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Ericson Acosta and his wife, Kerima Lorena Tariman, who was also killed in an encounter with the Army in Silay City in August 2021.* Keri Dalena photo courtesy of Pablo TarimanNational Democratic Front consultant Ericson Acosta was one of two persons killed by government soldiers in Sitio Makilo, Barangay Camansi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, 2 a.m. Wednesday, November 30, the NDF Negros said.Also killed was peasant organizer Joseph Jimenez.Two Communists New People’s Army (NPA) terrorists were killed in an encounter in Sitio Makilo Wednesday morning but have yet to be identified, Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Brigade commander, said.“If the NDF identified Acosta well and good, we have a lead”, he said.They have no record that Acosta was an NDF consultant...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said all job order workers of the Bacolod City government starting Wednesday, November 30, are required to avail of official identification cards.The IDs that will contain the picture and name of the JO worker, will also have a QR code that will provide necessary information.It will state where the person is assigned and the period of assignment of the JO worker, he said.The ID system information will be included in a computerized list to solve the problem of delayed salaries.JO workers went to the Bacolod City Government Center on Wednesday despite its being a public holiday to apply for identification cards.The Bacolod City government has more than 3,000 JO workers and 1,500 volunteers.Benitez said the JO workers who have no official...

A scene of the accident in Binalbagan town Tuesday.*Binalbagan PNP photoA seven-month-old baby girl died after she was hit by a truck in Barangay Payao, Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental, Tuesday, November 29.The baby was onboard a motorcycle with her parents, the police said.The motorcycle driven by the baby’s father overtook the truck it was following but hit a pedestrian who was walking on the side of the road.The baby’s father lost control of the motorcycle, causing the baby to fall to the ground.The baby was then hit by the oncoming truck, which resulted to her immediate death.The father and mother of the baby, and the pedestrian suffered minor injuries.*

There were 389 acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases, including 27 cholera cases, recorded in Bacolod City from September 1 to November 26, the City Health Office reported Wednesday, November 30.The barangays with 10 and above AGE cases from November 1 to 26 are Mansilingan, Tangub, Alijis, Bata, Taculing, Singcang, Pahanocoy, Vista Alegre, Estefania, Granada, Mandalagan, Sum- ag, Cabug, Banago, Villamonte and Handumanan.The CHO also said of the 276 water refiling stations inspected in Bacolod, 107 have no sanitary permits and six were non-operational prior to inspectionThe AGE cases were attributed to poor environmental sanitation, and inadequate supply of safe and clean waterTo address the problem water sources in Bacolod City are being tested and disinfected, the CHO said....

Negros Island has produced a bumper crop of Nurse Licensure Examination topnotchers.The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Wednesday, November 30, that Abigail Garganta Ramirez of Saint Paul University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, was ranked No. 1 with a rating of 90 percent.Jezrel Alijid was ranked No. 2, while Carlos Jose Cerrada and Terese Angel Lee were ranked No. 4. All three Bacolodnons graduated from Western Visayas State University - La Paz.Bacolodnon Marian Grace Yap who graduated from the University of Santo Tomas was ranked No. 6.Meanwhile, other graduates of Negros Island schools also in the top ten list are:*No. 5 - Angela Claire Nicolau Kitane of Silliman University;*No. 9 - John Philip Tupas Rollo and Richard Raphael De la Cr...

The Partido Mangagawa Negros protest in front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the Bacolod City Public.* Nico Delfin photoTwo protest actions calling for wage increases and slamming the rising prices of basic commodities were held in Bacolod City to mark Andres Bonifacio Day on Wednesday, November 30.The Partido Manggagawa (PM) Negros members held a “blank paper protest” in front of the replica of the Bacolod City Government Center at the Bacolod City Public.They are pressing for a labor agenda that remains blank or absent in the Marcos administration, Priscilla Goco, secretary-general of PM Negros said.The labor agenda includes demands for a wage hike, labor rights and an end to contractualization, affordable and quality public services, and mechanisms for ...

Senator Imee Marcos, accompanied by Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, distributes Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) in Bago City*CPG photoSenator Imee Marcos announced the allocation of P6 million in Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) in Negros Occidental, and said P5 million in agricultural aid will also be given to each local government unit in the Fourth District.Marcos was joined by Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer and officials of the Fourth District in the distribution of the assistance to 1,000 of the 2,000 AICS beneficiaries at the Bago City Coliseum on Tuesday, November 29.They received P3,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Marcos said.There were 500 beneficiaries from Bago City, 380 from...

The drugs recovered in San Carlos City on Tuesday.*San Carlos PNP photoFour persons, including three street-level individuals, were arrested in a drug bust operation at Ylagan Extension, Brgy. 6, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday, November 29.Nabbed were Charles Castro, 20, Jason Sabellano,22, and Orly Escuadro, 32, all tagged as street-level individuals, and 18-year-old Christian Fajardo.The suspects yielded 20 grams of illegal drugs worth P136,000, an improvised tooter, and a disposable lighter, the police said.The suspects are now in the custody of the San Carlos police and are facing drug charges.*

The driver Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves (Neg. Or., 3rd District) was gunned down in Sta. Catalina town in Negros Oriental on Monday, November 28.Killed was Juvanie Catubay, 38, of Barangay Poblacion. He was on his way home on board a motorcycle, but when he stopped by a store, he was attacked by unidentified riding-in-tandem suspects.Police said the victim was shot multiple times.Recovered from the scene were 10 fired bullets of a 5.56 caliber firearm, a fired bullet and a deformed slug of a .45 caliber gun.Teves confirmed that the victim was his driver, and he called on authorities to investigate further the killing.Col. Reynaldo Lizardo, newly-installed Negros Oriental police director, said that the Provincial Investigation and Detection Management Group along with loca...

Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo*The annual “Lights of Bago” celebration to usher in the New Year has been cancelled as part of the cost cutting measures of Bago City that will face a National Tax Allotment cut in 2023, Mayor Nicholas Yulo said Tuesday, November 29.It will be the second year that the spectacular New Year fireworks show in Bago City will have been cancelled since the COVID-19 pandemic.He said the NTA cut in the 2023 share of Bago City is about P250 million.The performance of city employees will not be affected by the cut, but there will be certain projects that they will not be able to implement, Yulo said.The Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved an about P1.2 billion budget for the Bago City government in 2023, he added.Yulo said the amount of the yeare...