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An 18-year-old motorcycle rider was arrested after he allegedly ignored police orders, fled from a roadblock, and crashed during a pursuit in Pulupandan, Negros Occidental, late Wednesday, July 8.Police identified the rider as alias “JP,” a resident of Brgy. Sampinit, Bago City.The incident began at around 11:20 p.m. near the Pulupandan Municipal Police Station in Brgy. Zone 4.Police said the motorcycle was traveling from Crossing Pulupandan toward the town proper when the rider accelerated and struck a roadblock.A duty desk officer called on him to stop, but the rider allegedly accelerated again and attempted to escape.The acting police chief and two personnel pursued him along the national highway.Police said they caught up with the rider in Brgy. Patic and attemp...

CCTV footage screengrab*A man was caught on closed-circuit television allegedly stealing money and equipment from the St. Jude Thaddeus Parish and Shrine in Brgy. Alijis, Bacolod City, shortly after midnight on Wednesday, July 8.In their Facebook page, the church said a significant amount of cash and several items were taken from the parish convent and church premises.Staff members believe the suspect may have already been hiding inside the church before it was closed for the night.CCTV footage showed the man covering his head with a shirt while searching through cabinets and other belongings.The suspect was barefoot, wearing denim pants, and had a visible tattoo on his back.Brgy. Alijis tanods showed copies of the CCTV footage to residents, but no one was able to i...

A house damaged by the whirlwind* Arlene Sabelo Garvilles photoA sudden whirlwind struck coastal areas in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental,   early  Thursday morning, July 9, leaving 20 houses partially damaged, Hinigaran Mayor  Grace Arceo said.The roofs of the affected houses were blown off, she said.The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction  Management Office said initial reports said the incident occurred at around 6:45 a.m. , catching residents by surprise as  swirling winds ripped through the communities.The partially damaged houses  were in  Punta Pasil, Brgy. Tagda -  8,So. Raming, Brgy. Pilar – 7, and Punta Tanulo, Brgy. Pilar -  3, PDRRO said.No casualties or severe injuries have been reported.The Local Gover...

Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, NIR police regional director, said Negros Occidental Board Member Andrew Montelibano is considered a person of interest following an illegal online sabong operation bust in Hacienda Pilar, Barangay Alicante, EB Magalona, Wednesday night.“We will enforce the law without fear or favor. No one is above the law as long as we have evidence, “ Cardiño said at a press conference this morning.He said an investigation is ongoing.The police are investigating if the property where the E-sabong facility is located is owned by Montelibano. The board member was allegedly spotted outside the E-sabong area during the accidental bust and is considered a person of interest, Cardiño said.The police were serving a warrant of arrest for a person wanted for m...

Some of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in northern Negros Occidental who received land titles and certificates of condonation with release of mortgage in a ceremony held at the Cadiz City Arena Wednesday afternoon.*DAR NIR photoThe Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) condoned the unpaid land amortizations totaling PHP7.307 billion of 31,370 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in northern Negros Occidental as part of the continued massive implementation of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act in Negros Island Region.Undersecretary for Special Concerns Office and External Affairs Rowena Niña Taduran, joined by Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. and  Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District),  led the distribution of 42,654 certificates of condonation with release...

Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante.* Bilis Cadiz photoNegros Occidental’s mayors will support the Provincial Biosecurity Task Force for Agriculture in the battle to prevent the spread of the Red Striped Soft Scale Insects (RSSI) that have so far hit more than 32 percent of the province's sugarcane lands, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said Wednesday,  July 8.The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and the provincial government have invited the mayors to a meeting on Friday to discuss the direction to be taken in the fight against RSSI, said Escalante, who heads the Negros Association of Chief Executives.Among the matters to be discussed is the proposed aerial spraying of pesticides to eradicate RSSI.He said sugar farms in Cadiz City have also been hit by RSSI, and the S...

 The groundbreaking of a more than 300-megawatt  Aboitiz Power solar farm in Barangay  Luna, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, is set on   July 24, Cadiz Mayor  Salvador Escalante  said on   Wednesday,  July 8.It is the first phase  of the Aboitiz project with another 300 megawatt solar farm under Phase II set in  Barangay Mabini, he said.The two solar farms will cover about 400 hectares and are expected to produce 600 to 700 megawatts of power, he said.It will mean additional revenue for Cadiz, which the city government can use especially for its  feeding programs, Escalante said.“It only  means that Cadiz is ready to host big ticket  investments”,  he said.He said SM is also putting up  a solar farm with  batteries in Cadiz.*...

A 27-year-old man who had been missing for a week was found dead in an advanced state of decomposition on Wednesday morning, July 8,  in a remote area of Barangay Canturay, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.The Sipalay police reported that the body was discovered by residents at around 10:15 a.m. in Purok Saging, Barangay Canturay.Initial findings revealed that the victim—a single, unemployed resident of the area—had been missing from his family's home for seven days before the grim discovery.The victim's father told investigators that his son had suffered from severe epilepsy for the past 20 years.Authorities are looking into whether a sudden medical episode while the victim was alone may have led to his untimely death.The police said no physical evidence or signs o...

Victorias City Mayor Abelardo "JunB" Bantug III and Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya.*Mayor Abelardo "JunB" Bantug III announced on Wednesday, July 8, that Victorias City is officially withdrawing its request to dispose of its residual waste at the Bacolod sanitary landfill, choosing to prioritize inter-city relations and the concerns of Bacolod residents.Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya also announced Victorias’ decision to withdraw its requests at the  end of his State of the City Address at the Bacolod City Government  Center  Wednesday afternoon.                The announcements came after widespread  opposition  from Bacolod residents, netizens  and environment groups to the pla...