.Dionilo Bogtae,...

Jan182023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod police seize P94.4M in illegal drugs, nab 594 in 2022

Top Stories

Two persons were arrested in a buy-bust operation and P34,000 in suspected shabu was seized in Purok Bayabasan, Brgy Bata, Bacolod City, Wednesday, January 18*.BCPO photoThe Bacolod police confiscated 13,890.44 grams of illegal drugs worth about P94,454,992 in 2022, PLt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) spokesman, reported Wednesday, January 18.He said 511 police operations were conducted resulting to the arrest of 594 drug personalities, including 38 high value individuals, 538 street level individuals and six minors.There were 811 cases filed in court for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Gabana said.The Bacolod police arrested 179 Most Wanted Persons and 489 Other Wanted Persons.In the campaign aga...

Jan182023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Fire destroys house, kills septuagenarian

Top Stories

A septuagenarian died after a fire hit her house at Purok Kampilitan, Barangay Oringao in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday night, January 17.The victim was Maolin Amblosa, 74, whose house was destroyed by the fire, FO3 John Direck Villaruz of the Kabankalan City Fire Station said Wednesday.The woman lived alone.Neighbors alleged that the woman drank alcohol almost every day and would transfer her kerosene lamp around the house when she was drunk, Villaruz said.They are still determining if the kerosene lamp caused the fire, he added.*

Jan182023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Heart attack, not lightning killed La Carlota farm worker

Top Stories

A farm worker succumbed to a heart attack when lightning struck at Brgy San Miguel, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday, January 17, the city police chief said Wednesday.An initial report said Elizabeth Frange Arevalo, 65, was killed by lighting while at a sugarcane field.The victim and her co-workers had been planting sugarcane tops and were preparing to go home when rain started to pour and lighting struck.Arevalo’s co-workers were surprised when she fell to the ground and she was immediately rushed to the Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial District Hospital in La Carlota City where she was declared dead.PLt. Col. Lowell Garinganao, La Carlota police chief, said a medical examination showed that the victim was not hit by lighting and may have suffered from cardiac ar...