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Victorias PNP photoThree people were killed in separate accidents in Negros Occidental in two days.Killed at Lacson Street, Bacolod City, on June 24 was 48-year-old Quintina Seldora of Barangay Zone 2, Talisay City.The victim, along with her husband Reynald Seldora, 46, was on board a motorcycle when they were hit by a Toyota Innova driven by David Palawar, 57, of Plantazionne North Point Ayala, Talisay City, the police report showed.The couple was brought to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, but the wife succumbed to her injuries.The vehicle driver was brought to the police station and will face charges for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, physical injury, and damage to property.In a separate incident, motorcycle driver Florien Jane C...

Hinigaran PNP photoTask Force Mapalad is calling for justice for a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program beneficiary who was killed by two alleged security guards of Hacienda Biellabail in Brgy. Tuguis, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental.Julius Denagiba Jr., 35, a father of two minors and vice chairman of the Hacienda Biellabail Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization in Brgy. Tuguis, was gunned down by two security guards wearing blue uniforms and a watchman in plainclothes around 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 23, according to at least four witnesses, Lani Factor, TFM national deputy coordinator, said Friday, June 25.The suspected killers, who fled after the crime, were employed by the former landowner of the 120-hectare portion of a farm already acquired by the Department of Agrarian R...

The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City temporarily closed its COVID-19 area on the fourth floor of its West Tower building on Friday, June 25, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said.Drilon said the closure was necessary for repairs on the main sanitary pipeline of the facility to ensure the safety of the patients and healthcare workers.This has affected 14 COVID-19 beds but he expects the repairs to be completed by Sunday, Drilon said.The closure will affect the number of allocated functional beds of the hospital and the acceptance of COVID-19 patients for admission, a CLMMRH advisory said.Rest assured that the hospital management will reopen the dedicated area for the COVID-19 patients as soon as all necessary repairs have been accomplishe...

The Philippine flag is flying at half-mast in front of the Negros Occidental Capitol in Bacolod City in honor of former president Benigno Aquino III.*Richard Malihan photoPhilippine flags are flying at half-mast in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City in honor of former President Benigno Aquino III and to mourn his death at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, June 24.Aquino, 61, died peacefully in his sleep at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City his sister, Pinky Aquino-Abellada, said.“His death certificate pronounced his death at 6:30 a.m. due to renal disease secondary to diabetes,” she said.Aquino is remembered by Negrenses for his creation of the Negros Island Region, which was later abolished by President Rodrigo Duterte, and for his support to the sugar industry.“The people ...

CAAP-Bacolod photoBacolod and Dumaguete in Negros Island are among ten additional cities that have been added to the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus Eight areas, in the national government’s vaccination priority, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced in a press briefing Thursday, June 24.The other cities on the list are Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, Baguio City, Zamboanga City, Tuguegarao City, General Santos City, Naga City, and Legazpi City, he said.The basis for their inclusion is the surge of COVID-19 cases in their areas, their being highly urbanized with dense environments, and their contribution to the regional or national economy, he said.Father Nicanor Austriaco, lead investigator for the University of Santo Tomas-CoVAX Vaccine Awareness Team, at t...

President Rodrigo Duterte signing RA 11564 as Senator Bong Go looks on.*President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11564, an act establishing the Bacolod City General Hospital and appropriating funds for it, at Malacañan Palace Thursday night, June 24.House Bill 6731 authored by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya and Senate Bill 1647 authored Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri seeking the creation of a P600 million Bacolod hospital will now be known as Republic Act No. 11564.Duterte said the establishment of hospitals are “crucial in strengthening the capacity of the health care system as we continue to overcome the current pandemic”.He also assured the medical frontliners that the government cares about their plight and will continue to work with Congress to eq...

PIA file photoThe Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC) and the Central Philippines State University (CPSU) in Negros Occidental have been granted P41.163 million under the Smart Campus Development project of the Commission on Higher Education, CHED chairman Prospero de Vera said Thursday, June 24.CHMSC received a grant of PHP23.163 million to establish a college-wide network infrastructure project, Rhoderick Samonte, director for external affairs of the college, said.“This is a real boost to our journey towards becoming a state university as well as to our vision of becoming a leading green institution of higher learning in the global community by 2030, “ he said.The Smart Campus Development Project will focus on a system-wide development of the ICT infrastructure o...

BCPO photoMore than P100,000 worth of drugs were seized in separate drug bust operations in Negros Occidental in two days.Arrested at Barangay Tangub, Bacolod City, on Wednesday, June 23, was street-level drug suspect Richard Cabiles, 35.During the police-led drug bust, the suspect yielded nine sachets of suspected shabu worth P48,000, a cellphone, and drug paraphernalia.In a separate bust, Maria Danila Almaras, alias An-An Almaras and An-An Ipis, was arrested at Barangay 5, San Carlos City Tuesday night, June 22.Seized from the suspect were plastic sachets of suspected shabu weighing around 10 grams worth P68,000, cigarette packs, and the buy-bust money.The arrest of the suspect came following a tip received on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s hotline, wher...