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After hiding for six years, the luck of a 74-year-old man accused of rape finally ran out when he was arrested at Avanceña Street, Barangay Poblacion 1, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, on August 1.The suspect was identified as Lorenzo “Isyot” Carballo of Sitio Tagnipis, Barangay Taba-ao, Sagay City.Cadiz Regional Trial Court Judge Joseph Javier issued the warrant of arrest against the suspect on Oct. 3, 2016, for the crime committed in 2015.No bail was recommended for Carballo’s temporary liberty.The suspect is in the custody of the Sagay Component City Police Station.*

More than 2,000 informal settler families living in Bacolod coastal areas are among the priorities for relocation to mid-rise housing settlements to be built by the city government, Councilor Vladimir Gonzalez said Wednesday, August 3.He said social preparations have to be conducted first so planning will come from the bottom up.Residents living near congested coastal areas and waterways need to be relocated because they live within danger zones, Gonzalez said.The city’s shorelines and waterways also need to be cleared of illegal structures to prevent flooding, he added.They will prioritize areas that contribute to floods, he said.The Benitez administration aims to build 5,000 housing units in onsite mid-rise buildings to avoid dislocating residents from their sources o...

Thee Bacolod SP session on Wednesday, August 3.The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, August 3, granted Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez authority to negotiate with six private hospitals for their participation in  the Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), Councilor Al Victor Espino said.The SP granted the mayor’s request for a resolution granting him authority to negotiate with   the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital, Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, The Doctors’ Hospital, Metro Bacolod Hospital and Medical Center and South Bacolod General Hospital and Medical Center.Registration of Bacolodnons for BaCHP coverage has begun, Benitez said on Monday.“We are now discussing what kind of coverage can be given, ...

Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (right) at the 8th World Cities Summit in Singapore*How can cities emerge stronger with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change and many more in the future?Local chief executives, business leaders and knowledge experts from all over the world have gathered in Singapore for intensive discussions on how to help global cities remain liveable, sustainable and more resilient through prolonged and predictable disruptions.Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez, who is also the president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives (ACE), were among the participants representing  the Philip...

Former Rep. Genaro Alvarez Jr. authored the law creating the new barangay*Barangay Tagukon in Kabankalan City is now a nationally recognized  barangay, Rep.  Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District) announced Wednesday,  August 3.The bill creating the barangay filed by her father, former Rep. Genaro Alvarez Jr., lapsed into law on July 30 without the signature of former president Rodrigo Duterte.Republic Act No. 11922 separates Sitio Tagukon from Barangay Camingawan in Kabankalan into a distinct and separate barangay to be known as Barangay Tagukon.An earlier plebiscite supervised by the Commission on Elections pursuant to Provincial Ordinance No. 93-002, Series of 1993, of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan, ratified the creation of Barangay Ta...

The Negros Occidental police are conducting a thorough investigation into the alleged kidnapping incidents in the province.Lt. Judesses Catalogo, Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office public information officer, said Tuesday, August 2, that there is no cause for alarm since they “can’t consider there is a group behind the incidents.” They were perpetrated by different suspects, he said.On  Sunday, July 31, a businessman escaped a kidnapping attempt at Gallo Street in Brgy. 1-B, Manapla.The victim was about to go home after playing basketball at the town public plaza when five unidentified men forcibly took him to a black Sports Utility Vehicle, but he was able to escape.Catalogo said  that the investigation into the failed kidnapping incident in Manapla is on...

BCPO photoThe Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has confiscated P8,517,707 worth of illegal drugs in its month-long anti-criminality operations.From July 1 to 31, a total of 1,252.604 grams of drugs were seized in 45 operations that led to the arrest of 52 drug personalities, including 37 pushers and 15 users, Lt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, BCPO public information officer, said. A total of 67 drugs cases were filed in court, he said.In the campaign against wanted persons, the BCPO conducted 55 police operations during the month-long intensified campaign that led to the arrest of 55 suspects.Also, 12 police operations were initiated against loose firearms that resulted in the arrest of one violator and confiscation of one small firearm, while seven homemade firearms were...