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Stella dela Peña takes her oath as acting barangay captain before Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.*Bacolod PIO photoStella dela Peña took her oath as acting barangay captain of Barangay 16 before Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the Bacolod City Government Center Friday afternoon, December 9.She took her oath after the Sangguniang Panlungsod suspended barangay captain Joseph de los Santos for six months.The oath taking was witnessed by Department of the Interior and Local Government-Bacolod Director Maredith Joy Madayag, City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. and Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist).Dela Peña was accompanied by Richard Arellano – Brgy 16 secretary, Annaliza Santiago – treasurer and kagawads Jie Rodolfo Madrigal, Franz Familliaran...

Jyxyvzcky Escrupulo, Provincial Drug Enforcement Agency Negros Occidental provincial director.*Twenty-four more barangays in Negros Occidental and one in Bacolod City have been declared drug free, Jyxyvzcky Escrupulo, Provincial Drug Enforcement Agency Negros Occidental provincial director, said Friday, December 9.Declared drug free during a Regional Oversight Committee meeting were Barangay 41 in Bacolod City, and barangays in Bago City, Binalbagan, Calatrava, EB Magalona, Escalante, Pontevedra, Isabela, Himamaylan, Murcia, Silay City, Toboso and Manapla.Bacolod City now has 14 drug cleared barangays and Negros Occidental has 394.The drug cleared barangays in Negros Occidental are 61.56 percent and in Bacolod City - 21.31 percent.*

Businessmen are asking for exemptions from the new truck ban to be implemented at the Bacolod City circumferential road from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting Monday, December 12.The truck ban is being imposed to ease traffic in Bacolod City, especially over the holidays, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Wednesday.Frank Carbon, executive director of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said they are asking for a window between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the regulated movement of trucks when traffic is not heavy.Maj. Junji Liba, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) head, said they cannot grant exemptions as it may set a precedent.The mayor wants us to stick to the original plan, he said.A meeting is set with the concerned sectors on Saturday, Liba said....

Persons unvaccinated against COVID-19 are urged to get vaccinated to avoid being infected or spreading the virus during the holidays, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said Friday, December 9.They should get protected before joining family gatherings and parties this Christmas, he said.Tumimbang said the majority of the COVID-related deaths in the province have involved unvaccinated persons with comorbidities.The COVID-19 active cases in Negros Occidental on Thursday were 308, the Provincial Incident Management Team reported.However, the majority of the cases were mild or asymptomatic, Tumimbang said.Most of the cases were discovered after patients were tested for COVID-19 as a requirement prior to treatment for other ailments, he said.T...

The acute gastroenteritis (AGE) related deaths in Bacolod City have hit 17, the City Health Office reported Thursday, December 8.Bacolod City had 74 new AGE cases from November 27 to December 3, bringing the total for this year to 463, the CHO report said.The barangays with 10 and above AGE cases from September 1 to December 3 are:1. Mansilingan7. Vista Alegre13. Pahanocoy2 Singcang8. Sum-ag14. Alijis3. Mandalagan9. Estefania15. B304. Taculing10. Villamonte16. Handumanan5. Tangub11. Cabug17. Granada6. Banago12. Bata18. B35Bacolod City also had 28 confirmed cholera cases since September, the report also said.CHO testing found 175 water sources in the city positive for coliform and E. coli, and 128 for coliform only.*

Ivan Magbanua being removed from his vehicle that was peppered with bullets.*Police Station 8 photoA businessman was gunned down in Henrietta Village, Barangay Singcang- Airport, Bacolod City Wednesday, December 7.Killed was 39-year-old Ivan Magbanua, who was onboard his vehicle when he was followed by the motorcycle-riding suspects.The unidentified suspects peppered the victim’s vehicle with bullets.The victim died while his driver was injured from the gun attack.Maj. Joery Puerto, Police Station 8 chief, said they are still investigating the incident, but Magbanua's security agency has a client who had a conflict with their company.Meanwhile, a man was injured after he was shot at Purok Sigay, Brgy. 2 Wednesday.The victim was identified as Reynante Guillang, 4...

The site where the Army intelligence officer was gunned down.*NORPPO photoAn intelligence asset of the Philippine Army was killed in La Libertad, Negros Oriental, Wednesday, December 7.Killed was Camilo Garao.Police said the victim was on board his motorcycle with his live-in partner when they were tailed by riding-in-tandem suspects.Garao was then shot by one of the suspectsHe was immediately taken to a hospital but did not make it.The police are still investigating the motive for the killing.*

The cane falling off the truck*A truck loaded with sugarcane overturned at the highway in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, Wednesday night, December 7.The driver did not notice that the cable that was preventing the sugarcane from spilling off the truck broke, the police said.When it reached the curved part of the road, the truck overturned.The truck driver was unscathed.*

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is all set for the resumption of voter registration for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Monday, December 12, Bacolod Elections Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said on Thursday, December 8.Trinio-Caña said registration will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays at the Bacolod Comelec office, except on December 15 and 16 when a special registration for Persons Deprived of Liberty will be held, and on December 17 when another special registration will be conducted exclusively for Barangay Estefania residents.The Comelec will be closed on December 24, 26 and 31, she added.Satellite registration will also be scheduled in January, she said.The voter registration will end on January 31.Registrants must bri...