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Screengrab of Sipalay fire from Roy Dahotoy Aday videoFire hit a house in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday morning, June 10.The fire hit the house of  “Rang,” 39, at Purok 3, Brgy. 2, the police reported Thursday.The Sipalay police  received a call about the fire from a concerned citizen at around 11:29 a.m.Police personnel proceeded to the area to verify the report and conduct an initial investigation.Investigation showed that the victim’s house and several personal belongings were damaged by the fire.The Bureau of Fire Protection-Sipalay City declared the fire out at around 8:45 a.m.The estimated property damage was placed at P360,000.The BFP said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.*

A 56-year-old laborer was found dead inside his residence in La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Wednesday afternoon, June 10.Police identified the victim as  “Jing2x,” a resident of Purok 3, Brgy. Cabacungan.The La Castellana Municipal Police Station said it received information from the victim’s neighbor at around 5:30 p.m. that he was found dead inside his house.Police said the neighbor went to check on the victim and bring him food after not seeing him for several days.The neighbor repeatedly called out to the victim but received no response.She then entered the house and found him unresponsive and no longer breathing.Investigation showed that the victim had been suffering from tuberculosis for more than five years.Police also learned that his immediate...

Pixabay file photoA 52-year-old farmer died after he was struck by lightning in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 9.Police identified the victim as alias “Lito,” a resident of Sitio Crossing, Brgy. Mahalang.Investigation showed that the victim went to his farm at around 3 p.m. to plant sugarcane.Police said the victim was on his way home because of heavy rainfall when he was struck by lightning.A neighbor rushed him to the Kabankalan District Hospital but he was declared dead  by the attending physician.Police said the incident was caused by a natural occurrence due to adverse weather conditions.No signs of foul play were noted.*

Benitez, Marañon and Escalante (l-r)*Who  will be the  Love Negros-United Negros (UNegA) coalition candidate for Negros Occidental governor in 2028?Three contenders whose names are being floated  are Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (3rd District), Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (2nd District), and Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, president of Negros  Alliance of Chief Executives.Benitez is a member of Love Negros, while Marañon and Escalante are with UNegA.Marañon said during the  meeting of the province's top officials on Monday, they agreed that the coalition would field a single candidate for governor to keep the province politically stable.However, the final decision on who will be fielded has yet to be made, Marañon said.He added that  th...

The EB Magalona blue crabs*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe Philippines' sale of blue crabs to the United States will be banned effective Thursday, June 11, due to the country’s alleged failure to comply with American marine mammal protection laws.This will affect the country’s approximately P6 billion in annual crab exports, 90 percent of which goes to the US market,  former mayor Alfonso “Diding” Gamboa of EB Magalona, Negros Occidental, said WednesdayNegros Occidental accounts for a large chunk of the country’s blue crab exports.Gamboa said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) failed to adequately defend the Philippines against claims that the country violated the US Marine Mammal Protection Act's import provisions.The alleged violation stems from a 20...

 Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao (3rd from left) and Vice Mayor Andrew Torres (4th from left) with Bago Negros Energy Corp. vice president Passakorn Panyaratanakorn (2nd from left) and other officials during the groundbreaking.*  Bago City Information Office photoThe Bago Negros Energy Corp. (BNEC) broke ground for the construction of the 150-megawatt (MW) wind power project, the first of its kind in Negros Island Region, in a ceremony held in Barangay Calumangan on Wednesday, June 10.With a total initial project cost of PHP9.78 billion, the BNEC proposes to construct and operate 23 wind turbine generators (WTGs) aimed at strengthening power supply in the Visayas grid and supporting the national renewable energy roadmap.“We are not only witnessing the start of a structure, we are wi...

A 24-year-old cook remains in the intensive care unit after he was hit by a car in Isabela, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday night, June 9.The police identified the victim as  “Stephen,” a resident of Purok 3, Brgy. Camp Clark, Isabela.The incident happened along the National Highway in Brgy. Camp Clark at around 11:30 p.m., the police said.The Isabela police investigation showed that a white Suzuki Swift was traveling from Brgy. Libas when it sideswiped two tricycles parked along the roadside.Police said the victim was sitting at the back of one of the tricycles when he was also hit.The victim sustained a head injury and was brought to the Ignacio Lacson Arroyo Memorial District Hospital for medical treatment.He was later transferred to a hospital in Bacolod City...

Two barefoot men, one of them  armed with a gun, were caught by a closed-circuit television camera entering a house in Kabankalan City on Tuesday night, June 9.The incident happened at a house near the plaza of Brgy. Tagoc.CCTV footage showed the two men entering the house one after the other.The first man was wearing a jacket and shorts and was carrying a firearm.The second man had tattoos on his leg and was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, shorts, a cap, a watch, and a handkerchief covering his face.The footage showed the two men searching through items inside the house for several minutes.Before leaving, one of the suspects was seen taking a cellphone that was charging inside the house.The Kabankalan police said it has not yet received a formal report on th...