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Negrense Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. was among those absolved by the Office of the President.*The Office of the President has dismissed the case for grave misconduct, grave dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service lodged against the former members of the Sugar Board for the issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO No. 4) authorizing the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar in August last year.The Office of the President in a 10-page decision absolved then Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio S. Sebastian, Administrator Hermenegildo R. Serafica of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, and board members Roland B. Beltran and Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr., who have since resigned from their posts.However, the decision also admonished the respo...

The protest in front of the Bacolod City Government Center *Amlig Tubig members called for the removal of the 12 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on water services at a rally in front of the Bacolod City Government Center on Wednesday, January 4.They also called for the reinstatement of “illegally dismissed” Bacolod City Water District employees.Noli Rosales, BAYAN Negros spokesperson, said they are calling on Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez to see to the removal of that 12 percent VAT on water services.“With families already reeling from the high costs of food, fuel, and other basic commodities due to a worsening Philippine economy amid the record-high inflation in the country, the 12 percent VAT in our water utility bills under Primewater is an extra burden to...

There were 63 fireworks-related injuries in Negros Occidental and four in Bacolod City from December 21 to Tuesday, January 3.Those injured in Negros Occidental increased by 103 percent with only 31 recorded in 2021, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, said.There were only four firecracker victims in Bacolod, the City Health Office reported.The most number of injured in Negros Occidental were in Bago City that had 10, Talisay City – 7, Cadiz City and Sagay City - 4 each, Binalbagan, Kabankalan City, Silay City and La Castellana - 3 each, Escalante City, Valladolid, San Enrique, Calatrava and Himamaylan City – 2 each, and Isabela, Pulupandan, San Carlos City, Murcia, Cauayan, Hinigaran, Manapla, Hinoba-an and La Carlota City – 1 each.The PHO report said 42.9 per...

The Commission on Elections satellite registration site at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City on Tuesday, January 3.*There was a low turnout of voter registrants at the Commission on Elections satellite registration site at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City on Tuesday, January 3.As of noon Tuesday there were only about 20 voter registrant applicants, Bacolod Elections Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said.This could be because it was raining, she said.In December the voter registrants did not go below 200, with 240 on December 30, she said.She called on the public not to wait until close to the deadline on January 31 to register to avoid crowding.The satellite registration at Ayala Malls Capitol Central will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Thursday, Ja...

The body of a 17-year-old male was found floating in a swamp in Brgy. Bantayanon, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, 2:30 p.m. Monday, January 2.The victim of Campo Train, Brgy. Minapasuk, Calatrava, was missing since December 30, the police said.However, his family did not look for him because they thought that he was just staying with relatives.The family requested the Calatrava police for an autopsy to determine the cause of death of the teenager.The victim’s name was withheld by the police for being a minor *

The area in Sitio Lantawan, Brgy. Guimbala-on, Silay City, where the sack with the remains of three persons was dumped.*Romeo Subaldo photoThe identities of three persons whose remains were dumped off a bridge in Sitio Lantawan, Brgy. Guimbala-on, Silay City, Negros Occidental, have not been identified, Lt. Col. Mark Anthony Darroca, Silay police chief, said Tuesday, January 3.A decomposing body and skeletal remains of two other persons in a sack that was thrown off the Oyut Bridge in Sitio Lantawan were recovered on Saturday, December 30.The remains of the three males were beyond recognition and were buried at the Silay Public Cemetery to avoid health risks, Darroca said.The person whose remains were decomposing may have been killed five to six days earlier and the two oth...

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI*Vatican News photo“We have just lost one of the great luminaries of the Church,” Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon said of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Saturday, December 31.He, passed away at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican.Buzon said “he was a sure guide to us at a time when the world is steeped in darkness and confusion. More importantly, he guided us with his humble leadership and shining holiness of life.”San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said “Pope Benedict XVI, more than any other pope, has taught and encouraged us to cherish and protect the environment. In fact, he has earned the unique distinction of being called ‘the green pope’."“We are forever grateful for the gift of Pope Benedict XVI to the Church and the ...