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Rep. Stephen Paduano*Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod) said the House Committee on Public Accounts inquiry into P1.1 billion worth of Silay City infrastructure projects will be concluded before the 19th Congress ends on June 30.“When the House committee report on the Silay projects will be made will depend on the results of the next hearing,” Paduano, House Committee on Public Accounts chairman, said on Thursday, Feb. 6.Definitely the committee report on the Silay inquiry will be submitted to the plenary before the closing of the 19th Congress, he said.However, he does not know yet when the next hearing will be calendared, Paduano said.There are also pending complaints on the alleged irregularities in the Silay projects that have been filed before the Office of the O...

NEDA NIR  Regional Director Arecio Casing Jr. and CHMSU President Norberto Mangulabnan (2nd and 3rd  from left) hold up the usufruct agreement that they signed in the presence of Undersecretary Carlos Bernardo Abad Santos (left)  and  CHMSU VP for Administration and Finance Rosalinda Tuvilla (right), NEDA 7 RD Jennifer Bretaña and chief economic development specialist Marlon Jinon (standing).*The Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU) Alijis Campus in Bacolod City is now the host of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Negros Island Region office.CHMSU signed the usufruct agreement with NEDA as the temporary headquarters of the line agency’s regional office in a ceremony at its Alijis Campus on Thursday, Feb. 6, a press release from th...

Rep. Emilio “Dino” Yulo*Rep. Emilio “Dino” Yulo (Neg. Occ., 5th District) also signed the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte bringing to ten the Negros Island Region (NIR) representatives who are supporting the move.Yulo signed the complaint after the House adjourned on Wednesday night, Rep. Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist) said Thursday, Feb. 6.His name was not among the 215 representatives on the official list of signatories when the House adjourned.Yulo, who could not be reached for comment, was the last to sign among all of the NIR representatives.Paduano said more members of the House were also set to sign the complaint.The House transmitted the impeachment documents to the Senate for the conduct of a trial.Senate President F...

Dr. Joan E. Cerrada*Dr. Joan E. Cerrada is the new Medical Center Chief II of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod City.Cerrada replaces Dr. Julius Drilon who retired on November 2024, Dr. Mary Ann Maestral, Department of Health undersecretary, said on Thursday, Feb. 6.Maestral said movement of some personnel at the hospital took place late last year to improve its services.Measures are also being taken to increase the bed capacity at CLMMRH to take in more patients, Maestral said.She said because of the ongoing construction of multiple projects the bed space at the hospital had dropped that is why patients could not be admitted, which they are trying to rectify.There are five major projects ongoing, Maestral said.Since...

The drug bust in Brgy. Granada, Bacolod City.*BCPO photoThe police arrested four persons and seized suspected shabu worth P428,400 in two buy-bust operations in the cities of Kabankalan and Bacolod, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, Feb. 4.Alias “Timber”, 48, was arrested in Purok Sampaguita, Brgy. Binicuil, Kabankalan City, the police said.Seized from him were 55 grams of suspected shabu with estimated street drug price of P374,000, the police reported.Meanwhile, alias “Hardy”, 28, “Justin”, 35, and “Jeroll”, 25, were arrested in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Granada, Bacolod City.Recovered from the suspects where eight grams of suspected shabu worth P54,400, the police said.They are now under police custody and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 ...

Law enforcers arrested a woman and seized smuggled cigarettes worth P168,000 in Brgy. Cadiz Viejo in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, on Monday, Feb. 3.The 37-year-old woman, who was not identified, was arrested by operatives of the Bacolod Maritime Police Station, Bureau of Customs-VI, and other local authorities.They intercepted an L300 van with about 150 reams of contraband cigarettes, the Maritime Police reported.The suspect is now under the police custody and will be charged for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.*

Bacolod City Police Station 2 cops have identified persons of interest in the shooting to death of a “barker” in Purok Lubi, Brgy. 3 on Jan 31.They are looking at a group behind the killing of Mary Jane Co, 39, Maj. Eugene Tolentino, Station 2 Commander, said on Wednesday, Feb. 5.A ”barker” is a person who calls passengers to ride on public utility vehicles.The police said that the motive for the shooting could be connected to the illegal drug trade as the victim’s live-in partner said that she was using shabu.The police also said that the suspects might have had a misconceived suspicion that the victim was a police asset.Co, a resident of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, who was temporarily residing in Brgy. 5, Bacolod, was shot multiple times by an unidentified person...

The scene of the fire in Purok Pasil, Barangay Zone 5, Talisay City.*Philippine Red Cross Negros Occidental-Bacolod City chapter photoThe Talisay City government is releasing financial assistance to the 57 families with 213 members whose houses were hit by a fire in Purok Pasil, Barangay Zone 5, on Tuesday.The 53 families whose houses were destroyed on Tuesday will receive P10,000 each in assistance, and the four whose houses were damaged will be given P7,000 each, Dionela Madrona, Talisay City Social Welfare and Development officer, said on Wednesday, Feb. 5.Donations have been coming in but more food, shelter assistance and kitchen utensils are still needed, she said.Madrona said Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, Angels Wings Foundation president Rowena Lopez Lizares...

The rice seeds distributed on Wednesday*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday, Feb. 5, reiterated his call for farmers to aim to produce 6 metric tons of rice per hectare with good seeds.The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist believes that with the help of technology, irrigation and agricultural inputs, the province's target of 6 metric tons of rice per hectare can be achieved, Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola said.Lacson and Genzola led the distribution of 246 sacks of seeds to farmer beneficiaries from Cadiz, Manapla, Ilog and EB Magalona at the Capitol grounds in Bacolod City on Wednesday.The recipients were among those affected by disasters such as floods.The 246 sacks of seeds were donated by the Negros Occidental Seed Growers Agriculture...

OIC-Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola*The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) is now focusing its efforts on the recovery of farmers affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption, Dina Genzola, OIC-Provincial Agriculturist, said on Wednesday, Feb. 5.There has been no increase in the P129.7 million crop damage following the eruption, she said.We are preparing a recovery plan for the affected farmers, but cannot give aid for them to resume farming in Kanlaon’s 6 kilometer danger zone now, she said.“We will have to wait until the situation normalizes,” she said.She said they also assisted the farmers from La Castellana in selling their crops.The rehabilitation plan will focus on livelihoods for the farmers, she said.*