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Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez*The creative industries development bill co-authored by Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) lapsed into law on Thursday, July 28 without the signature of former president Rodrigo Duterte.It is now known as Republic Act 11904, an act providing for the development and promotion of creative industries and appropriating funds for it. Republic Act No. 11904 will strengthen creative industries and provide support to artists, artisans, creative professionals and entrepreneurs, Benitez said on Friday.Benitez, co-principal author and co-sponsor of RA No. 11904, said it mandates the creation of roadmaps to cultivate Filipino talent, creativity, innovation and promote Philippine cultural heritage and artistic traditions to produce...

Negros Occidental has enough COVID-19 vaccines in its cold storage facility.*Negros Occidental has enough vaccines for the expanded coverage of second booster shots against COVID-19, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz assured Friday, July 29.The Department of Health on Wednesday announced that it had expanded the coverage of the second COVID-19 booster to adults at least 50 years old and above and those aged 18 to 49 with existing medical conditions.Negros Occidental has a lot of vaccines available for the   second boosters, Diaz said.In fact there are private firms requesting to donate vaccines but the provincial government needs to use up the stock at hand first, he said.“We cannot accept more than what we need, it will be unfair to those areas that nee...

An earthquake hit area in northern Luzon.*BFP photoBishop Patricio Buzon called on the Christian faithful in the Diocese of Bacolod on Friday, July 29, to help the victims of the magnitude 7 earthquake that jolted Abra and other parts of Northern Luzon on Wednesday.“Let us pray in solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters and let us lend our support to them who are in dire need,” the bishop said.Buzon called on all parishes and chaplaincies in the Diocese of Bacolod to organize a second collection this Sunday, July 31, for the Alay Kapwa fund to be sent to the affected communities through Caritas-Philippines.“Please channel all your donations   to the Diocesan Social Action Center or the Diocesan Treasurer's Office,” he said in Circular Letter 2022-19 sen...

The Office of Civil Defense has ordered an assessment of the structural integrity of buildings.*Ronnie Baldonado photoCritical facilities in Bacolod City will be inspected to determine their structural integrity following a magnitude-7 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon, Dr. Maria Luisa Laarni Pornan, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head, said Friday, July 29.The CDRRMO will identify the facilities to be inspected by structural engineers of the City Engineer’s Office, she said.Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 6 director, Jose Roberto Nuñez, has issued Memorandum 63 ordering all disaster offices in Western Visayas to assess the structural integrity of their infrastructures to ensure their safety and resilience.The assessment will be coordinated with ...

The Department of Health (DOH) has detected the first confirmed case of Monkeypox in the Philippines, it announced on Friday, July 29. The person confirmed to have been hit with monkeypox is a 31-year-old Filipino national who arrived from abroad on July 19.The patient had prior travel to countries with documented Monkeypox cases, and was tested and confirmed positive for Monkeypox via Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction orRT-PCR, done at the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on July 28, the DOH said.The patient has been discharged well, and is undergoing strict isolation and monitoring at home.The DOH has completed its case investigation and identification of close contacts. Ten closecontacts were recorded, of which, three were fr...

Rep. Alfredo Marañon III*Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) on Friday, July 29, said  his committee will give utmost priority to concerns related to food security in response to the challenge issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his first State of the Nation Address.Marañon was recently elected chairman of the House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources, a position he had previously held."The president was very clear on the road map he laid out in his SONA for the agriculture sector. It calls for all industry stakeholders to take a collective action that will help address global food crisis that threatens societies. And the aquaculture and fisheries sectors are among the major players," Marañon, who studied marine biology, said.Mar...

Gov Eugenio Jose Lacson said personally he will continue to wear a face mask even if he has already received his booster shots.*Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, July 28, that he is seeking  the help of the Negros Occidental mayors to encourage more Negrenses to get vaccinated against COVID-19, with the Department of Health having expanded the coverage of those who can avail of their second booster shots.The governor also said he prefers that the use of face masks remains mandatory, as COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in countries where they were no longer used.The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday announced that it has expanded the coverage of the second COVID-19 vaccine booster to adults at least 50 years old and above and those aged 1...

The Balik Tanaw Cafe and Event Place where the cases of softdrinks were stolen.*Silay PNP photoA 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing cases of softdrinks from a store at  Locsin Street in  Brgy VI, Silay City, Negros Occidental, early Thursday, July 28.Nabbed was Russel Amit, while his three companions were able to escape.The suspect and his companions were seen bringing three cases of softdrinks worth P815 from Balik Tanaw Cafe and Event Place.They gained entry into the store by destroying its glass window. They also carted away a cellphone worth P7,000 and P2,000 in cash.The suspect is now in the custody of Silay police.*

Clearing operations were underway in quake-hit areas of Northern Luzon on Thursday.*BFP photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Thursday, July 28, said they are gathering information on the extent of the damage caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake that hit Northern Luzon to determine Negros Occidental’s assistance.“We’ll get information first as to the extent and if they declared a state of calamity. Our policy is it’s better to help than to receive,” he said. When Negros Occidental was hit by Typhoon “Odette” other local government units also helped Negros Occidental, he said.The provincial government usually sends P1 million in aid, he said.Abra Governor Dominic Valera said on Thursday that   his entire province has been placed under a state of calamity.The ...

The drug recoveries from a police buy-bust operation at Brgy. Singcang Airport, Bacolod City.*BCPO photoThe police recovered P2.14  million worth of illegal drugs in two separate buy-bust operations in Bacolod City early Thursday, July 28.Arrested at Purok Villa Baradas in Barangay Alijis was  31-year-old Ramon Vertudes, who yielded P1,394,000 worth of suspected shabu.The bust was conducted by the Special Operations Unit 6 with the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group.In Prk. Kahirup, Brgy. Singcang Airport,  21-year-old John Mark Melana, of Prk. Torre, Brgy. Mansilingan was arrested during a buy-bust operation. He was tagged as a street-level individual by Police Station 8.Recovered from his possession were 110 grams of suspected shabu worth...