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Five employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, including a division head, have been issued a show cause order to explain their alleged misuse of a government vehicle and for one of them to explain why he berated the person in-charge of the Capitol Cab Service.The five senior members of the OPA exceeded the time covered by their travel order because they allegedly went to a restaurant to drink liquor, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Monday, July 25.The four OPA engineers and a staff member have been give five days to submit their explanations in writing, he added.The five had availed of a Toyota Innova through the Capitol Cab System to attend a meeting at the Victorias City Hall and departed from Bacolod at past 1 p.m. on January 15, Nellas said. ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to deliver his state of the nation address Monday afternoon, July 25.*PNA photoBayan Negros is set to stage a protest at the Rizal Park in Bacolod City at noon Monday, July 25, ahead of the state of the nation address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later in the afternoon.Marcos will deliver his first SONA at the House of Representatives in the Batasang Pambansa on Monday afternoon.“BAYAN Negros and its member organizations will hold a protest rally to assert the people’s demands and to amplify the true state of our country in the lens of the marginalized. The people will forward the People’s Agenda to combat Marcos Jr’s lies and grand proclamations”, the group said in a statement released Sunday, July 24.“Now more than ever, i...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson  said on Sunday, July 24,  that  he has asked provincial legal officer Alberto Nellas  Jr. to study the call of San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza and  environment groups for the  Sangguniang Panlalawigan  to  revoke its  Resolution of Non-Objection (RONO) to  the planned construction of a 300 MW Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Combined Cycle Power Plant in San Carlos City.Asked if the provincial government can stop the proposed LNG plant in San Carlos , Lacson said  “Capitol will always act accordingly”.The governor said he is open to investments.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 from the Provi...

The drug recoveries from a buy-bust operation in Silay City Friday, July 22.*Silay PNP photoAt least P7.14 million worth of suspected drugs were seized while two high-value suspects were arrested in a buy-bust operation at  Seaview in  Brgy. Guinhalaran, Silay City, Negros Occidental, Friday night, July 22.Nabbed were sari-sari store owner Razel "Tomboy" Lyam Gamazan, 37, and Lennie "Nene" Nava, 40, both residents of Tandang Sora, Quezon City.Both were tagged by  authorities as high-value individuals.Recovered from the suspects' possession were 31 sachets containing suspected shabu, the P30,000 buy-bust money, P100 boodle money, P5,000 believed to be cash proceeds, P700 in cash, and a cellphone.Nine plastic bags containing suspected shabu were also concea...

An agrarian reform beneficiary was shot to death in his farm at Brgy. Libertad, Escalante City, Negros Occidental, Friday, July 22.Killed was 41-year-old Hadjen Casipong.The victim was cultivating his land when six unidentified armed men arrived and shot him multiple times. He died on the spot.Recovered from the scene were one fired cartridge of  a .45 caliber pistol and three fired cartridges of  an AK-47 rifle.The perpetrators escaped to the mountainous part of the area.The police have  yet to establish the motive for the killing.*

Former Mayor Evelio Leonardia with ex-Lamitan Mayor Rose Furigay last month when he delivered his valedictory address as LCP president*Former Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia on Sunday, July 24, extended his prayers and condolences to the family of former mayor Rose Furigay of Lamitan City in Basilan province.Furigay, her aide Victor Capistrano and a certain Bandiola Jeneven died in a shooting incident at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on 2:55 p.m. Sunday afternoon, while the suspect, a doctor, has been apprehended, the Philippine News Agency reported.Her 25-year-old daughter Hanna Rose, who was supposed to graduate from the Ateneo law school Sunday was wounded.The National Capital Region Police Office identified the alleged shooter as Dr. Chao Tiao Yumol, 38, of ...

Ignacio Santillana and Hermenegildo Serafica (right)*The leadership battle at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) continues.SRA officials and the head of its employees association, said they only acknowledge the leadership of Ignacio Santillana now.But Hermenegildo Serafica maintains that he is still SRA administrator.In a statement issued Sunday, July 24, Serafica said the designation of Santillana as OIC administrator by the three deputy administrators of SRA hinges solely on their erroneous interpretation that the SRA administrator is included among the positions declared vacant by the directive of the Office of the President under Memorandum Circular (MC) No.1.Santillana, deputy administrators Brando Noroña and Guillermo Tejida, legal department manager Ronald...

The five respondents remained under NBI custody on Sunday.*The five respondents facing a complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation for the alleged “illegal recruitment” of workers for overseas employment agreed to remain under NBI custody pending preliminary investigation, during inquest proceedings Saturday, July 23.The respondents in the complaint filed by the NBI are Sandy Ginete Agena, Marciar Mercader Bangcale, Arlene Espinosa Alonday, Richard Sumicad Hiponia, and Ma. Teresa Maningo Aragon of Bacolod City, NBI Bacolod Chief Renoir Baldovino said Sunday.The NBI complaints lodged against them before the Office of the Bacolod City Prosecutor were for violation of Republic Act 8042 otherwise known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act as amended by RA...

The Victorias City government conducts a dry run for its new traffic scheme.* Steven Laborte photoThe city government of Victorias implemented a dry run of its new traffic rerouting this week, July 18 to 22.Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez  recently met with the city’s transport groups to improve the traffic situation in the problematic areas during his first town hall meeting.The meeting was also participated in  by Councilor Richard Julius Sablan, chair of Sangguniang Panlungsod committee transportation and traffic management, representatives from the Traffic Division and the Victorias Franchising Regulatory Board, a press release said Friday, July 22.The city then gathered the feedback and suggestions of various sectors and has made necessary changes by adding new p...