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The police have confirmed the identity of the second body discovered in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office spokesperson, Capt. Judesses Catalogo, said on Sunday, August 17, that the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) now has the identity of the second victim.He was identified by his sister as "Kokoy," 41, a resident of Barangay Tabao Rizal, San Enrique.Catalogo said that Kokoy’s body was claimed by his family and transported back to their hometown on August 15.His body had been discovered in Sitio San Isidro, Barangay Concepcion, Talisay City, on August 10.The first victim was previously identified as Mars Relles, 48, of Villa Soledad, Barangay Estefania, Bacolod City. Relles' body was also found in Barangay Concepcion on the...

The Bacolod City Government Center was abuzz on Saturday, August 16, as 814 students participating in the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) received their wages.A total of P6.7 million was released for the program after Mayor Greg Gasataya signed a memorandum to expedite the payout, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said on Sunday.During the event Gasataya, accompanied by Public Employment Service Office head Mae Llamas and PESO Coordinator Jovelyn Canoy, encouraged the students to value not only the financial assistance but also the experience they gained during their 20-day employment.The mayor reaffirmed the city's commitment to the SPES program, promising to help beneficiaries secure future jobs. He also announced plans to rewar...

The police have identified the man who was found dead in a river at Hacienda Canla-on, Barangay Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, on August 14.Authorities said the victim was alias “Melvin,” 28, a resident of Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod City.He was identified by his father on August 17 through a distinctive tattoo of a candle with the name “Melvin” on his left shoulder.La Castellana Acting Police Chief Maj. Melchor Patna-an said a force multiplier discovered the body while on his way to harvest vegetables.The victim, believed to have been dead for four to five days, was wearing a campaign shirt, grey underwear, and denim pants.Police said the body may have been carried to the site by strong currents from heavy rains earlier in the week.*

Mayor Joedith Gallego responding to questions on the bulk water project on Friday*Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego said on Friday, August 15, that he is still not in favor of granting a Resolution of No Objection (RONO) to the Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project, which would allow it to draw water from Silay's rivers.He said that drawing water from the rivers of Silay would endanger the supply needed by the city’s residents and farmers.When the province was hit by the El Niño phenomenon, the water in Silay’s rivers dropped and affected its residents, he said.Fire trucks had to then ration water to Silaynons, Gallego pointed out.A RONO is an official document that indicates a local government’s approval and support for a specific project or activity within its ...

The shabu seized in Dumaguete City*The police in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental confiscated more than P11 million in suspected shabu in three separate buy-bust operations in Dumaguete City, Bacolod City, and Don Salvador Benedicto on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 14 and 15.The biggest haul came from Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, where a high-value individual (HVI) was arrested in Barangay Bajumpandan on Thursday evening with P10.2 million in shabuThe suspect, identified as 41-year-old Franklin Miral Lifana of Bacong, Negros Oriental, was nabbed by joint operatives of the Dumaguete City Police Station–City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the PNP Drug Enforcement Group-Special Operations Unit 17 Negros Island Region.Authoritie...

The order from the Office of the Ombudsman for Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and 16 others, including members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, to file their counter-affidavits to a complaint for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act was merely a procedural matter."We are confident that this baseless case will immediately be dismissed for lack of probable cause and merit," Bacolod Councilor Caesar Distrito, spokesman for Benitez, said on Friday, August 15.Distrito dismissed the complaint, filed by the late mediaman Rolando M. Baliguat shortly before the May elections, as "baseless and politically motivated."Benitez and the other respondents have already submitted their counter-affidavits, Distrito said in a press statement.The complaint concerns the Bui...

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) is waiting for one more permit so it can commence the purchase of P15 million worth of pesticides to be used against the Red Stripe Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation.SRA just needs a permit from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority because one of the pesticides to be purchased has not been traditionally used for sugarcane, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said on Friday, August 15.The SRA has sought the help of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel to fast track the release of the FPA permit, he said.As of August 11, the RSSI has affected 3,394.82 hectares of sugarcane, SRA data showed on Friday.Azcona is calling on farmers to remain vigilant against the RSSI, as early detection prevents its spread.The actual affect...

The body of an unidentified man was found in Brgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana*An unidentified man in an advanced state of decomposition was found in a river in Hacienda Canla-on, Brgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, on Thursday morning, Aug. 14.Maj. Melchor Patna-an, La Castellana Acting Police Chief, said the discovery was made by a force multiplier who was on his way to harvest vegetables when he saw the cadaver inside a dam at around 8:30 a.m.The victim, believed to have been dead for four to five days, was wearing a campaign shirt, grey underwear, and denim pants.He had a tattoo of a candle with the name “Melvin” on his left shoulder.Patna-an said the man is not believed to be a resident of the area and may have been carried to the site by strong currents b...

Mayor Marina “Mayette” Javellana-Yao distributing P10,000 in aid for each of the 22 families.*Twenty-two families displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in December are getting a fresh start with P10,000 each in financial assistance from the Bago City government.Mayor Marina “Mayette” Javellana-Yao led the distribution of the aid on Thursday, August 14, at the Payag sang Kapag-on Village in Barangay Napoles, where the 22 families have been staying for months.The financial aid, sourced from the city's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Fund, is part of a larger effort to help them return home.“Just to let them know that our local government will not abandon them,” Javellana-Yao said.The families are scheduled to return to their homes in Purok Manokan, Barang...

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) activated a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) on Thursday, Aug. 14, to investigate two of the three dead bodies found in Talisay City.NOCPPO spokesperson Capt. Judesses Catalogo told DIGICAST NEGROS on Aug. 15 that the SITG will focus on two victims discovered in Brgy. Concepcion, while a separate probe will be conducted on the third body, which was already in an advanced state of decomposition.One of the SITG-covered victims has been identified as Mars Relles, 48, of Villa Soledad, Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod City.His body was found in Brgy. Concepcion on Aug. 10.Police records show he had previous cases for illegal drug trade and murder and was also a stabbing victim earlier this year.He was released from the ...