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Rescuers brought the injured lighting victims to the Merceditas Montilla District Hospital in Sipalay City.* Dionilo Bogtae photoLighting killed a teenager and critically injured three others in a mountainous area of Sitio Don Jose, Brgy. Manlucahoc in Sipalay City Friday afternoon, June 17.They were planting mangium tress when lighting hit them, Dionilo Bogtae, Sipalay Emergency Assistance and Rescue Services head, said.Killed was Yanyan Escarlan, 17, and critically injured were Harry Villacora, 16, John Rey Villacora, 20, and Ma. Krestina Lavilla, 20, who were brought to the Merceditas Montilla District Hospital in Sipalay City, Bogtae said.A fifth person who was standing a distance away from the four was not hit, he added.“It was very hot and it suddenly rained, they...

Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) announced Friday, June 17, that it is deferring the implementation of refunds to its consumers for its net over-recoveries of P237,949,425.51 incurred from February 2004 to December 2017.CENECO said its average residential rate for the billing month of June is P12.1171/kwh, an increase of P0.9770/kwh, from last month’s rate of P11.1401/kwh.The P0.9770/kWh rate hike can be attributed to the increase in generation, transmission and system loss charges caused by the surge in fuel rates, increase in power cost and other pass through charges such as VAT, it said.Ervin Stan Leo Ticar, CENECO acting general manager, said that the cooperative received a Notice of Resolution issued by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on the P237,949,425 ove...

Preliminary investigations of three doctors and two staff at two Negros Occidental provincial government hospitals are ongoing, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Friday, June 17.The investigations stem from patients’ complaints lodged before the Department of Health that were forwarded to the provincial government for action, he said.Two doctors at the Ignacio L. Arroyo Memorial District Hospital in Isabela are under investigation for alleged “maltreatment” of a patient, Nellas said.A doctor and two staff at the Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial District Hospital in La Carlota City are also under investigation for alleged corrupt practices involving medical supplies, he said. The doctor was included in the complaint for alleged command responsibility, he added....

The proposed housing units for Bacolod*There is no conflict of interest in Joly Homes Foundation’s helping the onsite housing program to be implemented by mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez in Bacolod City, his spokesman lawyer Lyzander Dilag said Friday, June 17.Benitez said on Monday, June 13, that he is aiming to start the construction of affordable onsite condominium-like housing units for Bacolod informal settler families (ISFs) in the first year of his term as mayor.The Joly Homes Foundation staff are starting the social preparation for the project, because before the plan is executed it needs to be accepted by the intended beneficiaries, Benitez said.Opponents of Benitez claim that tapping the foundation is in conflict of interest since it was founded by his family....

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian will be the guest speaker at 84th Anniversary of Bacolod City.*Bacolod City is marking its 84th Charter Anniversary at the Bacolod City Government Center at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 18.Senator Sherwin Gatchalian will be the guest speaker at the celebration, which theme is “Surviving the crisis, rising above and beyond”.Bacolod’s top taxpayers will be awarded during the program.Republic Act 11146 declares June 18 as Bacolod’s Charter Day and an annual public holiday in the city, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.*

Mayor Evelio Leonardia has ordered the City Health Office to intensify its Barangay Anti-Dengue efforts following the recent rise in dengue cases in Bacolod City.Bacolod had 207 dengue cases with four deaths as of June 11, a press release from the City Public Information Office said Friday, June 17.This year’s cases are 137.3 percent higher compared to the 87 cases and two fatalities in the same period in 2021, Bacolod City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (BCESU) data showed.“Much like COVID-19, dengue is no laughing matter. We cannot afford another pandemic,” Leonardia said, urging barangay leaders and health workers to coordinate with the CHO as they conduct their anti-dengue programs to curb the spread of the illness.The mayor also advised residents to maintain cleanli...

John Sy Keng Seng in an interview Thursday shows pictures of the motorcycle-riding gunman extracted from CCTV footage.*It was not a mistaken identity case, the person who ordered the killing of his son did it deliberately to send him a message, businessman John Sy Keng Seng said on Thursday, June 16.The businessman, in an exclusive interview with Romeo Subaldo of DIGICAST NEGROS, said he knows who was behind the killing of his son, Jeffrey Espeleta Keng Seng, 40, at the intersection of BS Aquino Drive and Lacson Street in Bacolod City on Tuesday.The killing of his son stems from a multi-billion peso family feud, he said.His son was killed to hurt him and to send a message with a case involving property still pending in court, the businessman said.They did it to hurt him...

The initial perspective of the Bacolof City General Hospital.*The Department of Health has advised against the building of the new City Health Office (CHO) next to the Bacolod City General Hospital (BCGH) in Barangay Vista Alegre, Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said Thursday, June 16.The bidding for the P200 million Phase 1 of the BCGH project has been completed and work is expected to start in July. It will cover land development and the construction of the dietary, laundry, morgue and other ancillary buildings of the BCGH, Gasataya said.The bidding for the P250 million hospital building will also be conducted soon, he said.The P450 million allocated by the national government is only for the BCGH, it does not cover the construction of a new CHO, Gasataya added.Gasataya sa...

Cadiz City is one of two areas that have been added to the LGUs in Negros Occidental under Alert Level 1.*Sixteen local government units (LGUs) in Negros Island have been placed under Alert Level 1 until June 30, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases announced Wednesday, June 15.Cadiz City and Pontevedra town are the latest additions to the areas in Negros Occidental under Alert Level 1.The other areas in Negros Occidental that will remain under Alert Level 1 are Bacolod City, Candoni, Victorias City, Enrique B. Magalona, La Carlota City, Pulupandan, Sagay City, and San Enrique.In Negros Oriental the six areas under Alert Level 1 are Amlan, Bacong, Dauin, Dumaguete City, Valencia and Zamboanguita.The rest of the LGUs in Negros Occidental and...

Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya listens to the concerns of the transport sector on Thursday, June 16.*Nico Delfin photoBacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said he will raise the public transport sector’s concern over the non-issuance of provisional authorities to operate with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).Gasataya said he was informed by the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC) representatives in a dialog Thursday, June 16, that provisional authorities have not been granted because of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.He will ask for an LTFRB dialog with the Bacolod transport group to address their concerns, Gasataya said.This involves the welfare of passengers and the livelihood of those in the transport industry, he said. ...