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Olivia V. Yanson flanked by senators Cynthia Villar and Imee Marcos (right)*Ronnie Baldonado photoSenator Imee Marcos said a thorough debate on the proposed creation of the Negros Island Region, which will include Siquijor, is needed.It is a very popular position in Negros Occidental but is quite controversial in places like Negros Oriental, she said."I am hopeful that there will be a thorough debate…I hope that at the earliest possible time we can have a decision," Marcos said.Senator Cynthia Villar said there is no problem with the creation of the NIR as long as it is supported by the locals.Marcos and Villar were in Bacolod City Monday night, January 23, for the birthday of Olivia V. Yanson, the matriarch of the Yanson group of bus companies.*

Vice President Sara Duterte and Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.*Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson welcomed Vice President Sara Duterte to the opening of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) Visayas Island Congress held at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City Monday night, January 23.VMLP Negros Occidental president Anthony Gerard Suatengco, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran were also present at the activity.Lacson said that the VMLP Congress with the purpose of ratifying the amendments of the two-decade old Constitution and By Laws is both well timed and appropriate, with the country’s revitalization as the main priority and focus of governance.He lauded the vice mayors for their commitment to their roles and accountability as the over...

Former President Rodrigo Duterte (right) and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the birthday of Olivia Yanson*Former President Rodrigo Duterte called on the Filipino people not to allow illegal drugs to destroy the country.Duterte issued the call in his speech at the 89th birthday of Olivia V. Yanson, matriarch of the Yanson group of bus companies, at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City Monday night, January 23.He reiterated his call for the Filipino people to stay away from illegal drugs that continue to destroy families."We must continue the watch against drugs because we have to take care of the next generation,”he said."Drug addiction is destroying the world…it is eroding the societal structure," he said.Duterte had waged what has been dubbed as a "...

Dengue cases in Negros Occidental are going down, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Provincial Health Officer, said Monday, January 23.The cases have dropped following a peak in June last year, he said.Negros Occidental had 21 dengue cases from January 1 to 7, the Department of Health reported.Despite the drop in cases the public is urged to continue protecting themselves and the community from dengue, which is transmitted through mosquito bites, the DOH said.Tumimbang said the provincial government's pro-active measures have continued to cause the decline in the dengue cases.They will continue enforcing proactive measures in dengue prone areas to prevent a surge in the future, he added.*

Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr.*Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has denied the motions for reconsideration filed by four dismissed employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Monday, January 23.The governor denied the motions of engineers Ramelo Letran, German Abihay and Rein Palacios, and project development assistant Maria Luisa Abaño of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist who were dismissed from the service for grave misconduct for the misuse of a provincial government vehicle.The governor denied their MR based on a resolution of Nellas that states that no new evidence had been discovered and submitted by the respondents that would materially alter or affect the January 3decisiond...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, January 23, that he supports the call of business leaders for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to issue an executive order establishing the Negros Island Region, which includes Siquijor, ahead of the passage of a law on its creation.The governor is appealing for the issuance of an EO creating the NIR similar to the one issued by then President Benigno Aquino III that was later abolished by former President Rodrigo Duterte.“We appeal that the President issue an executive order which will re-establish theNegros Island Region with the inclusion of Siquijor Island" ahead of the passage of a law creating it,” the business leaders said in a joint statement released last week.Then ...

Negros Occidental Election Supervisor lan Lee Ananoria *The voter registrants for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections have started to increase with the deadline set January 31, Negros Occidental Election Supervisor lan Lee Ananoria said Monday, January 23.The new voter registrants from December 12 to January 14 in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were 35,801, he said.The voter registrants started at 4,318 on week one, 3,452 - week two, 2,036 - week three, 6,023 - week four, 8,161 - week five and 11,811 - week six.The majority of the registrants were in Bacolod City at 10,318.Ananoria is appealing to the public to register before the deadline to avoid long lines.The Bacolod Comelec will be holding its satellite registration at Robinson's Place Bacolod f...

What does it say about our society when the economy is up, but wages remain stagnant, prices are increasing, and the poor remain poor?Last January 13, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno reported that the Philippine economy grew by 7.5 percent in 2022, and is expected to grow by 6.5 percent this 2023, a projection touted by President Marcos during the World Economic Forum just this week.Similarly this week, the price of a kilogram of onions reached P800. While the increase in the commodity’s price seems comical, its implications are not. Several farmers have already expressed frustration over their losses despite the increase in onion prices, with at least five farmers reportedly killing themselves because of it. The same farmers express concern over the plans to import more onions o...