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Former Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia delivering his farewell message*The camp of former mayor Evelio Leonardia on Thursday, June 30, slammed the “Truth Commission” of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez for allegedly spreading “fake news”.“It is clearly a vehicle for political vendetta, a tool for propaganda to discredit only the good image of Mayor Leonardia, a zarzuela, a colorum if you may want to call it, a venue for witch-hunting coupled with malicious imputations, a channel for trial by publicity laced with defamatory labels,” Dr. Chris Sorongon, spokesperson of Leonardia, said in a press statement.He said Benitez may have been ill-advised by his loyalists.Benitez has red-flagged more than P1.5 billion in Bacolod City government transactions for investigation, his ...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waves to the crowd after taking his oath*Negros Occidental and Bacolod City’s leaders welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s message of hope and promise to promote unity and progress during his inaugural address Thursday, June 30.Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took his oath as the 17th president of the Philippines before Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo in the presence of his wife, Liza Araneta-Marcos, who has roots in Negros Occidental, and sons Sandro, Simon, and Vincent.Present at Marcos’ inauguration at the National Museum in Manila were Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez, his son Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, and brother Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District).Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez with Liza Araneta-Marcos aft...

The Bayan Negros protest in Bacolod City Thursday*The proclamation of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the 17th president of the Philippines “is a culmination of decades’ worth of historical distortion and is a huge mockery of those who sacrificed their lives to resist the Marcos dictatorship,” Bayan- Negros said Thursday, June 30.Members of the militant group held a March rally from the Rizal Park to the Fountain of Justice in Bacolod City to air their indignation Thursday afternoon. Under the rule of Marcos Jr.’s father, “Negros Island was witness to the darkest days of martial rule. In the 80s, we experienced famine and widespread malnutrition, the crashing of the sugar industry, and various human rights abuses. Back then, the people of Negros resisted and fought the tyranny of ...

Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr.*The Provincial Legal Office has completed its preliminary investigation of three doctors and two staff at two Negros Occidental provincial government hospitals and found basis to elevate their cases to the   Investigation Committee for Public Health Workers for hearing.Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said on Thursday, June 30, that he cannot divulge their recommendations, it will be up to the Investigation Committee for Public Health Workers headed by provincial health officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, to decide whether the persons involved should be formally charged.“Based on the allegations there is basis to go on with the investigation,” he said.Final approval of the decision of the committee will be made by ...

Joedith Gallego (3rd from left) takes over as mayor of Silay , in the presence of the other elected officials of the city*The new mayors of Kabankalan City and Silay City assumed their posts at noon Thursday.In Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego  took over from Mayor Mark Golez, and in Kabankalan City  Mayor Benjie Miranda took over from Mayor Pedro Zayco.Golez, in a Facebook post, thanked everyone who supported his administration and said he was officially signing off as mayor of Silay City.Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda took his oath Thursday.*“Over the past couple of years, we have witnessed the significant development and progress happening in Silay. From the numerous local and national awards received by the city, the increase in job opportunities, es...

Bacolod Councilor Renecito Novero.*The  outgoing Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved a resolution allowing face-to-face classroom instructions in all public and private elementary and secondary schools in the city  subject to the strict  observance of minimum health protocols on Wednesday, June 29, Councilor Renecito Novero said on Thursday.The resolution was unanimously passed a day before the takeover of the new Bacolod City  administration.Face-to-face classroom instructions prove to be a much better approach to educate the children in schools, the resolution authored by Novero said.Bacolod City has been placed under Alert Level 1 for sometime signifying a welcome and safer environment   for the conduct of face-to-face interactions ...

The Leonardia and Benitez transition teams at the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday.* Greg Gasstaya Facebook page photoBacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, head of the transition team of Mayor Alfredo Benitez, said they received the required documents sought from the administration of former mayor Evelio Leonardia at a meeting at the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday, June 30.Benitez became mayor of Bacolod City at noon of Thursday.Department of the Interior and Local Government Bacolod head, Ma. Joy Meredith Madayag, said the Leonardia  administration fully complied with DILG Memorandum Circulars Nos. 2022-029 and 2022-053. It was a smooth turnover,   she said. “Our next step will be to countercheck the documents submitted and to ensur...

The Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) will kick off the holding of its year-long 120th Foundation Celebration on  Friday, July 1.First known as Instituto Rizal, NOHS started opening its doors to students on July 1, 1902 with 125 enrollees and three American teachers, a press release from the school said Thursday.Instituto Rizal began its classes using two rented spacious buildings for classrooms and dormitories for the boys and girls who resided outside of Bacolod.Like in the United States, the dormitories were considered part of the school system itself, in order to ensure that the students out-of-town were also accommodated.Ray Howell, a Thomasite, was hired as the first high school principal but the school was only short-lived as it was temporarily closed from Se...

VMC President Minnie Chua gave her assurance that they are willing to refine when they have the raw sugar supply,*Ronnie Baldonado photoThree sugar mills in Negros Occidental vowed to restart mill operations before the official milling season in response to the call of Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer to allay fears of a rumored sugar shortage in the country.David Alba, general manager of the Asociacion de Agricultores de La Carlota y Pontevedra (AALCPI), said on Thursday, June 30, that Victorias Milling Company (VMC), Universal Robina Corp. (URC) La Carlota and the Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM) are all willing to reopen and mill early once raw sugar is available.Alba said AALCPI along with other industry stakeholders are helping Ferrer to reach out to...