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Dengue  cases in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are continuing to increase despite a stepped-up campaign to eliminate mosquito breeding places. The dengue cases recorded in Negros Occidental this year were 1,256 with six deaths as of March 8, an increase by 105 from the previous week, the Provincial Health Office reported on Thursday, March 13. The 1,256 cases this year are a 412.65 percent increase compared to 2024 with 245 cases recorded for the same period.Bago City still has the highest number of dengue cases this year at 254, followed by La Carlota and Kabankalan cities with 95 cases each.Bacolod City had 199 dengue cases and one death as of March 1, the City Health Office (CHO) reported.That is an increase by 161.8 percent compared to the 76 cases and no...

Soldiers of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion help bring the casket of slain New People’s Army regional leader Hans Ponteras to a chapel in Barangay Banago, Bacolod City on Wednesday .*The body of slain New People’s Army (NPA) regional leader Hans Ponteras was turned over by troops of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) to his family in Barangay Banago , Bacolod City, on Wednesday, four days after he was killed in a clash with soldiers in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.Their returning the remains of Ponteras to his family shows their “continuing commitment to upholding humanitarian values in the conduct of duty”, Lt. Col. Arnel Calaoagan, 79IB commander, said Thursday, March 13.“Though fallen as our enemy, we will not abandon you as our fellow Filipino...

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa is among the key figures subject to the ICC’s ongoing probe, DOJ says.*The International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation against other key personalities involved in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs is underway, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday, March 13.DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said the arrest warrant issued against Duterte also sends a message that other individuals are being investigated for their supposed role in the drug war launched under the Duterte administration.Ty said police chief-turned-senator Ronald Dela Rosa and retired police chief Oscar Albayalde are among the key figures subject to the ICC’s ongoing probe.“If we look at the warrant, it says something there, there's a language ther...

The police arrested a 47-year-old man and seized suspected shabu worth P170,000 in a buy-bust operation at Zone 6, Brgy. 1, Victorias City, Negros Occidental, Wednesday, March 12.Arrested was alias “Gorgor”, a resident of Brgy 1, the police reported.Recovered from him were eight sachets of suspected shabu weighing 25 grams that were brought to Negros Occidental Provincial Forensic Unit (NOCPFU) for laboratory examination.The suspect is now under the custody of the police and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.*

The shooting took place inside the compound of AU & Sons Merchandising Inc.* Romeo Subaldo photoCharges for two counts of murder have been filed against a Chinese national for the death of his brother and business partner before the Talisay City Prosecutors’ Office, the police said Thursday, March 13.Jimmy Tan, 51, was charged for shooting his brother Sunny Tan, 59, and his business partner, Peter Li, 30, all Chinese nationals, which caused their deaths, Maj. Rhazl Jim Jocson, Talisay deputy police chief, said.The police said that they are looking at business and money conflicts as the reason for the shooting .Sunny was shot in the head while Peter was shot in the chest, inside the compound of AU & Sons Merchandising Inc. in Brgy. Bubog, Talisay City, Negros Occide...

Eighty-two persons deprived of liberty and jail personnel yielded negative results in random drug tests conducted by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Occidental operatives at the Cadiz City Jail in Brgy. Tinampaan, recently. PDEA-Neg. Occ., in a press release, said its agents conducted a greyhound operation at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Cadiz, which included a search and seizure operation, and random drug testing.The search and seizure operation found no illegal drugs or controlled precursors and essential chemicals (CPECs), PDEA said.A total of 40 male and 3 female PDLs and 39 BJMP personnel underwent the random drug testing and all yielded negative results.PDEA said that the greyhound operation is part of the BJMP’s intensified efforts toward a dr...

PDP Negros Occidental gubernatorial bet Francis Frederick “Wantan” Palanca (center) speaks at the solidarity rally in front of the Bacolod City Government Center.*Ronnie Baldonado photo Loyalists and partymates of former president  Rodrigo Duterte  joined a solidarity rally in front of the Bacolod City Government Center Wednesday evening, March 12, to air their support for their beleaguered leader.Chanting “Duterte, Duterte” and waving the Philippine flag,  the protestors called the arrest of Duterte by virtue of  a warrant issued by  the International Criminal Court (ICC)  for alleged of crimes against humanity in his bloody war against illegal drugs, unjust and a violation of Philippine sovereignty.Duterte was flown to The Hague in the Nethe...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and the city officials at the groundbreaking of the Bacolod Recovery and Recycling Complex and Ecopark.*CPG photoMayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez led the groundbreaking of what he called a pioneering P160 million comprehensive waste management project for Bacolod City, which will serve as a showcase for the entire country, on Wednesday, March 12.The Bacolod Recovery and Recycling Complex and Ecopark – Phase I in Barangay Felisa will mitigate environmental impact, enhance resource recovery, and support a circular economy, he said.The 33.13-hectare facility will house a mechanized Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to process biodegradable waste such as food and yard wastes, recyclables like plastic, glass, paper, and metal, reducing landfil...

A design perspective of the Bacolod City General Hospital located in Barangay Vista Alegre.*More funds have been allotted by the national government for the establishment of the Bacolod City General Hospital, Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya said on Wednesday, March 12.Gasataya said an additional P100 million has been allotted for the construction of the state-of-the-art facility, which is expected to be completed next year.Since its groundbreaking in September 2022, funds released for the project have reached between P600 million and P700 million.“We’re looking that it will be finished by early 2026,” he said.The construction of the hospital’s main building and other facilities on donated land in Barangay Vista Alegre is being funded by the national government through ...

The former barangay captain of Bacong in Bago City tested positive in a paraffin test indicating that he shot his live-in partner and turned his gun on himself, Col. Joeresty Coronica, Bacolod police director, said on Wednesday, March 12.Former barangay captain Federico Hilado Gayagas Jr., 53, and Carmelita Mojica Davila, 44, died in a shooting incident inside a pickup in Bangga Tomaro, Barangay Sum-ag, Bacolod City, on Friday night.Davila’s paraffin’s test was negative for gunpowder residue.She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital Friday and Gayagas died on Saturday.Coronica said based on evidence gathered it is believed that the couple grappled with a firearm in the vehicle as indicated by its being fired several times.Gayagas was driving the vehicle and Davil...