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The police have more than five witnesses who have provided circumstantial evidence in connection with the brutal attack of three siblings, one of whom died, in Silay City, a police official said.However, they are still searching for an eyewitness, Capt. Judesses Catalogo, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office, said on Wednesday, Feb. 25.The 9-year-old girl was killed and her 15-year-old sister and 4-year-old brother were injured when they were brutally attacked at their home in Hacienda Badiang, Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City, on Feb. 7.Catalogo said they are still in the process of a case build-up.They have no suspects yet, only persons of interest, he said.Those who testify can be covered under the witness protection program, he said.*

Department of Health - Negros Island Region Director Razel Nikka Hao (left) administers the oath of the seven physicians deployed under the Doctors to the Barrios Program on Tuesday *The Department of Health - Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) deployed seven physicians under the Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) Program to provide healthcare services to underserved and hard-to-reach communities in the region.The doctors, part of the DTTB Batch 43-A, were endorsed to their assignments in various local government units (LGUs) on Wednesday after taking their oath before DOH-NIR Director Razel Nikka Hao at the agency’s regional office in Dumaguete City on Feb. 23.They are Dr. Jahlel Torino and Dr. Fhoebe Madia, who have been assigned to La Libertad and Siaton, respectively, in Negros Orie...

Ben M. Polido and Joel G. Cantos of PAGCOR turn over the tablets to Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya.*Mayor Greg Gasataya received 500 brand-new computer tablets from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) at the Bacolod City Government Center on Tuesday, Feb 24.The donation is part of PAGCOR’s regional initiative to equip Visayas cities with tools for modern learning and disaster resilience.The initiative aligns with the mayor’s priority programs centered on education, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said on Wednesday.It specifically supports the agenda’s Access to Technology and Education pillars. Instead of direct distribution, the city will integrate the devices into a specialized educational framework, the BCCO said.D...

The stage is set in front of the Negros Occidental Capitol in Bacolod City for a mass to mark the 40th People Power Revolution anniversary on Wednesday.* Richard Malihan photo The 40th EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary on Wednesday, Feb. 25, has not been declared a national non-working holiday, but five towns in Negros Occidental and several schools in Bacolod City have suspended classes to honor its legacy.  The municipalities of Isabela, Candoni, and Hinigaran have suspended work in all government offices and classes in both public and private schools.  La Castellana and Hinoba-an are suspending classes, but government work will continue. LGUs have a legal basis to declare work and class suspensions, Neil Andrew Yanson, legal...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara (3rd and 4th from left, back row) with mayors Salvador Escalante of Cadiz City, Greg Gasataya of Bacolod City, Raymund Tongson of Himamaylan City (l-r, back row), and Leni Robredo of Naga City (2nd from left, front row) at the MOA signing rites.*RTVN photoAll 19 city mayors from the Negros Island Region (NIR) joined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara at Malacañang on Monday, Feb. 23, for the ceremonial signing of the Nationwide Classroom Building Program Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).The partnership between the Department of Education (DepEd) and city local government units is designed to fast-track the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of classrooms.DepEd NIR Regional ...

Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez*Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has formally requested clarification from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) regarding the huge increase in the overnight parking fee at the Bacolod-Silay Airport that has drawn numerous complaints.The overnight parking fee at the Bacolod-Silay Airport increased from P200 to P600.The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) earlier unanimously passed a resolution authored by Councilor Homer Bais requesting Benitez to intercede and look into the complaints regarding the “exorbitant increase”.Benitez, in a letter to CAAP Director General Lt. Gen. Raul L. Del Rosario, said in view of the SP resolution, he was writing to inquire about the steep increase in the overnight parking fee.“T...

A 39-year-old man was shot dead in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, on Monday afternoon, Feb. 26.The victim, who was married and jobless, was shot in the head by the suspects, the police said.The police said the shooting occurred at around 4:30 p.m. as the victim was about to board his motorcycle in Purok Tuburan, Brgy. Tapi.The Kabankalan police said cops conducting a follow-up investigation on a separate stabbing incident nearby heard gunshots at around 4:50 p.m. and immediately responded.A joint pursuit operation was launched in coordination with the Philippine Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion and the Regional Mobile Force Battalion–Negros Island Region.Police identified two suspects as alias “R-jay,” 30, and alias “Makoy”, also known as “Akiro,” 30, both alleged me...

The perspective of the MassKara Museum* Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri announced  on Monday, Feb. 23, the allocation of an additional  ₱185 million for the completion of the  Bacolod City General Hospital and Bacolod MassKara Museum and Amphitheater.  Zubiri said   ₱100 million more is set for the final stages of the Bacolod City General Hospital, bringing  the  total allocation he sourced for the  healthcare facility to  ₱500 million.  The Department of Health has also allocated P200 million for the project.  Zubiri said an additional  ₱85 million is also being allocated for the completion of the  Bacolod MassKara Museum and Amphitheater.*