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The Provincial Development Council meeting last week.* Richard Malihan photoThe Provincial Development Council has endorsed a Department of Agriculture (DA) proposal for the allocation of ₱12 billion for farm-to-market roads in Negros Occidental for the approval of the Regional Development Council (RDC), Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said on Monday, May 25..The DA proposal includes farm-to-market roads for all local government units in Negros Occidental, said Escalante, who is also the president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives (Negros ACE).Negros ACE, which is composed of the mayors of Negros Occidental, will meet on Thursday to also pass a resolution supporting the DA proposal to the RDC, Escalante said.They will also submit their resolution to Agriculture ...

Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez *Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said the House the Committee on Health and the Committee on Persons with Disabilities approved House Bill 3379, or the National Autism Program Act on Monday, March 25, marking an important step in strengthening support for individuals with ASD and their families.The bill seeks to expand access to free assessment and therapy, PhilHealth coverage, early detection programs, inclusive education and barangay-based therapy centers, for every Filipino with ASD, he said.It also grants TESDA training opportunities, additional leave benefits for parents, and other measures that promote dignity, inclusion, and better opportunities for Filipinos with ASD, he added.“We will continue to push ...

The  48-year-old general manager of the Sipalay City Water District, who was listed as the No. 2 most wanted person at the city level, was arrested in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental on Thursday night, May 21.Police said the accused, whose name was withheld, was arrested at around 7:44 p.m. in Brgy. 3.The tracker team of the Sipalay City Police Station conducted the manhunt operation led by Police Lt. Col. Jesus Mesahon Jr., Sipalay police chief.Authorities said the accused was arrested by virtue of warrants for two counts of rape with no bail recommended.He is also facing a charge for rape by sexual assault, with bail set at P120,000.Police said the warrants were issued on May 21 by a Regional Trial Court in Sipalay City.The accused is now detained at the &nbs...

Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco*Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco slammed the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) for its lack of transparency in the election of the members of its board of directors.He said the election of the NONECO director in the Toboso area is overdue.The NONECO board and general manager should request for the holding of an election from the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and he does not know why this has not been done, Jaojoco said.He also noted that NONECO charges the highest electric rates among the three cooperatives in Negros Occidental.Jaojoco said he is open to a 70-30 privatization of NONECO to improve its services, similar to the Central Negros Electric Cooperative-Negros Electric and Power Corp. joint venture agreement (...

A 12-year-old Sagaynon athlete delivered the first gold medal for the Negros Island Region in its Palarong Pambansa comeback after topping the Elementary Girls Javelin Throw in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur on Monday, May 25.Marjen Iwayan of Brgy. Vito, Sagay City ruled the event at the D.O. Plaza Government Center Sports Complex on the first competitive day of the national games.Iwayan, a graduating elementary student of Vito Elementary School, is the daughter of Jennylyn, a child caretaker, and Mario, a construction worker.She recorded a 47.20-meter throw, coming close to the 49.77-meter Palarong Pambansa record set last year.Iwayan said this was her second Palarong Pambansa appearance and her second gold medal, after also winning gold in the Elementary Girls High Jump repr...

Mayor Greg Gasataya has issued special permits to 42 ambulant vendors operating along North Capitol Road (Lagoon) in Bacolod City, recognizing their livelihood while the city intensifies road-clearing measures on major streets.For vendors like 37-year-old Ronela Lagahit, the permit marks the end of decades of uncertainty while selling fresh fruit juice coolers along Aguinaldo Street near North Capitol Road.“In my more than 20 years as an ambulant vendor in that area with my mother, this is the first time we were given a special permit to officially sell. We finally have the assurance that our livelihood is legal,” Lagahit said.The permits, processed through the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) with assistance from the City Administrator’s Office, were personally d...

Four members of a family escaped unharmed after their vehicle caught fire while they were on their way to Mt. Hermit in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, on Saturday, May 23.The family, who came from Himamaylan City, were on their wat to visit the tourist destination when the incident happened along an uphill road.The vehicle was a second-hand 2020 Suzuki Ertiga that the owner bought in January this year.Initial investigation showed the family stopped to take photos and had already stepped out of the vehicle when they noticed that it had caught fire.Fire Officer 1 Exxon Ylosorio, fire investigator of the Binalbagan Bureau of Fire Protection, said the vehicle’s engine may have overheated.Ylosorio said the fire could have been immediately contained if the vehicle had a fire...

Two persons died in  road accidents in Valladolid and Murcia, Negros Occidental, on Sunday night, May 24.In Valladolid, a 44-year-old pedestrian died after he was hit by a van while crossing the national highway in Brgy. Palaka at around 6:40 p.m.Police identified the victim as alias “Makmak,” a resident of Bais City, Negros Oriental.Initial investigation showed the victim was crossing the road to buy water from a store on the opposite side when he was hit by a white Toyota Hi-Ace commuter van traveling from Bago City toward Valladolid proper.Police said the van fled the scene after the incident but was later spotted near a church in Brgy. Poblacion and positively identified by a witness.The pedestrian sustained serious injuries and was rushed by Valladolid MDRRMO ...

A 19-year-old laborer drowned after he jumped into an irrigation canal in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, early Sunday morning, May 24.Police said the incident happened at around 1 a.m. in Lower Balicaocao, Brgy. Orong.Initial investigation by the Kabankalan City Police Station showed the victim and his friends had been drinking at his residence since around 3 p.m. on May 23.At around 1 a.m. the following day, the group reportedly decided to bathe in a nearby irrigation canal.Police said the victim, who was allegedly intoxicated, jumped into the canal and was no longer seen by his companions.At around 7 a.m., a resident found the victim’s body at the end section  of the irrigation canal.*