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Victorias City has made history as the first local government unit (LGU) in the country and in the newly created Negros Island Region to fully subsidize the Social Security System (SSS) contributions of its Barangay Health Workers (BHW) and Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS).Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the SSS through its Contribution Subsidy Provider Program (CSPP) at the Victorias City Command and Evacuation Center on Friday, May 2.SSS Acting Head of the Visayas Operations Group Alberto Montalbo signed the agreement on behalf of SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph Montes De Claro.Under the agreement, the city government will shoulder the monthly SSS contributions of 495 BHWs and 26 BNSs with a minimum salary bracket of P 5,000, ensuring th...

A farmer died after he was shot by his uncle during a drinking spree in Sitio Bulwang, Brgy. Biao, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, May 1.Jonas Escañan, 53, was shot by his uncle Henny Ganzon, 61, the police said.The victim and his uncle had a heated argument. This resulted in the suspect drawing his .45 caliber pistol and shooting the victim several times, the police said.The suspect tried to escape but was arrested after a hot pursuit operation conducted by the police and the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.The police recovered a .45 caliber pistol, a magazine, and nine rounds of ammunition from the suspect.The suspect is now detained at Binalbagan Police Station.*

Jhon Isidor “Dee” Supelanas (center), a former student leader, was among the seven New People’s Army remnants who died in a clash with Philippine Army troops in Kabankalan City on April 27.* 302IB imageThe top official of the Philippine Army’s 302nd Infantry Brigade (IB) in Negros Island enjoined parents and those engaging the youth to support the campaign against the recruitment of students to join the armed struggle.Brig. Gen. Joey Escanillas, 302IB commander, issued the call on Friday, May 2, in the wake of the April 27 encounter between government troops and remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, which claimed the lives of seven rebels, among them Jhon Isidor “Dee” Supelanas, 26, a former student leader at the University of the Philippin...

The newly-installed acting Negros Island Region Police Director, BGen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, on Friday, May 2, urged Negros Occidental police officers to continue responding promptly to community concerns.In his “Talk to Men” initiative at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Headquarters in Bacolod City, Ibay urged the officers to remain proactive in addressing community concerns and to respond promptly to calls for assistance.He was welcomed with foyer honors by NOCPPO Provincial Director Col. Rainerio De Chavez together with the provincial staff, chiefs of police, national support unit heads, and other personnel.Ibay stressed the need for integrity, professionalism, and discipline within the ranks, strongly reminding the police officers to steer clear of any involvement in ...

The Commission on Elections in Negros Oriental received the official ballots Thursday night.*PNA/ Mary Judaline F. Partlow photoThe Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental will be deploying early to remote areas the official ballots to be used in the May 12 elections to ensure no voter is disenfranchised.Lawyer Eddie Aba, Comelec-Negros Oriental election supervisor, said Friday, May 2, that the official ballots are normally brought to the polling precincts on the day of the elections.“However, we will have the official ballots transported to remote areas at least one day before the polls so voting can start on time and will not be disrupted,” Aba said.The ballots will be under tight security, escorted by police and military personnel during transport.Most ...

A farmer died after he was shot by his uncle during a drinking spree in Sitio Bulwang, Brgy. Biao, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, May 1.Jonas Escañan, 53, was allegedly shot by his uncle Henny Ganzon, 61, the police said.The victim and his uncle had a heated argument. This resulted in the suspect drawing his .45 caliber pistol and shooting the victim several times, the police said.The suspect tried to escape but was arrested after a hot pursuit operation conducted by the police and the 62nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.The police recovered a .45 caliber pistol, a magazine, and nine rounds of ammunition from the suspect.The suspect is now detained at Binalbagan Police Station.*

Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia in Bacolod City on Thursday*Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia said granting the request of former mayor Evelio Leonardia for the manual counting and tallying of votes in Bacolod City would violate the law.Republic Act No. 9369 that mandates the automated counting of election returns would have to be amended to enable the Comelec to grant Leonardia’s request, Garcia said at a press conference at the provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Thursday, May 1.Garcia also said he has not received Leonardia’s letter requesting for a manual count.Leonardia’s camp said he sent a letter to Garcia on August 25 requesting for the manual counting and manual tallying at the precinct level of votes for local candidates ...

Commission on Elections Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the 10-day Comelec ban on the distribution of all forms of “ayuda (assistance)" includes the sale of rice at P20 kilo by local governments.The ban that starts Friday, May 2, will run until May 12, Garcia said at a press conference in Bacolod City on Thursday.He said officials who violate the ban will be held liable for committing an election offense.Violators may face penalties ranging from one to six years of imprisonment without probation, disqualification from public office, and loss of voting rights.Garcia said there was a rollout of P20 a kilo rice in Cebu on Wednesday but it was being sold by the Department of Agriculture, there was no participation of the local government.The Comelec gave the DA permission...

Office of the Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno in Bacolod City on Thursday.*President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the release of P203,881,186 to three cities and one town in Negros Island to respond to the needs of residents displaced by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest who remain in evacuation centers.The president approved the release two weeks ago but the funds will have to be downloaded to the local governments after the May 12 elections, Office of the Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said on Thursday, May 1.Approved was P62,539,736 for Himamaylan City where a tent city is being prepared to accommodate an increase in evacuees if Kanlaon Volcano’s alert level is raised to four.Approved for La Carlota City was P63,097,000, La Castellana - P48,521,100...

PPCRV national coordinator Arwine Serrano, COMELEC commissioner Maria Norina Tangaro, COMELEC chairman Erwin Garcia, OCD administrator Ariel Nepomuceno and Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. (l-r) hold up the signed memorandum of agreement.*Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia and Office of Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno signed a memorandum agreement for safe elections, especially in areas hit by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest in Negros Island.The MOA for the enforcement of a disaster contingency plan for safe elections was signed in a ceremony at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City Thursday afternoon, May 1.The registered voters in La Castellana, Bago City, La Carlota City, Pontevedra and Murcia in Negr...