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“Base-ao Del Jaena”, the champion.* Ronnie Baldonado photo“Base-ao Del Jaena” that advocated the protection of sea horses was the champion in this year’s “Sinigay sa Sagay Saot para sa Dunang Manggad”, one of the highlights of the 29th Sinigayan Festival at the Sagay City Public Plaza on Wednesday, March 19.The cluster, composed of barangays Bato, Sewahon, Taba-ao, Plaridel, and Lopez Jaena was the champion in the street dance and arena competition where participating groups advocated environment conservation and sustainability themes, a press release from Sagay City said.Base-ao Del Jaena dancers, taking the sea horse as their conservation icon, told a story through a tableau of the effects of harvesting the species on the ecosystem and the people.The contingent was als...

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office had the highest number of COMELEC gun ban apprehensions in Western Visayas with 24 from Jan. 12 to March 18.The  Police Regional Office-6 had a total of 84 gun ban apprehensions in the past two months.Of the 84, NOCPPO arrested 24, followed by Iloilo province with 19, Capiz -  14, Bacolod City - 9, Iloilo City -  5, and  Aklan  - 4, the PRO-6 press release said.The Guimaras, Antique, and Regional Mobile Force Battalion-6 cops  each had three  arrested violators.Aside from civilians, they  also apprehended uniformed personnel, the PRO-6 reported.Aside from the arrests, PRO-6 cops also  seized 90 firearms, including gun replicas and explosives, the press release added.*

The evacuees in Toboso.*photo courtesy of Councilor Richard JaojocoThree 79th Infantry Battalion soldiers were injured in an encounter with New People’s Army rebels in Sitio Bairan, Brgy General Luna in Toboso, Negros Occidental, which caused 334 residents to evacuate on Tuesday, March 18.The encounter between the 79th IB soldiers and about seven NPA remnants took place at about 7:12 a.m. Tuesday, Capt. Armel Lasap, Toboso police chief, said.Lasap said the injured soldiers were taken to the Escalante hospital and were in stable condition.The police had no information yet on whether there were casualties or injured NPA rebels.Toboso Councilor Richard Jaojoco said as of 4 p.m. Tuesday there were 334 residents from areas near the encounter site who evacuated.The evacua...

The Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental*PNA Bacolod file photoThe Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) have committed P400 million for the upgrade of the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, March 17, that the CAAP committed P200 million for the terminal renovation while TIEZA pledged P200 million for runway improvement.“Since there is a changing of the guard in CAAP, I will follow it up. The last director general committed P200 million to renovate the airport. I will contact them again to implement their commitment,” he said.Benitez said in its current state, the Bacolod-Silay Airport is crowded while the restrooms and t...

Two persons have died from suspected rabies in Negros Occidental, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Provincial Health Officer, said on Tuesday, March 18.The latest fatality is a 72-year-old Hinoba-an town resident who died on Saturday, March 15, she said.The 72-year-old man was bitten by a dog three years ago and has a history of eating dog meat, Pinongan said.A 4-year-old boy from Don Salvador Benedicto who was bitten by a dog also died on February 17, she said.They are still investigating the cases, Pinongan said.Dog bites and scratches cause 99 percent of the human rabies cases and can be prevented through dog vaccination and bite prevention, the World Health Organization said.The Department of Health (DOH) reported 426 rabies-related deaths nationwide last year....

Candidates running for various positions in Bacolod City sign a peace covenant at the Bacolod City Police Office on Tuesday afternoon *PNA/Nanette L. Guadalquiver photoCandidates running for local positions in Bacolod City pledged peaceful polls during a covenant signing at the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Tuesday afternoon, March 18.Twenty-five candidates signed the peace covenant to uphold the laws and resolutions for the conduct of a clean, honest, accurate, meaningful, and peaceful elections on May 12.They signed in the presence of Bacolod City election officer Revo Sorbito, Negros Occidental election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria, and representatives of other concerned agencies.In his message, BCPO Director Col. Joeresty Coronica told the candidates that by affixin...

The Negros Electric and Power Corp. announced on Tuesday, March 18, that its power rates dropped by 67 centavos per kilowatt for March.Negros Power said its March electricity rate is P11.4766/kWh, which is 0.6711/kWh lower than February’s P12.1477/kWh.Negros Power attributed the drop to the Wholesale Electric Sport Market rate decrease by P0.5142, from P4.0525 to P3.5383 this month.The ancillary cost also dropped from P1,000.78 to P726.97 or a decrease of P273.81 and the electricity losses decreased by 1.61 percent, from 9.88 percent to 8.27 percent in March.Last week, the Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative announced a 60-centavo decrease per kilowatt-hour in its electricity rates for March.The Northern Negros Electric Cooperative has yet to announce its electricity...

A former barangay captain died after an unidentified man shot her inside a jeepney in Brgy. Patun-an, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, Tuesday morning, March 18.Amalia Dayanay, 64, who served as barangay captain of Macasilao, Toboso, in 2013, was killed while inside a jeepney headed for San Carlos City, the police said.The shooter entered the vehicle when it stopped and shot her, witnesses said.Alias “Jay”, 19, was also injured after he was grazed by the bullet that hit the former barangay captain.Dayanay was brought to a hospital but was declared dead, while Jay is now in stable condition.Maj. Wilfredo Benoman, Calatrava police chief, said that they are looking at a land conflict as the possible motive for the killing.The suspect fled on a motorcycle after committing ...

Candoni in Negros Occidental has been recommended to be placed under the orange category for the May polls, Lionel Marco Castillano, Commission on Elections -Negros Island Region (NIR) director, said Tuesday, March 18.In Negros Oriental Guihulngan City and La Libertad have been recommended to be placed under the red category, Basay – orange and the rest of the province under the yellow category, he added.The entire Siquijor is under the green category.The recommendations will be discussed at the NIR Regional Joint Security Control Center meeting at the Army’s 302nd Brigade headquarters in Tanjay, Negros Oriental, on Wednesday, Castillano said.Castillano said the inclusion of Candoni town may be related to the New People’s Army threat in the area.La Libertad was recommen...

Four bodies were exhumed by the police for DNA tests to determine if one of them is the person who went missing in Bacolod City in 2022.Bacolod City Police Operations Officer, Maj. Joery Puerto, said that they need to compare the DNA samples of the unidentified bodies with that of a missing person from Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod.Two bodies were exhumed in a cemetery in Murcia, while another two from the cemetery in Bago City.The exhumation was implemented in compliance with an order from the Supreme Court after the family of the missing person filed a Writ of Amparo.Puerto said that the missing individual was detained in September 2022 due to alleged theft charges, and was reported missing after his release from police custody.The Writ of Amparo is a legal remedy d...