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Senator Risa Hontiveros *PNA photoSenator Risa Hontiveros said on Wednesday, March 1, that the memorandum by Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban clearing the release of ”smuggled” sugar, which entered the country without proper permits is the “smoking gun” proof that high-ranking officials are behind the country’s latest sugar import fiasco.The senator issued the statement after Panganiban issued a memorandum dated February 27. The memorandum cleared for release imported sugar stocks consigned to All Asian Countertrade Inc. that entered the country with no proper permits and before a corresponding Sugar Order was issued by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), in violation of existing laws, Hontiveros said.SRA Administrator David Alba, o...

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has appealed to the top officials of Negros Occidental for their full support for the Small Town Lottery (STL) operated by Super Lucky Beagler Inc. in the province.PCSO Negros Occidental branch manager, Jose Manuel Villagracia, in letters to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, said STL operations in the province other than that of Super Lucky Beagler Inc. are illegal, such as the "New STL"PCSO has designated Super Lucky Beagler Inc. as the Small Town Lottery Authorized Agent Corporation (STL-AAC) in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City pursuant to Board Resolutions 0205-N and 0205-0 Series of 2022, granting it authority to operate STL, Villagracia said.STL is one of PCSO's legal and authorized number games na...

A P33.4 million Bacolod City District Office in Barangay Mansilingan was inaugurated and turned over to the Land Transportation Office on Tuesday, February 28.The P32 million building with a P1.4 million fence was donated by the Negros Occidental provincial government along with the 1 hectare property it was built on.“The LTO, in order to be more responsive to the varied needs of its clients, has to adapt to the rapid growth of the Province of Negros Occidental and the City of Bacolod,” Lacson said.“The considerable increase in the volume of LTO transactions has overwhelmed the agency’s previous office location and had to be addressed. This bigger area and office building will certainly facilitate the flow of transactions and ease congestion, and will result to a more efficient...

Negros Occidental Gov . Eugenio Jose Lacson with Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon, Kabankalan Bishop Louie Galbines and San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza (l-r) at the Governor's Office on Tuesday.*The three Roman Catholic bishops in Negros Occidental issued a collegial pastoral statement Tuesday, February 28, calling for the urgent need to transition into renewable energy amid the current climate crisis.The statement was signed by San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon and Kabankalan Bishop Louie Galbines who met with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the Capitol in Bacolod City.“Recognizing our shared responsibility and the need for collective effort in creating and shaping the future we want for our province, we as leaders of the Catholic fait...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Tuesday, February 28, that he supports the proposed reclamation projects in Barangay Banago, Bacolod, that will draw investments to the city.Residents aired their opposition to the proposed 150-hectare reclamation project of the group of businessman Jerry Sy in Barangay Banago, which they said would dislocate them from their homes and livelihoods, at a Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Environment hearing on Monday.Councilor Claudio “Kalaw” Puentevella, SP Committee on Environment chairman, said the residents’ concerns and the side of the proponents will be taken into consideration.The Banago residents are asking the SP to deny the Sy group’s request for a Resolution of No Objection to the project.The Bacolod Reclamation Gate...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he will not oppose a joint venture proposal with Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) if it brings down power rates.“If the joint venture proponents lower the price electricity, ensure 24/7 supply of electricity and convert to renewable power they will have my support,” the mayor said on Tuesday, February 28.MORE Electric and Power Corporation and Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) have submitted an unsolicited proposal for a joint venture undertaking with CENECO, Arnel Lapore, its acting general manager, said Sunday.CENECO sent the proposal to the National Electrification Administration for comment and guidance last week, Lapore said.The proposal is to help CENECO in its financials and operations, Lapore said.*

Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban informed Sugar Regulatory Administrator David Alba that he could issue clearances for the release of imported sugar to three international traders.Panganiban, in a memorandum dated Monday, February 27, to Alba said considering that allocations under Sugar Order No. 6, Series of 2022-2023 had been duly awarded, and memorandums had been issued by the Office of the Executive Secretary dated January 13 and by himself, “you may now issue the clearance/s for the release of imported sugar” to three international sugar traders that participated in the importation.The three are All Asian Countertrade Inc. - 240,000 metric tons, Edison Lee Marketing Corp. - 100,000 MT and S & D SUCDEN Philippines Inc. - 100,000.00 MT, Panganiban said. ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could issue an executive order on the Negros Island Region (NIR) this year, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Tuesday, February 28.Benitez said the proposed executive order on the creation of Negros Island Region will be taken up in the March meeting of the Western Visayas Regional Development Council, which he chairs.“We will formalize the proposed options and send a letter to the president for his action”, Benitez said.Benitez said he thinks the president will act on it because in their discussions he was not for or against it, he just wanted to hear all sides first.An executive order on the NIR will be without prejudice to Congress' push for the passage of law for its creation, he said.A pending bill in the Lower House calls f...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos*First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos has confirmed that she will join a mass wedding in Bacolod City and an invitation has also been sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said Tuesday, February 28.He is just waiting for the final date of the availability of the First Lady for the mass wedding, which target date is within March, Benitez said.He has yet to receive an affirmative response from the president, the mayor added.The target was a mass wedding for 2,023 couples but so far 2,053 have already signed up, Benitez said.They are looking at about 16,000 attendees for the mass wedding, factoring in the relatives of the couples who will attend the event, he added. ...