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IPM Construction and Development Corp. hauling the garbage of Bacolod City.*Bacolod PIO photoAbout eight firms are interested in bidding for the collection of Bacolod City’s garbage, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said.The contract of IPM Construction and Development Corp. (IPM-CDC) for the collection and hauling of garbage and the maintenance of the Bacolod’s landfill ends on December 31, City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said Sunday, November 20.Benitez, at a press conference of Friday, November 18, said the terms of reference for the bidding is being expedited.However, if there is a need the city could extend the IPM contract for three months, Benitez said.“There are a lot of improvements in the garbage collection that can be done and I don’t think we should le...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez says 44 tons of "spaghetti wires" have been removed so far.*Bacolod PIO photoThe Bacolod City government will start impounding illegally parked vehicles soon.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said, at a press conference on Friday, November 18, that the city government will be towing and impounding illegally parked vehicles in Bacolod to prevent traffic congestion, which could be in place before the end of the year.“We are finalizing an agreement with the proponent to exercise impounding and towing enforcement,” he said.The mayor also announced that the Task Force Spaghetti Wires has removed 44 tons of old and unused telecommunication and electricity wires along the city’s major roads since June.The “spaghetti wires” were brought to the stocky...

A total of 430 families from various barangays of E. B. Magalona received relief goods from the Negros Occidental provincial government, during the distribution at the Municipal Public Plaza Friday, November 18.Each family received 5 kilos of rice and canned goods from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), a press release from EB Magalona said.The beneficiaries were among those affected by Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” last month.The distribution of relief goods was spearheaded by the Provincial Disaster Management and Program Division (PDMPD), PSWDO, and Provincial Administrator’s Office, with the assistance of the MDRRMO and MSWDO.The personnel who assisted in the distribution were: from PDMPD—Remselle Limaco, Ivory Joy Nicavera, Christopher Dorde,...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (center) at a press conference at the Bacolod City Government Center on Friday.*The 1,500 Bacolod City government job order (JO) workers without any official appointments are considered volunteers and will not be paid, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Friday, November 18.Only about 3,500 JOs officially appointed from October to December will be paid, he said.Benitez said 800 of the JOs with appointments are assigned to schools and 2,700 to the Bacolod City Government Center.“We cannot accommodate all because of the restrictions of the amount of budget that we have left for this year,” he said.“If you are not officially appointed for a three-month period, we will now consider you as volunteers...do not expect to be paid,”...

The creation of Regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas) sub regions instead of a Negros Island Region could “be a good compromise for us to move forward”, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said Friday, November 18.However, he does not know if the congressmen pushing for a Negros Island Region, which will include Siquijor, will withdraw their bills that have already been filed in the Lower House.The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the National Economic and Development Authority have proposed that instead of making Negros Occidental and Oriental and Siquijor part of one region, Region 6B and Region 7B should instead be created to address the clamor for efficient delivery of services, he said.Under Region 6B all national government offices ba...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez is meeting Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transportation Office officials on Saturday, November 19, to discuss a transition phase for the remaining operators of traditional jeepneys to join the public utility vehicle modernization program.The 15-day LTFRB ceasefire on the apprehension of traditional jeepneys without franchises in Bacolod ends next week.Benitez said he met with the operators of the traditional jeepneys on Thursday and they want to join the modernization program with certain provisions.He asked them to itemize their proposed provisions to be included in the modernization program in a letter signed by all of them so he can present them to the LTFRB, Benitez said.The mayor said he saw...

The house of the teacher who was robbed.*Ilog PNP photoA 29-year-old teacher was hit on the head by robbers when she entered her home at Barangay Manalad, Ilog in Negros Occidental on Tuesday, November 15.Injured was Virnadith Misajon who is now under observation for the injuries she sustained.When the victim arrived at her house, she saw her room was in disarray and heard the voices of two men, who robbed her place, the police said.The suspects struck her head with a hard object, causing her to faint.When she gained consciousness, her jewelry worth P10,000 was gone.The police are now investigating the persons of interest in the case.*

A disinfection drive is underway in Manapla.*There were 18 suspected cholera cases and two deaths in Manapla, Negros Occidental, this week, Mayor Manuel Escalante said Friday, November 18.A 74-year-old male who had long been bedridden died of dehydration on Thursday, while the cause of death of a 34-year-old male on Wednesday still has to be determined, he said.Escalante said health authorities were not informed that the two were ill, they only found out after they died.There were also eight suffering from diarrhea and vomiting who were brought to the Manapla Rural Health Unit from Monday to Wednesday, five on Thursday and five on Friday, some of whom have since been discharged, he addedAlthough they had symptoms of cholera, no confirmatory laboratory test results were ...

The suspect in the killing of a barangay captain.*Isabela PNP photoA suspected member of the New People’s Army (NPA) who was linked to the killing of an Isabela barangay captain was arrested at Brgy. San Agustin, Isabela, Negros Occidental, Thursday, November 17.Nabbed was Winnie Carillo, 53, who was tagged as the town’s Top 6 most wanted person.His apprehension was by virtue of warrant of arrest for murder issued by La Carlota Regional Trial Court Judge Mila Yap-Camiso on November 10, with no bail recommended for his temporary liberty.The police said the suspect was involved in the shooting of Brgy. San Agustin chairman Agapito Euraoba on August 10, 2018.He is now in police custody.*