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Bacolod Rep. Greg GasatayaThe groundbreaking of the Bacolod City General Hospital (BCGH) at Barangay Vista Alegre, Bacolod, is set on Friday, September 9.Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has confirmed that he will be joining the event, Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said on Saturday, September 3.Gasataya authored the bill creating the BCGH in the Lower House, and Zubiri authored the measure in the Senate.They are hoping that the 120-bed hospital will be completed by 2024, Gasataya said.The P200 million for the construction of the other buildings outside the hospital has already been awarded and will start anytime, he said.The Department of Health is finalizing the floor plan for the P250 million main hospital building that hopefully can be bidded out in September, Ga...

The night market at Ballesteros Street.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe night market at Ballesteros Street in Bacolod City will be allowed to operate until October, City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said Sunday, September 4.The night market will be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, he said.He said so far 41 of 50 slots at the night market have been occupied.The vendors will be required to sell other items, and not just used clothing, he said.Meanwhile, about two of 17 restaurant owners at the Manokan Country who have been sent demand letters to pay their delinquent accounts have paid about P600,000, Maghari said.That brings the city’s collectibles down to P8 million.Those who fail to pay their delinquent accounts by the deadline on...

The motorcycle that hit a barrier and fell into a canal that led to the death of two persons.*La Carlota PNP photoTwo people were killed while another was injured in a vehicular accident at Barangay Balabag, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, on Friday, September 2.Killed were Rico Sibonga, 32, and Neil Albert Arquisola, 29.Arquisola’s brother William, 39, was injured. All of the victims reportedly had no helmets on.The victims were on board a motorcycle driven by Sibonga, who was said to be under the influence of liquor, when it hit a barrier and fell into a canal, a police report showed.Police investigation showed that the driver lost control of the motorcycle.Sibonga was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while Neil Albert succumbed to injuries hours late...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Saturday, September 3, that he has appealed to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office to give him a month to find a solution to the problem of the public utility jeepney (PUJ) operators in the city.He said he will present the valid issues and concerns of the PUJ drivers and operators on the jeepney modernization program to Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista and in the meantime he asked that they be allowed to continue to ply the streets of Bacolod.If these PUJs are made to stop operating now there will not be enough public transportation for Bacolod residents, he said.The provisional authorities of the operators who did not apply for the modernization program have expired....

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino "Jerry" Acuzar (2nd from left) with Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego (l-r) at the signing of the MOUs for the housing programs at the Bacolod City Government Center on Saturday.*CPG photoDepartment of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar committed on Saturday, September 3, to provide Bacolod City with the funds to build 10,000 housing units for the poor in three years.Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Acuzar signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC) to develop housing projects for the residents of Bacolod, especially the Informal Settler Familie...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez in a dialog with the transport sector on Friday, September 2.*Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Friday, September 2, asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) officials to grant 3,887 public utility jeepneys in Bacolod City special permits or provisional authorities to operate in the meantime, Diego Malacad, Negros Bacolod Transport Coalition secretary general, said.The mayor also asked that arrests be held off while he raises their concerns with Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Malacad said.Malacad said drivers and operators representatives met with LTFRB Regional Director Richard Osmeña in the presence of Benitez on Friday because 99 percent of the PUJs in Bacolod are unregistered.“The LTFRB 6 w...

The scene of crime in Cauayan.*A force multiplier member was gunned down in front of his wife and daughter at Brgy. Poblacion, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, Thursday, September 1.Killed was 53-year-old Jimmy Calibjo, who was watching television in his house when an unidentified suspect entered and shot him twice.The assailant, along with his three companions who served as lookout, allegedly identified themselves as members of the New People’s Army. They also said they “will come back for the others.”The victim died on the spot.The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, in a statement, said it condemns in strongest terms the killing of the victim, whom they described as “a peacemaker.”Col. Leo Pamittan, provincial police director, has ordered the Provincial Invest...

Body of missing mother found.*Bago PNP photoThe body of a mother, who drowned with her 11-year-old daughter at Barangay Maao, Bago City, Negros Occidental, was found Thursday, September 1, following a three-day search.Myra Gargaceran, 43, was swept away in the river after she helped her daughter who tried to retrieve her slipper on Monday, August 29. The body of the minor was discovered hours later.The body of the mother was already bloated when she was found in the river by a resident.The strong current was triggered by heavy rains.*