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The 863 more policemen who arrived Thursday,, October 20.*Security in Bacolod City has been further beefed up with 863 more policemen deployed as the MassKara Festival highlights reach fever pitch from Friday to Sunday, October 21 to 23.The additional policemen who arrived Thursday bring the security forces in the city to about 2,500.First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos is joining the Masskarade Ball at the SMX Convention Center Friday evening, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected at the MassKara dancers’ arena competition at the Paglaum Stadium on Sunday afternoon.MassKara Festival director Pinky Mirano Ocampo warned of heavy traffic along Lacson Street with the closure of the Tourism Strip for concerts, sponsors stages and a food fest from Friday to Sunday.She...

The Commission on Audit has disallowed Incentive Benefits for Exemplary Services (IBES) granted to Negros Occidental provincial government employees and an appeal has been filed before the Supreme Court, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Thursday, October 20.In December 2021 the provincial government gave each of its employees P65, 000 in additional bonuses, of which P25,000 was tagged as IBES.The IBES granted by the provincial government in previous years have also been disallowed, he added.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has given instructions to find other ways to give the provincial government employees adequate bonuses this Christmas without identifying such as IBES to avoid getting a disallowance notice from the COA again, Diaz said.Diaz also said there will be...

The senior high school student who was shot.*Sagay PNP photoA senior high school student was shot in Brgy. Bato, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, Wednesday night, October 19.The victim was identified as 19-year-old Renelyn Batobato.Initial investigation showed that the victim was with her friends when the suspect identified as James Dorimon shot her with a pistol several times.The victim sustained wounds on her feet and was rushed to a hospital.The suspect on board a motorcycle was pursued by responding police.His motorcycle was left abandoned at a sugarcane field, which was 400 meters away from the crime scene. He remains at large.*

The alleged rebel who surrendered to authorities.*303rd IB photoAn alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) who was said to be “hungry and exhausted” surrendered to the 94th Infantry Battalion troops in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, on Wednesday, October 19.The rebel identified only as Jan-jan, whose real name was withheld for security reasons, was part of the group that was encountered by government soldiers in a series of clashes in Carabalan on October 6. He also surrendered two M-16 rifles with ammunition and magazines, Cpt. Mervin Rosal, civil-military operations officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, said on Thursday, October 20.Jan-jan said the rebel group suffered casualties in Carabalan and he was tasked to carry one of the firearms of his eight wounded com...

The 28-day-old pig* Bago PNP photoA complainant reported to the police on Monday, October 17, that his 28-day-old pig was stolen from his house in Barangay Maao, Bago City.The police said they then investigated the complaint that the suspect Jan Namar was seen putting a pig in a sack.When the police tracked him down, it was discovered that the pig was in his fiancee's house in Barangay Tangub in Bacolod City.The suspect was saving the pig for his wedding in January, the police said.But because of the incident, the mother of his girlfriend is not happy and wants her daughter to cancel the wedding.A case of theft will be filed against Namar.*

The seized pork products*The African Swine Fever Task Force seized P165,035 in pork products that arrived in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from ASF affected areas, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said onThursday, October 20.He said the pork and pork products were seized at the BREDCO, San Carlos and Escalante ports and the Bacolod Silay Airport from October 15 to 19.Fourteen shipments from Iloilo, two from Manila and two from Cebu were seized, and the bulk of the confiscated products were shipped back to their points of origin, Diaz said.Confiscated were hotdogs, bacon, marinated pork, tocino, molo, siomai, lumpia, chicharon, siopao, assorted meat, lechons, lechon kawali, longganisa and chorizos.Diaz reiterated that Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Mayor Alfred...

Rayfrando Diaz is Bacolod City government consultant for administrative matters and system review*Negros Occidental provincial government systems will be set up in Bacolod City to ensure more efficient delivery of services and management of resources, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Thursday, October 20.Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has tapped Diaz as city consultant for administrative matters and system review on a pro bono basis.The priority is to set up systems in the Bacolod City government that have already been successfully implemented by the provincial government, Diaz said.A document tracking system is being set up that will make use of QR or bar codes for efficient access to data needed, he said.Benitez also wants to adopt the Capitol c...

Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez*Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez has signed Executive Order No. 64 banning the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products in all offices of the Victorias City government.This is in accordance with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 which mandates the adoption of systematic, comprehensive, and ecological solid waste management, he said.The executive order will ensure a significant reduction of garbage generated from the daily operations and activities of the city government, Benitez said.Monitoring of the use of unnecessary single-use plastics inside the premises will be employed.Government employees are also encouraged to engage in the “Bring your own Tumbler” campaign, Benitez said.Materials that are considered si...

“There is no need for additional sugar imports while milling season is peaking,” Aurelio “Bodie” Valderrama, Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations president, said.*“There is no need for additional sugar imports while milling season is peaking,” Aurelio "Bodie" Valderrama, Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED) president, said.He explained that the importation of 200,000 MT under Sugar Order No. 3 for Crop Year 2020-2021, and of 150,000 MT of sugar under Sugar Order No.2, CY 2022-2023, to be completed by November 15, are seen to ease the tightness in the domestic market.“Together with the new sugar production from on-going milling operations, these two importations should suffice for now to meet expected demand during the peak milling months up to early n...

Ten new water samples from areas where cholera cases were detected in the third district of Negros Occidental were found positive for bacteria that cause diarrheal diseases, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, said Thursday, October 20.None were positive for cholera, he added.The cholera positive cases in Silay City were five, including one death, EB Magalona- four, including one death, Talisay City - two cases and Talisay City - one case.Of ten water samples earlier tested, one was found positive for cholera bacteria and nine for other diarrheal diseases, Tumimbang said.*