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Acting Administrator David Alba of the Sugar Regulatory Administration at the 68th Philippine Sugar Technologists Association Inc. national convention at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City, Thursday, August 25.*Acting Administrator David Alba of the Sugar Regulatory Administration stressed the need to prepare against threats to the sugar industry, including possible moves to resurrect the call for liberalization.“While we do not want to take cognizant of the rumor mill, there have been whispers to resurrect the issue of liberalization and that is something we have to prepare against,” Alba said in his speech at the 68th Philippine Sugar Technologists Association Inc. national convention at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City, Thursday, August 25.He said while the s...

A pickup vehicle hit by the bullets.*Police Station 3 photoAn ice cream warehouse was strafed at Bangga Subay, Barangay Mandalagan in Bacolod City early Thursday, August 25, and left one employee injured.Delivery driver Anthony Glaraga, 34, of Talisay City, was playing chess beside the warehouse when unidentified men opened fire.Glaraga sustained a gunshot wound to his stomach. He is now in a stable condition.Capt. Armilyn Vargas, Police Station 3 chief, said that a pick-up vehicle that was parked in front of the warehouse was also hit by the bullets.The police are still investigating the incident, as the motive has yet to be established.

Police inspect the scene of the crime in Isabela town.*Isabela PNP photoA barangay captain in Isabela town, Negros Occidental, was gunned down Wednesday, August 24.Killed was Barangay Cabcab Captain Danilo Dautil, 62.The victim was on his way home on board a motorcycle when he was waylaid and shot to death by two unidentified men.Capt. Joseph Partidas, town police chief, said the victim succumbed to gunshot wounds to his chest and head. He was declared dead on arrival at Ignacio L. Arroyo Sr. Memorial District Hospital.Police are looking at insurgency as the motive for the killing.*

Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Negros Occidental provincial health officer.*The Negros Occidental and Bacolod City health officers met Thursday, August 25, to come up with uniform preventive measures against monkeypox, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, said.Tumimbang said the meeting was attended by the health officers of the towns and cities of Negros Occidental, ad Bacolod City Health Officer Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli and Dr. Grace Tan.Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will coordinate in the fight not only against monkeypox, but dengue and COVID-19, he said.They will seek the advice of infectious disease specialists in the preparation of their monkeypox protocols, Tumimbang said.The Cadiz City District Hospital will serve as an isolation facility for severe monke...

The Department of Social Welfare and Development will release cash assistance to 3,000 indigent students in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City on Saturday, August 27, Merle Garcia, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, said on Thursday.She said 2,500 recipients are from Negros Occidental and 500 are from Bacolod City.The Negros Occidental recipients from the first district will receive their assistance in San Carlos City, second district – Cadiz City, third district – Silay City, fourth district- Bago City, fifth district - Himamaylan City and 6th District – Kabankalan City, she said.Allocated for elementary students is P1,000 each, junior high school – P2,000, senior high school – P3,000 and college – P4,000, she said.Those qualified for the educational assist...

The cracks on the walls of the Negros Occidental National Science High School.*Victorias City Engineers Office photosTremors caused minimal cracks on the walls of 24 classrooms in a three-story building of the Negros Occidental National Science High School (NONSHS) in Victorias City on Wednesday and Thursday, August 24 and 25, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said.The cracks seen on Wednesday were old cracks, but new ones were detected on Thursday, Benitez said.Benitez said the NONSHS classes were suspended on Wednesday and Thursday, and they may also have to cancel classes on Friday while they are determining the cause of the tremors.He said the tremors were felt in barangays 10 and 14, and it is off that they were not felt anywhere else in Victorias.The Victorias City gove...

Five employees of the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist have been formally charged for grave misconduct and preventively suspended for 60 days.They are Engineer IV Jimlo Garsula, Engineers III Ramelo Letran and German Abihay, Engineer 1 Resin Palacios and Maria Luisa Abaño of the OPA, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Thursday, August 25.They were served their preventive suspensions on Tuesday, August 23, which took effect effective immediately, he added.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson agreed with the findings of the Provincial Legal Office and signed the formal charges for grave misconduct against the five for misuse of a government vehicle, he said.The five OPA staff made the vehicle and its driver wait beyond office hours while they engaged...

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez welcomed its new Culture and Ethics officer, Dr. Joselito Diaz, who has many years of experience as a guidance and evaluation center director of the University of St. La Salle.Diaz will assist in the city’s workforce on psychological development which focuses more on mental health and is planning to conduct regular monthly motivational talks and bi-monthly videos on psychological enrichment for Victoriahanons.“He will be in charge of building culture and ethics which will be up to standard over City employees and eventually our constituents and he’ll open, along with his staff, a mental health desk for everyone who needs consultation, especially on anxiety brought about by work and the pandemic,” Benitez said.He is a licensed guidance ...

SRA board members Pablo Luis Azcona and Ma. Mitzi Mangwag, and Acting Administrator David Alba take their oaths before Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer (l-r) on Wednesday,*The 150,000 metric tons (MT) of imported refined sugar is expected to arrive in the Philippines before November 15, Acting Administrator David Alba of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said on Wednesday, August 24.“The target date for the shipment to arrive should be before November 15. Why November 15? Because by that time, our refineries will be operational and we would have enough supply of sugar,” he said.It was agreed during a Sugar Board meeting chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday that the importation would be covered by Sugar Order No. 2 but consultation with stakeholders on the mec...

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) warned the public on Wednesday, August 24, against claims that there are kidnappers in the city and other parts of the country victimizing children and teenagers.Lt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, BCPO public information officer, said the “fake” messages spread through social media have caused alarm and confusion to the public.The messages also state the type and color of the vehicles used by the alleged kidnapping group.“The BCPO would like to inform the public once and again that the messages are not true, there is no reported kidnapping in Bacolod City,” Gabana said.He further stressed that there is no kidnapping group operating in Bacolod.Gabana also said that an investigation is being conducted to identify the people or group behind the...