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Farm animals must be provided with adequate water to survive the heat* The El Niño  damage to  animals and  pasture lands in Negros Occidental has risen to P16,470,150. Provincial Veterinarian Placeda Lemana in  a report submitted to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the  drought  has caused  the death of 14,598  farm animals  worth P13,784,650  and  affected  1,139 raisers as of May 10.The bulk of the deaths involved poultry at 13,664  heads valued at P6.5 million, followed by  583 pigs – P P3.7 million, 278 goats and sheep – P1.2 million, 44 carabaos – P1.4 million, 24 cattle  - P670,000 and  5 rabbits – P7,500.  Lemana also reported  P183.15 hectares of pasture lands   worth P2,685,500 damaged. Th...

Damage to crops like rice and corn as well as other agricultural losses in Negros Oriental due to the El Niño phenomenon has now reached more than P1.6 billion, an official said Wednesday, May 15. Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) chief Emmanuel Caduyac said  the latest data available  showed that the amount represents some 9,560 metric tons of production loss in volume. It is expected to increase as other local government units have yet to consolidate their figures. “The numbers are still expected to rise as some local government units (LGUs) in the province still have to consolidate and update their losses and damage, but regardless, we are now deploying farm equipment and adopting mitigating measures,” Caduyac said. Aside from rice and cor...

The Department of Agrarian Reform installs a total of 14 agrarian reform beneficiaries in landholdings at Barangay Bungahin, Isabela, Negros Occidental, on May 7* The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) installed some 129 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in southern Negros Occidental as new owners of agricultural lands awarded to them under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) since January this year. Data on Wednesday, May 15,  showed the DAR Negros Occidental 2 (South) installed these ARBs on a total of 94.8399 hectares of landholdings from January 1 to May 15, 2024. Also, the DAR distributed land titles for 398.1384 hectares of agricultural lands to 422 ARBs during the same period. On May 7, the department installed 14 ARBs on their la...

The Silay City drug bust*Job order and casual employees   caught engaged   in illegal drugs will be dismissed from the service, Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego reiterated on Thursday, May 16. Gallego said he has repeatedly warned city employees against the sale or use of drugs. On May 8 a school watchman was arrested with P115,600 worth of suspected shabu in a buy-bust operation at Hacienda Hinicayan in   Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City.  Bryan Celestial, 37, a job order employee of the Silay City government was working as a watchman at the Hinicayan Elementary School.  He was jailed and dismissed as a JO, the mayor said. The Silay City government will continue to conduct random drug testing of its employees, the mayor s...

The Negros Occidental provincial government will go ahead with the bidding for its P1.2 billion bulk water project on June 27 despite opposition from some sectors in Silay City, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, May 16. The bulk water project aims to meet the increasing water demands of Negros Occidental by utilizing surface water sources, and reducing reliance on groundwater and deep wells, Lacson said. It is targeted to serve the water needs of Bacolod, Talisay, Silay and Victorias cities, and the towns of EB Magalona and Manapla. Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego said based on his consultations with the city’s Sangguniang Panlungsod, some members of the community, including  planters,  they are opposed to the bulk water project that would source i...

The Bacolod City government  will continue the  five-day  dry run of the   Vista Alegre-Burgos Market  “green route” using electric or e-jeepneys  on Thursday, May 16, after a dialog with  the  tricycle drivers who set up a blockade on Wednesday.The dry run  will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Mayor’s Office announced Wednesday night following  a dialog between Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and the opposing tricycle drivers.The dry run of E-jeepneys plying the  “green route” that started Wednesday night was blocked by tricycle drivers in Vista Alegre who said they would lose their means of livelihood.E-jeepneys from the relocation site in Barangay Vista Alegre were about to leave when they were blocked by members o...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his visit to the 3rd Infantry Division last year.* The Philippine Army is waiting for the availability of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare Negros Island under Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS), Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said on Wednesday, May 15. Edralin said the 3rd Infantry Division is coordinating with the Office of the President on the availability of Marcos to come to Negros to make the declaration. He pointed out that Negros Occidental and Oriental have already been declared under SIP status. The president during his visit to the 3ID last year committed to return to Negros to personally declare the SIPS status of Island, Edralin said. The criteria fo...

Negros Occidental has 19,268  new voters, a Commission on Elections report released on Wednesday, May 15, showed.This brings the total number of registered voters in the province to 1,906,226.The Comelec said 929,348 of the voters are male and  976,878 are female.The largest number of new voters following a Election Registration Board  hearing  on April 15  were in Bacolod City  at 4,829, followed by Cadiz City with  1,412, Himamaylan City - 1,184 and San  Carlos City – 1,056. The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Kabataan registered voters  as of April 15  were 629,808 . The registration of voters for the 2025 elections  will  continue  until September  30.* The total number of voters in N...

A senior citizen was found dead after he was  electrocuted in Sitio Bita, Brgy. Suay, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, May 14.  Hernan Guanzon, 62, a laborer, and a resident of Sitio Catingub in Brgy Suay was found  dead beside a fishpond, the police said.  A concerned citizen who was watching  children swimming in the nearby  river saw the senior citizen lying beside the fishpond.The victim was last seen at a drinking session early  Tuesday.* 

A  bet collector was shot dead  by an unidentified suspect at a “perya (carnival)”  in Brgy. Guimbala-on, Silay City, Negros Occidental, at about 2:45 a.m.  Wednesday,  May 15. Killed was Allan Tamparong, 34, of Brgy. Payao, Binalbagan, the police reported. Tamparong’s assailant fled after the incident. The victim was brought to the Silay City Health Office where he was declared dead  due to hemorrhagic shock secondary to multiple gunshot wounds.*