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A scene from the controversial film “Maid in Malacañang.”*San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza is calling for a boycott of the controversial  film “Maid in Malacañang”.Alminaza described the film as “shameless”, and called on the people behind it to issue an apology.The movie supposedly depicts the last 72 hours of  the Marcos family in Malacañang Palace before they fled the country.A trailer of the movie showed the late president Cory Aquino playing mahjong with a group of nuns, which was condemned by critics.Aquino sought refuge overnight at the Carmelite monastery in Cebu during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.Alminaza stressed that “the producer, scriptwriter, director and those promoting this movie should publicly apologize to the Carmelite nuns, ...

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz*The Negros Occidental provincial government surveillance against monkey pox and COVID-19 at the Bacolod Silay Airport and at seaports is ongoing, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, August 3.“We have never abandoned our posts”, he assured.They are studying the possibility of requiring isolation areas for persons hit with monkey pox, he said.“The concern has been forwarded to the Hospital Operations Department so even if monkey pox strikes here we will have a health facility ready to address patients’ needs,” he said.Monkey pox is a viral zoonosis with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients. Meanwhile, there were 34 new COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental on Wednesday bringing the total ...

Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya *Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya has been elected to the Commission on Appointments composed of members from the House of Representatives and the Senate.The Commission on Appointments is a constitutional body composed of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate with the power to approve or disapprove appointments made by the President, the confirmation of which is required by the Constitution, Gasataya said Wednesday, August 3.“Thank you to my colleagues headed by Speaker Martin Romualdez, to the Nationalist People’s Coalition, my Asenso family headed by Mayor Albee Benitez and the Bacolodnons  for your continued support, “ he said in a Facebook post.*

After hiding for six years, the luck of a 74-year-old man accused of rape finally ran out when he was arrested at Avanceña Street, Barangay Poblacion 1, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, on August 1.The suspect was identified as Lorenzo “Isyot” Carballo of Sitio Tagnipis, Barangay Taba-ao, Sagay City.Cadiz Regional Trial Court Judge Joseph Javier issued the warrant of arrest against the suspect on Oct. 3, 2016, for the crime committed in 2015.No bail was recommended for Carballo’s temporary liberty.The suspect is in the custody of the Sagay Component City Police Station.*

More than 2,000 informal settler families living in Bacolod coastal areas are among the priorities for relocation to mid-rise housing settlements to be built by the city government, Councilor Vladimir Gonzalez said Wednesday, August 3.He said social preparations have to be conducted first so planning will come from the bottom up.Residents living near congested coastal areas and waterways need to be relocated because they live within danger zones, Gonzalez said.The city’s shorelines and waterways also need to be cleared of illegal structures to prevent flooding, he added.They will prioritize areas that contribute to floods, he said.The Benitez administration aims to build 5,000 housing units in onsite mid-rise buildings to avoid dislocating residents from their sources o...

Thee Bacolod SP session on Wednesday, August 3.The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, August 3, granted Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez authority to negotiate with six private hospitals for their participation in  the Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), Councilor Al Victor Espino said.The SP granted the mayor’s request for a resolution granting him authority to negotiate with   the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital, Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, The Doctors’ Hospital, Metro Bacolod Hospital and Medical Center and South Bacolod General Hospital and Medical Center.Registration of Bacolodnons for BaCHP coverage has begun, Benitez said on Monday.“We are now discussing what kind of coverage can be given, ...

Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (right) at the 8th World Cities Summit in Singapore*How can cities emerge stronger with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change and many more in the future?Local chief executives, business leaders and knowledge experts from all over the world have gathered in Singapore for intensive discussions on how to help global cities remain liveable, sustainable and more resilient through prolonged and predictable disruptions.Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez, who is also the president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives (ACE), were among the participants representing  the Philip...