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A daily minimum wage of from P450 to P750 in Western Visayas is being pushed, but management is asking that any increase be deferred until the end of the year because they have yet to recover from the pandemic that brought “the business sector to its knees”.Both sides aired their positions at a Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) hearing of a wage increase petition at the Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Friday, April 8.Labor Regional Director and RTWPB chairperson, Sixto Rodriguez Jr., said they are conducting two more hearings in Iloilo and Aklan next week and will come up with a decision soon.The hearing was held on the petition of Fishta Union of Employees for Reforms Through Solidarity Action for a minimum wage of P750 for al...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered all Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils in Negros Occidental to go on heightened alert Friday, April 8, amid rains caused by a low pressure area affecting the Visayas and for Holy Week, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.The governor, in his tropical disturbance advisory for heightened alert status, said a Low Pressure Area imbedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone was bringing rain to Negros Occidental.He directed the DRRMCs to heighten their preparedness versus possible flooding and landslides.The governor also placed Negros Occidental under Blue or heightened Alert for Holy Week.This is in compliance with Regional DRRMC Memorandum No. 20 Series of 2022 that directs all DRRMCs to go on heightened...

The four bishops of Negros Island in a collegial statement released Friday, April 8, called for the election of accountable and honest leaders in the May 9 polls.“Claim ownership of the electoral process by exercising your rights to vote and to choose leaders who are competent, transparent, and who prioritize the people and the environment over profit and power”, they said.Bishops Gerardo A. Alminaza of San Carlos, Louie P. Galbines of Kabankalan, Patricio A. Buzon of Bacolod, and Julito B. Cortes of Dumaguete were among the signatories of the collegial statement.“We pray that the unified voices of the Filipinos for accountable and honest leadership give birth to true progress. This is our chance to be heard,” they said.They envision a government that is rooted in faith and...

The National Bureau of Investigation is filing estafa and identity theft charges against a person who hacked the Facebook account of a Sipalay City government official to solicit funds from her friends.NBI Bacolod Chief Renoir Baldovino said they have already identified the hacker and will file charges after Holy Week before the prosecutor’s office.He withheld the name of the hacker and the government official pending the filing of charges.The hacker used the name of the government official to get money from three of her Facebook friends amounting to P20,000, which is an identity theft violation under the Cybercrime Law, Baldovino said.The three victims told the NBI they were asked to send the money via GCash.The hacker who pretended to be the official told her Facebook...

PDEA photoMore than 70 bus drivers in Bacolod City underwent random drug testing on Friday, April 8.Forty-two drivers and staff at the South Bus Terminal of Vallacar Transit Inc. volunteered for the drug testing, while another 35 employees of the bus company at the North Bus Terminal were also tested.This is part of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s "Oplan Harabas," a surprise mandatory drug testing of drivers and conductors of public transportation services that is conducted simultaneously nationwide.PDEA-6 regional director Alex Tablate said they intend to conduct more random drug testing on other bus and jeepney drivers in the province to protect the riding public and to further strengthen their campaign against illegal drugs.*

Photo from Lakad ng mga Pamilyang Magsasaka Laban sa Gutom at Kahirapan FBThe Sumilao farmers, who made the news in 2007 after fighting for their ancestral domain, continued their march caravan in Negros Occidental on Thursday, April 7.Noland Peñas, one of the leaders of Sumilao farmers and chairperson of PAKISAMA, said they passed through Negros Occidental because it has a huge agrarian reform program backlog. Many beneficiaries already have certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs), but have yet to be installed in their lands, he said.“We want to inspire them, and share our experiences being the Sumilao farmers who now own our land,” he said.He also said that local farmers were affected by landlord resistance, as there are still many farm workers struggling against thi...

BFP photoTwo persons were injured after a fire broke out in Purok Kagaykay in Brgy. 2, Bacolod City, Friday, April 8.Five houses were also destroyed while another was damaged.Based on the Bureau of Fire Protection’s initial investigation, the fire started at Magdalena Patioca’s home, which may have been electrical in nature.Patioca sustained minor burn injuries, while Romeo Buenconcejo was also wounded.Six families were affected by the fire, with an estimated P300,000 worth of damage.*

BFP photoPasado las dos kaina sang kaagahon sang nagluntad ang sunog sa Purok Kagaykay sa Brgy. 2 sa Bacolod City.Lima ka mga balay ang totally destroyed kag isa naman ang partially damaged.Sa inisyal nga pagpangusisa sang BFP nagsugod ang kalayo sa balay ni Magdalena Patioca.Mahimo electrical in nature suno sa BFP ang gintunaan sang kalayo nga nag halin sa iya mismo nga kwarto.Nag angkon sang minor injuries si Patioca tuga sang pagka paso sang iya nga mga kamut.Napilasan man sa agtang ang 53 anyos nga sI Romeo Buenconcejo.Anum tanan ka mga pamilya ang nahalitan sang sunog kag gina bulubanta nga nagdangat sa P300,000 ang halit sang kalayo.

Negrense senatorial candidate Alex Lacson said he is filing a formal complaint before the TikTok management for a fake video of his representative speaking at the Tropang Leni-Kiko Tagbilaran rally.Lacson, candidate of the Kapatiran Party and Tropang Leni-Kiko who campaigned in Negros Occidental this week, said on Friday, April 8, that the video has garnered almost 3.5 million views."I will formally file a complaint with the management of TikTok. I condemn fake news and videos," Lacson said.“Let’s not be fooled by this nefarious video. This is a tactic of fake news peddlers and trolls to mislead and hoodwink our voters… It is the latest in the long deplorable line of fake news and disinformation,” he said.Lacson said the video that was edited and spliced showed his surrogat...