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Two engineers at the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) facing charges for grave misconduct have been preventively suspended for 60 days, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Tuesday, November 15.Suspended since last week are engineers Jimbo Garsula and German Abihay, he said.Their suspension is only preventive in nature and is not a penalty, Nellas stressed.Garsula, Abihay, and Engineer Armin Elias Ciocon were formally charged for grave misconduct in connection with the acceptance of a Grain Drying System purchased by the provincial government that was under specifications, Nellas said.Ciocon, who is now assigned at the Provincial Engineer’s Office, was not suspended since he is no longer working at the OPA where evidence could be ta...

The driver died after he lost control of his tricycle.*La Carlota PNP photoA driver died while his eight passengers, including six minors, were injured after the tricycle they were riding on fell off the road into a sugarcane field in Barangay Cubay in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Monday, November 14.Killed was Freddie Rivera, 63, of Brgy. La Granja.Police said the driver was taking the students home when he suddenly lost control of his tricycle.He died on arrival at a hospital.*

The cholera cases in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have hit 59, the provincial and city health offices reported Tuesday, November 15.Of the 39 persons hit with cholera in Negros Occidental, the death toll remains at two, the Provincial Health Office said.Talisay City has the most cholera cases in the province at 17, while Silay City has 13, EB Magalona – 6, Victorias City – 2 and Cadiz City -1.Bacolod City has recorded 21 cholera cases from September 1 to November 12.Barangay Banago has the most cholera cases in Bacolod at six, followed by Barangay Alijis with three, the City Health Office reported.Barangays Handumanan, Granada, Sum-ag and Mandalagan have two cases each, and barangays Mansilingan, Tangub, 40 and Bata have one each, it added.The CHO also recorde...

The fire in Barangay Estefania where seven dogs died.*BFP photoSeven dogs perished in a fire on Monday, November 14, at Country Homes Subdivision in Brgy. Estefania in Bacolod City.The fatalities were six shih tzus and a local dog, while no injuries were reported.The fire also destroyed the house, with an estimated damage of P600,000.Arson investigators are still determining the cause of fire.*

Victorias City all lighted up for the holidays* Steven Laborte photoMayor Javier Miguel Benitez led the switch on of the Christmas lights at the Victorias City Public Plaza to kick off the holidays on Tuesday night, November 15.Victorias City is the first local government in Negros Occidental to hold a lights-on ceremony, Benitez said in his speech.“Victorias City decided to do the switch-on early so that everyone will have a much longer experience with the Christmas Village and installations we prepared,” he said.LOOK. Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and his girlfriend, actress Sue Ramirez, enjoy the show after the switching on of the Christmas lights at the Victorias City Public Plaza Tuesday night.* Victorias PIO photos“Under the new normal environment,...

San Miguel Corporation's Reliance Energy Development Inc. (REDI) has withdrawn its application for an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for its proposed 300 MW liquefied natural gas power plant in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED) said on Tuesday, November 15.The CEED furnished DIGICAST NEGROS a copy of the letter of Engineer William Cuñado, director of the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, dated Monday, November 14, confirming REDI’s withdrawal of its intent to secure an ECC.The letter addressed to Avril De Torres, CEED deputy executive director, said “The proponent decided to no longer pursue its ECC application for the proposed 300MW LNG Combined Cycle Power Plan...

There will be a 12-hour power interruption from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, that will affect portions of Bacolod City, Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto, Ervin Stan Leo P. Ticar, Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) acting general manager, announced on Tuesday, November 15.The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) will shut down its Bacolod-Alijis 69kV transmission line to reconfigure its transformer protection, which will affect CENECO's Alijis and Murcia substations.CENECO will take advantage of this downtime to conduct simultaneous maintenance activities, Ticar said.The cooperative will conduct preventive maintenance of its 30MVA Alijis Substation and 10MVA Murcia Substation and related accessories, replace its three-phase primary rotten ...

Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) lauded the talents and effort of the Silay United Group of Artists and Volunteers who made possible the revival of the Cinco de Noviembre Wall Mural located in front of the Balay Negrense Museum at Cinco de Noviembre Street in Silay City.Benitez said the wall mural captured the “ingenuity of our ancestors” and celebrates the “fervor of patriotism and nationalism that remains alive among Silaynons and Negrosanons to this day”, as he enjoined all to continue preserving and conserving the artistic and cultural heritage and legacy that abound in the province.Benitez led the unveiling of the revived 1998 Cinco de Noviembre wall mural , also timed with the celebration of the Feast of San Diego de Alcala, the Patron Saint of Silay, o...

A decomposing body was found at Purok Silhigan, Barangay San Miguel, Murcia, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, November 13.The fatality was identified as Billion Ape, 48.The victim’s body was found in a grassy section of a sugarcane field near a road, the police said.Ape, who was suffering from a mental disorder, left their house on November 11 and did not return, his family said.The Murcia Rural Health Office is conducting an examination to determine the cause of death of the victim.*

The drugs recovered in Silay City*More than P100,000 worth of illegal drugs were seized in a buy-bust operation in Brgy Rizal, Silay City, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, November 12.Nabbed was Amir Apinan, 54.During the bust, he yielded 21 grams of suspected shabu worth P142,800, the buy-bust money worth P3,100 and a disposable lighter.The suspect is now in police custody, facing drug charges.*