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The Negros ACE officers take their oaths before Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.*Richard Malihan photoVictorias Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez, president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, rallied his fellow mayors to “band together and succeed together”.Benitez and the rest of the officers of the Negros ACE took their oaths before Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at rites at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City Wednesday morning, July 27. Other officers of the league are Nicholas Yulo of Bago City – vice president, Salvador Escalante of Cadiz City – secretary general,  Jilson Tubillara of San Enrique -  treasurer, Raymund  Tongson of Himamaylan City – auditor and Lawrence Marxlen dela Cruz of Salvador Benedicto  - public in...

La Carlota City Councilor Julius Martin Asistio*The Love Negros and United Negros Alliance coalition has agreed to support La Carlota City Councilor Julius Martin Asistio for president of the Philippine Councilors League-Negros Occidental chapter, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Wednesday, July 27.Silay City Councilor Ryan Gamboa, current PCL Negros Occidental president, has the choice of being the vice president, which was the position held by Asistio, Lacson said.“What we will be discussing next is already the lineup because we also would like to nominate one lineup for the next PCL officials,” Lacson said.Lacson said he suggested to Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer that they sit down with Gamboa and Asistio to discuss the lineup.Asistio is the son of Rep. Juliet Marie Ferr...

All officers and employees of the Sugar Regulatory Administration must abide by the issuances of its officer-in-charge Ignacio S. Santillana and its deputies or administrative sanctions may be meted against them.This was contained in a memorandum issued by Santillana and SRA deputies Brando Noroña and Guillermo Tejida III on Wednesday, July 27.They said on June 30 the Office of the President issued Memorandum Circular No. 1, series of 2022 stating that “all presidential appointees whose appointments are classified as co-terminus" were deemed separated from service, and the positions held by them in the offices, agencies including the GOCCs were declared vacant.The memorandum circular is self-executing in nature and effective immediately, they added.True to their oath to obe...

Participants of the Bacolod City Justice Zone 2022 Drug Prevention and Awareness Seminar at USLS.*Bacolod Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier called on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-6 and the Bacolod City Police Office to revive preventive education programs to discourage impending abusers from experimenting with illegal drugs.Javier issued the call Wednesday, July 27, on the 20th anniversary of PDEA-6, one of Bacolod City Justice Zone 2022’s partners.The preventive education programs would complement the approaches employed in reducing the desire to obtain and use illegal drugs and ultimately reduce the amount of drug cases being filed in court, he said.Javier, Bacolod Justice Zone 2022 convenor, established an educational program designed t...

Negros ACE secretary general - Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante and president - Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez turn over their resolution of support for an expanded NIR to Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer (l-r).*CPG photoThe Negros Association of Chief Executives Inc. has unanimously passed a resolution supporting bills filed in the House of Representatives seeking the creation of the expanded Negros Island Region (NIR).The resolution was turned over by Negros ACE president - Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez and secretary general - Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante to Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer during the swearing-in ceremony of the association’s offi...

Councilor Celia Matea Flor, Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Senior Citizens and Veteran Affairs chairperson, has filed a resolution requesting an increase in the number of beneficiaries and budget allocation for social pension for the senior citizens of Bacolod City.As of April 2022, only 2,713 of the 40,000 estimated senior citizens of Bacolod City have benefitted  from the social pension program of the national government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she said.Other highly urbanized cities such as Iloilo City receive pensions for 13,000 senior citizens, while more than 60,000 of Davao City’s senior citizens benefit from it, she added.“We have to push for more of our seniors to benefit from the National fund so we can help and cover more se...

A total of 116,045 Negros Occidental and Bacolod City residents have registered to vote in the December 5 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Tuesday, July 26.Ananoria said the Commission on Elections  is now preparing for the  December 5 polls.However, Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) has filed House Bill 121 seeking the postponement of the barangay and SK elections to May 2023. Several other representatives have also filed similar bills.The number of applications fort voter registration in the Negros Occident and Bacolod was higher than expected, and about half came from the youth sector, he said.Bacolod City had the highest voter applicants at 10,309.There were some registrants ...

The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan is seeking the opinion of the Provincial Legal Office (PLO) and Provincial Environment Management Office (PEMO) on the call for its   retraction of a Resolution of Non-Objection (RONO) to a 300 MW Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Combined Cycle Power Plant in San Carlos City, Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko said Tuesday, July 26.The SP during its regular session Tuesday took up the letter of San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza and other environmentalists addressed to Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer and the Sanggunian members demanding their urgent retraction of the RONO.The building of the LNG power plant is being proposed by the San Miguel Corp.-owned Reliance Energy Development Inc.“We maintain that the resolution of non-objection ...

Sitio Natuling, Brgy. Budlasan in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.*Three alleged ranking New People’s Army (NPA) leaders were killed in an encounter with the state troopers at  Sitio Natuling, Brgy. Budlasan, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, Tuesday, July 26.Killed were Cristina “Chave” Jacolbe, 40,  finance officer of Central Negros 1 (CN1),  Rodan “DJ” Montero, 42,  Section Guerilla Unit,  and  Everly Kee “Kaye” Jacolbe, 18, the Army reported.Government soldiers were patrolling the hinterland area of Brgy. Macagahay, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, when they received a report about the presence of suspected rebels in the adjacent  Brgy Budlasan, the Army said.When they reached Barangay Budlasan they encountered 10 suspected rebels that led to ...