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The two suspects who were involved in a police shootout during a drug bust at Malaspina Street in Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City, on Monday, April 26, were said to be “big drug distributors.”The suspects identified as Xiever Louis “Alyas Boss” Rosales of Barangay Bata and his live-in partner, Hilda Trujillo, of Barangay Banago sold four sachets of suspected shabu worth P44,500 to a police poseur buyer.When the poseur buyer declared that he was a police officer, Rosales allegedly fired at the policemen, who retaliated.The shootout led to the death of Trujillo, while Rosales was injured after sustaining gunshot wounds.In a statement, the Police Regional Office-6 said the suspects are “considered as one of the big drug distributors based on the illegal drugs recovered durin...

Bacolod DRRMO photoSix more inmates at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology isolation facility in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, have tested positive for COVID-19, City Administrator Em Ang said Tuesday, April 27.This brings the total number of inmates infected to 52 with 46 having tested positive as of Sunday, April 25, Ang, who is also the executive director of the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center, said.There have also been 15 policemen at the Bacolod Police Station 4 and eight at Station 1 who tested positive for COVID-19, she added.The employees at a English tutorial firm with Korean clients at La Salle Avenue in Bacolod City who tested positive for COVID-19 also rose to 20, she said.There are 37 new COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City for a total of 864 act...

Capitol photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and several other senior citizen mayors will be vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City on Friday, April 29.The governor along with other senior citizen local chief executives will be inoculated with Sinovac vaccines, and if there are extra doses Capitol department heads will be qualified as substitutes, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, April 27.The mayors who have voluntarily agreed to be vaccinated with the governor are Manuel Escalante of Manapla, Nadie Arceo of Hinigaran and Ernesto Estrao of Hinob-aan, Diaz said.Candoni Mayor Cicero Borromeo has yet to confirm if he will be vaccinated on Friday, he added.Diaz said they also have ten doses ...

Capitol photoThe new COVID-19 molecular laboratory at the Valladolid District Hospital compound at Barangay Tabao in Valladolid town, Negros Occidental, is now open for business, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, April 27.The laboratory owned by Safeguard DNA Diagnostics Inc. can conduct 1,000 to 2,000 COVID-19 tests a day when it reaches its full operating capacity, he said.The laboratory will serve the needs of Negros Occidental and Oriental, and Panay residents, he said.Safeguard DNA Diagnostics Inc. swab booths have been set up in front of the Provincial Health Office in Bacolod City for residents who wish to be tested for COVID-19. The results will be sent to them via their cellular phones, Diaz said.They are offering 80 free COVID-19 tests for ...

One of the most wanted persons in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, was arrested at Goldcrest Subdivision in Barangay Bata, Bacolod City, on Monday, April 26.Police identified the suspect as 26-year-old Jesuhua “Jeje” Pico, who is also considered by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 12 as a high-value individual.Pico was arrested by combined operatives of the Regional Intelligence Division 6, Bacolod City Police Station 3, and Isulan Municipal Police Station Tracker Team by virtue of an arrest warrant for the sale of illegal drugs, issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Lorenzo Balo of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat on October 2, 2020, a police report said.The police said they received reports that the suspect was sighted in the area last week, which led them to conduct surveillance for hi...

The Sagay City government in Negros Occidental has temporarily banned the entry of tourists and visitors in one of its barangays for a religious event from April 30 to May 2.Barangay Vito will celebrate the San Vicente Ferrer Festival on May 1 to 2, and it draws a huge number of attendees coming from the cities and municipalities in the province and the neighboring island of Bantayan, Mayor Alfredo Marañon III said in an executive order he issued on Monday, April 26.In the EO, the mayor said that the reason for the temporary moratorium on the entry of visitors to Barangay Vito for three days is to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus.“As a result of the more relaxed uniform travel protocols, there is an increase of COVID-19 active cases in Negros Occidental, and even in S...

The fire victims are temporarily being housed in tents at the JR Torres Elementary School gym.*Bacolod PIO photoA fire that hit a densely populated area in Bacolod City left about 250 residents homeless Monday night, April 26, Singcang-Airport Barangay Captain Rosinie Distrito said.Initial figures show that 52 houses were destroyed affecting 61 families in Purok Neptune, Barangay Singcang-Airport, Distrito said.The fire began at about 3:30 p.m. and was placed under control at about 5:30 p.m., he said.It quickly destroyed houses made of light materials, and firefighters initially had a hard time entering narrow pathways to put out the blaze, Distrito said.Some residents were seen rescuing their pigs from the fire.A loud blast was heard from a house in the purok where...

The Department of Health in Western Visayas classified Bacolod City as a high risk area for COVID-19 Monday, April 26.Bacolod was classified as a high risk area because its average daily attack rate per 100,000 population grew from 6.18 percent to 7.12 percent in the last two weeks, Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te reported during the DOH Isyung Bakuna online press conference.The growth rate of the COVID-19 cases in Bacolod in the last two weeks was also placed 146.60 percent, she said.The DOH report said the top 10 COVID-hit barangays in Bacolod are Handumanan with 98 active cases, Mansilingan – 79, Estefania -74, Taculing – 63, Villamonte – 56, Mandalagan – 53, Tangub – 47, Alijis -44, Bata -33 and Vista Alegre -20.The Bacolod Emergency Operations Center reported that 12 city baranga...

A woman was killed while her companion was wounded after they allegedly resisted arrest in a drug buy-bust operation at Malaspina Street, Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod City, Monday morning, April 26.It was the second shooting incident in the city in a day.High-value individuals Xiever Louis “Alyas Boss” Rosales and Hilda Trujillo were the subject of a drug bust operation conducted by Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit-6 operatives, the police reported.The suspects were about to sell four sachets of suspected shabu worth P44,500 to a police poseur buyer when they realized it was a police operation.One of the suspects fired his gun at the police that prompted them to shoot back, which led to the death of Trujillo while Rosales landed in a hospital after sustaining gunshot w...