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A 23-year-old man died while his companion survived after they were allegedly abducted and shot at in Sitio Km. 113, Brgy. Dancalan, Ilog, Negros Occidental, Wednesday afternoon, May 27.Alias “Kirt”, 23, of Hacienda Manaol, Brgy. Matab-ang, Talisay City, died while his companion, alias “Niko”, 24, of Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City, survived.The friends were in Kabankalan City to play billiards, however, they were abducted by the suspects who forced them to ride a white van.Niko told the police that their hands were cable tied and they were driven to Brgy. Dancalan where they were dragged out of the vehicle.He said the suspects shot Kirt in the head while he was allowed to run while the suspects were shooting at him until he asked for help from the residents nearby.Ilog ...

About P823,500 worth of marijuana was surrendered to Bacolod City Drug Enforcement Unit and La Carlota City Police Intelligence Unit operatives on Tuesday, May 27.CDEU head Lt. Col. Antonio Benitez Jr. said that this voluntary surrender was an offshoot of the buy-bust operation conducted in Bacolod on Monday.Alias “Nene” surrendered to the authorities six kilos of dried marijuana and liquid marijuana, he said.The police said that this is the first time that they have recovered liquid marijuana, which is considered a dangerous drug based on the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency briefing.Liquid marijuana is a ready-to-use drug, which is usually bought at about P4,500 to P5,000 a container, Benitez said.They are still determining who are the customers of this kind of dang...

NOCPPO photoAuthorities are keeping a close watch on 10 entry points into Kanlaon Volcano’s 6-kilometer extended danger zone where all human activity has been prohibited amid the threat of another eruption, Regional Task Force Kanlaon head Raul Fernandez said Wednesday, May 28.The Office of the Civil Defense has temporarily suspended the 10-hour daily window that allowed evacuees to return to carry out farming and other livelihood activities in the 6-kilometer extended danger zone until further notice.Residents who had been evacuated out of the danger zone had been allowed to return during the day from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to tend to their farms and animals.The suspension will be until the situation at Kanlaon Volcano where numerous volcanic earthquakes have been recorded latel...

The police arrested a Victorias resident and seized smuggled cigarettes worth P2.8 million in Brgy. Pasil, E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, May 27.Arrested was alias “Aka Marciano”, 67, of Daan Banwa, Brgy. 9, Victorias City, while his alleged accomplice, alias “John Mark”, 32, is at-large, the police said.Recovered during the operation were 140 boxes of Brave cigarettes, believed to have been smuggled and sold without the proper tax stamps.The operation was conducted in line with the enforcement of Section 263 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997, as amended, which prohibits the unlawful possession or removal of articles subject to excise tax without the payment of the required tax.The confiscated items were turned over to the Bureau of Interna...

A signature campaign for the nullification of the joint venture agreement (JVA) between the Bacolod City Water District and PrimeWater was launched Wednesday, May 28.The people's petition calls on the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City to nullify the JVA on the grounds that it is allegedly detrimental to the public interest, violates relevant laws and regulations, and fails to prioritize the people's right to access safe and affordable water servicesThe petition calls on the SP to conduct thorough public hearings and consultations to ensure that any future agreements prioritize the public interest.It also urges the SP to protect public control over water services and ensure that any agreements benefit the people of Bacolod City.The launching of the signature campaign w...

Gov . Eugenio Jose Lacson with the five Negrense scholars at their graduation.*Five scholars from Negros Occidental graduated from the Commercial Cookery Course, a globally recognized competency program offered by the International College of Advanced Education (ICAE) in Darwin, Australia, on Wednesday, May 28.The five Negrense scholars - Renina Mondrianne C. Alaban of Manapla, Janica Ross P. Besana of Victorias City, Jason B. Mamar of Murcia, Mark A. Moreno of Talisay City, and Coleen Keith B. Villanueva of La Carlota City - successfully completed the internationally recognized Commercial Cookery program, equipping them with culinary skills at par with global standards, a press release from the Negros Occidental provincial government said.Moreno was selected to deliver the gra...

A house damaged by large rocks that accompanied the Kanlaon lahar flow in La Castellana on Saturday.*OCD photoThe Office of Civil Defense has suspended the 10-hour daily window that allows evacuees to return to carry out farming and other livelihood activities in the 6-kilometer extended danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano amid fears of another impending eruption and the threat of lahar flow.The suspension will start Wednesday, May 28, until further notice, Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Negros Island Region, said on Tuesday.Residents who had been evacuated out of the danger zone had been allowed to return during the day from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. to tend to their farms and animals because they also need to earn money, especially for the educ...

A 25-year-old woman died from suspected rabies at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City on Sunday, Dr. Ma. Girlie Pinongan, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said on Tuesday, May 27.She was the fourth suspected rabies casualty in Negros Occidental this year, Pinongan said.The 25-year-old woman, who has been living in Bacolod, was bitten by a dog in Kabankalan City in March, she said.The dog also died in March.The victim, who had no history of vaccination against rabies, showed symptoms such as hydrophobia and also had fever, Pinongan said.Other deaths from suspected rabies in Negros Occidental this year include a 6-year-old boy in Don Salvador Benedicto, a 72-year-old grandfather in Hinoba-an and a 21-year-old woman in Caua...

The three suspects arrested in Bacolod City.*The police arrested five people and seized P660,000 in drugs in Bacolod City and Victorias City on Monday, May 26.Three people were arrested and illegal drugs worth P524,000 were seized in a buy-bust operation at Manville Royale Subdivision in Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City, Monday evening.Arrested were alias “Rolyn” of Brgy. 3, La Carlota City, and alias “Ryan” and alias “French” of Bacolod City, the police said.Confiscated from the suspects were 10 grams of suspected shabu valued at P68,000 and marijuana leaves worth P456,000, for a total of P524,000.The suspects are now in police custody and will be charged in violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.The police also arrested two fishe...

Miko Villaran after winning the secondary boys' 110m-Hurdles at the 65th Palarong Pambansa *PNA /Yancy Lim photoMiko Villaran of Western Visayas set a new Palarong Pambansa record in the secondary boys 110m hurdles at the Ferdinand E. Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag City on Tuesday, May 27.Villaran of the Romanito P. Maravilla Sr. National High School in Bacolod City clocked 14.00s, eclipsing the 14.68s registered by Patrick Unso of National Capital Region (NCR) in the 2010 edition hosted by Tarlac.Mark John Paculanang of Central Visayas took the silver medal in 14.32s while Charles James Villapana of Northern Mindanao clocked 14.75s to earn the bronze medal.Western Visayas now has seven golds, five silvers and seven bronzes to take the No. 3 spot in the overall medal tal...