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Richard Malihan photoThe Negros Alliance for Sectoral Concern (NASC Philippines) is supporting the re- election bids of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer and 12 mayors in Negros Occidental.NASC, multi-sectoral alliance of non-government organizations composed of the youth, young professionals, social media advocates and basic sectors, said it came up with the decision after a series of meetings and consultations with member organizations individuals.The group believes that the leadership of Lacson, with the cooperation of the local government units, has been proactive, democratic and transparent, a NASC press release said.Through Lacson’s Abanse Negrense agenda, the provincial government has received numerous awards and recognitions from the national an...

Firefighters putting out the blaze at CL Montelibano Drive on Sunday, April 24.*A fire destroyed a makeshift house and damaged a store at CL Montelibano Drive, Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City, at 3:14 a.m. Sunday, April 24.The makeshift house of alias "Wawi Lim" and " Alog" was destroyed by the fire, the Bacolod Bureau of Fire Protection reported.JMJ Cycle Parts of Noel Aranas Somcio was damaged, it added.Estimated damage was P3,000, the BFP said.*

The Robredo People's Council in Negros Occidental is calling on the Commission on Elections to investigate and quickly address the increasing cases of election-related dirty tricks, which include intimidation and direct threats on their volunteers, in some towns and cities in the province.“We would like to issue a call for the conduct of a clean campaign because we have noted over the last several weeks a drastic increase in the number of incidents that we can define as political dirty tricks, ” former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, RPC provincial campaign manager, said on Friday, April 22.“I am appealing to all the mayors and public officials to be the lead in ensuring that we will have a clean campaign throughout the province,” he said.He said dirty tricks, an...

The Food and Drug Administration has extended the expiration date of COVID-19 vaccines in Negros Occidental that were expiring on April 30, Dr. Claudelia Josefa Pabillo said Friday, April 22.Pabillo, who is in-charge of the Negros Occidental provincial government vaccine distribution, said their expiration date was extended to June 2022 “so we don’t have any expiring vaccines this month”.She was verifying the exact number of vaccine doses granted extended expiration dates with their cold storage facility staff, Pabillo added.Bacolod City does not have any expired vaccines in its cold storage facility, Dr. Edwin Miraflor, City Health Office officer-in-charge, also said.*

“I am very confident Vice President Leni Robredo will win decisively in Negros,” former governor Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela, Robredo People’s Council (RPC) campaign manager, said Friday, April 22.Robredo is enjoying a clear lead in the race for the presidency in Negros Occidental based on their latest survey, he said at a press conference in Bacolod City.He said Robredo could return to Negros Occidental in early May and they have recommended she holds mini rallies in places she has not visited yet.The recommended areas are Escalante City, Cadiz City and La Castellana, he said.The latest Negros Occidental survey in early April shows a dramatic improvement in the rating of Robredo, and the numbers of the other presidential candidates seem to be going down correspondingly, he s...

Two Bacolod residents were sentenced to life imprisonment Friday, April 22, for the sale of shabu.Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier of the Bacolod Regional Trial Court Branch 52 found Joaquin Dalipe Adera alias Bombit and Ronel Mansader Tañares guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 for the sale of .1040 gram of shabu.They sold the shabu to a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) poseur-buyer for P500 at Purok Malipayon, Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, on Feb. 3, 2020, court records show.Aside from their life sentences, they were also ordered to pay fines of P500,000 each.Adera was also sentenced to a second life imprisonment and to pay a fine of P1 million for possession of 63.8164 grams of shabu recovered from...

Youth for Climate Hope photoYouth and civil society organizations held a silent protest at the Negros Occidental Capitol in Bacolod City on Earth Day, April 22, against a proposed 300 MW liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant in San Carlos City, a project the groups say would only bring climate and environmental harm and high-priced yet unreliable electricity.The LNG plant is a project of Reliance Energy Development Inc. (REDI), a wholly owned subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation (SMC). In 2021, president Ramon Ang announced SMC will be converting its then proposed coal plant with LNG as a way to prove true its commitment to clean energy, a press statement sent by the Youth for Climate Hope (Y4CH) said."SMC seems to think it is doing us a favor by shifting from coal to gas, wh...