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Oct212025 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Permits to carry firearms suspended for Buglasan

The Buglasan Festival in Dumaguete City.* NegOr PIO photoThe Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office has announced the temporary suspension of all Permits to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PTCFOR) in Dumaguete City as part of security measures for the ongoing Buglasan Festival.The suspension took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 15 and will remain in place until 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.During this period, only uniformed personnel from the PNP, AFP, and other law enforcement agencies performing official duties are authorized to carry firearms.NORPPO said the directive, issued in line with instructions from the National Headquarters, is meant to ensure public safety and maintain peace and order throughout the province’s annual festival.NORPPO urged the public to coo...

Oct212025 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Mayor directs coastal inspection following dev’t concerns raised

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Mayor Greg Gasataya has directed a comprehensive inspection of Bacolod’s coastline following concerns raised by fisherfolk and urban poor organizations on the environmental impact of ongoing man-made developments along coastal areas.The initiative was discussed during a dialog between the city government, the Bacolod Against Reclamation Movement (BARM), and representatives of the urban poor held at the Bacolod City Government Center on Tuesday, October 21, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said.Alberto Bucado, chairman of BARM-Bacolod, said that reclamation and restoration activities along the Purok Sibucao shoreline have allegedly worsened flooding and affected local fish harvests since operations began two years ago.These concerns come in ligh...

Oct212025 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

SSS extends social security coverage to 133 CLMMRH job order workers

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SSS Bacolod Branch head Brenda Cruz, Senior Vice President for Mindanao Operations Group Dr. Lilani Benedian, Senior Vice President for Visayas Operations Group Alberto Montalbo and Commissioner Eva Arcos with CLMMRH Medical Center Chief II Dr. Joan Cerrada and Chief Executive Officer Shareen Caelian (l-r) after the ceremonial signing of the MOA.*A total of 133 Job Order (JO) and Contract of Service (COS) workers of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) are now covered as self-employed members of the Social Security System (SSS) under the KaSSSangga Collect Program (KCP).SSS Senior Vice President for Visayas Operations Group Alberto Montalbo said that CLMMRH will implement an automatic salary deduction scheme for these workers' SSS and EC contributio...

Oct212025 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

9th most wanted in NegOr arrested in Tanay, Rizal

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The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office arrested the ninth most wanted person in the province in Tanay, Rizal, on Monday, Oct. 20.Operatives of the Valencia Police Station , in coordination with Tanay Police Station, served a warrant of arrest for rape issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 44 judge in Dumaguete City, with no bail recommended.The suspect was arrested in Sitio Kabilang Ibayo, Brgy. Wawa, Tanay, Rizal.NORPPO Acting Director Col. Criscente C. Tiguelo said that the operation reflects the command’s commitment to pursue fugitives beyond boundaries and deliver justice without delay.He added that the arrest serves as a reminder that “crime may run, but the law will always arrive”.*

Oct202025 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Albee: Bacolod 1st area outside NCR for DPWH massive program vs. floods

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Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Mayor Greg Gasataya (4th and 3rd from right) meet with the DPWH national team headed by Undersecretary Charles Calima (3rd from left) at the Bacolod Congressional Office Monday morning.*The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has chosen Bacolod City as the first area outside the National Capital Region (NCR) for its massive dredging of riverways and declogging of drainages program, Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez said on Monday, Oct. 20.The massive short-term solution to the flooding problem will start in the middle of November, he said.Benitez said they created an inter-agency task force to be headed by him and Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya to oversee the flood control project.Among the national agencies...

Oct202025 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Restive Kanlaon emits ash 3 times on Monday

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The ash emission from 4:56 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. on Monday*Restive Kanlaon Volcano emitted ash three times on Monday, Oct. 20, with a total duration of close to four hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported.It emitted ash from 4:56 p.m. to 6:59 p.m. generating grayish plumes that rose up to 450 meters above the crater before drifting towards the west.From 9:20 a.m. to 10:54 a.m. the ash emission generated grayish plumes that rose up to 300 meters above the crater before drifting to the west-northwest, Phivolcs also said.The first ash emission on Monday occurred from 7:28 a.m. to 07:38 a.m. generating grayish plumes that rose up to 300 meters above the crater before drifting to the west, it added.Phivolcs also reported on Monday that Kanlaon was...

Oct202025 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

Albee seeks P20B nat’l disaster response infra fund

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Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has filed a bill seeking the creation of a disaster risk and financing insurance strategy with an initial funding of P20 billion for the repair and rehabilitation of calamity-hit public infrastructure.In filing House Bill (HB) No. 5202 or the Public Infrastructure Financing and Insurance Bill, Benitez said such should be prioritized since delays result in significant direct and indirect social and economic costs, considering the constant exposure of public works to the worsening climate.“The recent spate of earthquakes and typhoons has put the spotlight on the need to ensure that our infrastructures are well-maintained, made more resilient, and speedily repaired or rehabilitated,” he said in a statement Monday, Oct. 20.HB 5202 mandates the ...

Oct202025 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Renovation of ER at CLMMRH on schedule, health official says

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Ongoing work at the CLMMRH emergency work.*The P92 million renovation of the Emergency Room at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City is on schedule, a Department of Health (DOH) official said on Monday, October 20.Dr. Mary Ann Maestral, DOH undersecretary, said 9.79 percent of the work has been done as of Oct. 19 and the target is for it to be completed by December 31 as stated in the contract.“I am very happy with the way the renovation work is going…I told them if we can finish much earlier, it would be better,” she said.Maestral said despite the ongoing renovation of the ER, 2,567 patients have been served at the temporary Emergency Department in front of the hospital.A waiting area has also been set up for patient watchers so...

Oct202025 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Benitez, Bacolod priests meet, tackle moral recovery, corruption, flood control

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Bacolor Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (2nd from right) at the meeting with the clergy.*Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez met with the local clergy on Monday, Oct. 20, to discuss the holding of recollections for elected officials and government employees for moral renewal.Corruption and flood control problems were also tackled at the meeting with the Bacolod priests.They will be launching recollections with priests and government officials and eventually with employees to “bring back moral virtues” amid the prevalent problem of corruption, Benitez said.“We will begin with us (elected officials in Bacolod)” in the second week of November, he said.“It will be about repentance, contrition and penance,” Benitez said, stressing the need for a “white revolution” for chan...

Oct202025 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

LTO bans 16 in Negros, Panay from driving for life

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Sixteen individuals in Negros and Panay have been permanently disqualified from possessing a driver’s license since January this year due to severe traffic infractions, the Land Transportation Office-Western Visayas (LTO-6) reported on Monday. Oct. 20.Among these are a male motorist in Iloilo City and a female motorist in Bacolod City, “who presented fraudulent permits for renewal in May this year.”Regional Director Gaudioso Geduspan II ordered the perpetual disqualification of the two who attempted to renew fake driver’s licenses.Each license number did not match the agency’s official records, while the documents were unregistered in the Land Transportation Management System.The Iloilo motorist admitted to paying PHP4,500 to a fixer in 2020.“Though both claimed ignoran...