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A gun and suspected shabu worth P204,000 were seized by the police in a buy-bust operation in Sitio Pahilanga, Brgy. Miranda, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday,  May 14. A 41-year-old tricycle driver, whose name was withheld by the police,  was also arrested in the buy-bust operation.Recovered from him were eight sachets of suspected shabu, the  buy-bust money, a coin purse, a .38 caliber revolver with four ammunition, and a sling bag. The suspect is now detained at the  Hinigaran Police Station and will face charges in violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Guns and Ammunition Regulation Act, and RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.*

A dead man was found in a sack  left on the roadside at Sitio Kabakahan, Brgy. Cabatangan, Talisay City, on Wednesday,  May 15. The Talisay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office  said the man remained unidentified. The victim was discovered by the residents of the area at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday. The police were still investigating the incident.* 

The police arrested two farmers and seized suspected marijuana worth P2.4 million in a plantation at Sitio Bedio, Brgy. Codcod, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental,  on Tuesday, May 14.The  farmers aged 38 and 28 years old, whose  names were withheld by the police,  were arrested after they were caught in the act cultivating marijuana plants at about 5:16 p.m. on Tuesday.The operation was conducted by San Carlos City police, with members of Regional Mobile Force Battalion-6 and maritime group. The operating units were about to withdraw from the area when   they saw in plain view the suspects cultivating marijuana plants resulting in their arrest. Seized from them were 132  fully grown marijuana plants weighing 20 kilos valued at P2,400,000, a&nb...

The  new STI West Negros University School of Basic Education  (SBE) building.*Ronnie Baldonado photo Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the inauguration of the new STI West Negros University School of Basic Education  (SBE) building in Bacolod City “is a welcome development in our goal to enhance and strengthen our educational system and is a decisive and a bold step in meeting the challenges of educational globalization”. Lacson, Bacolod  Rep. Greg Gasataya,  and  STIWNU’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees Dr. Jesli Lapus, Chairman of the Board  of Directors  Monico Jacob, President  Peter Fernandez and  Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Dr. Ryan Mark Molina led the ribbon cutting and unv...

Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya,  Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Ian lo (l-r) at the turnover rites* Grace Pharmacy president Ian Manuel T. Lo, representing the Dr. Manuel Lo Foundation, donated 20,000 five-kilo bags of rice to the City of Bacolod Wednesday  afternoon, May 15.Lo turned over the donation to be distributed to senior citizens to  Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez and  Rep. Greg Gasataya at rites held at the Bacolod City Government Center. The Lo family made the donation to mark their patriarch's 88th birthday.  Ian Manuel T. Lo, along with his brother, Jonathan Lo of Merzci Pasalubong, and their mother, Corazon Lo, the co-founder of Grace Pharmacy and Merzci, decided to donate instead of celebrating the patriarch'...

Qualified government personnel will receive their mid-year bonus starting Wednesday, May 15 this year, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced  on  Tuesday.The mid-year bonus is equal to an employee’s one-month basic pay given to eligible personnel who have worked at least four months from July 1 of the previous year to May 15 of the current year.“I am pleased to announce that our civil servants will receive their mid-year bonus this year. We know that this is eagerly awaited by our fellow government employees and will significantly assist them in meeting their daily needs,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said, as quoted in a DBM news release.Pangandaman then reminded all government agencies and offices to "ensure the prompt and timely release of bonuses to...

Anti-narcotics agents seized over P7 million worth of suspected shabu and arrested an alleged drug pusher during a pre-dawn buy-bust operation  in   Dumaguete City  on Tuesday, May 14.Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, identified the suspect as Aldwin Merced, 36, of Barangay Candau-ay, Dumagute City.Merced was arrested at 2:40 a.m. after he allegedly sold suspected shabu to an undercover agent.Seized from the high-value target were an estimated 1.31 kilos of shabu with a street value of P7,010,800.Charges for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 were filed against him.Meanwhile, 15 suspects yielded more than P1 million worth of shabu during three days of Simultaneous Anti-Criminal...

A graphic artist caught making a fake business permit was sentenced to six months to two years and four months imprisonment after pleading guilty to the charge of falsification of public document.Judge Michael Hanz Villaster of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 3 in Bacolod City meted the penalty on Jaymoun Barrera Oliveros, NBI Bacolod executive officer Jose Gabriel Jr. said on Tuesday, May 14.NBI agents apprehended Oliveros for producing a fake business permit at a portrait shop at Bargain Square Mall in downtown Bacolod in February.The NBI conducted the operation on the request of the Bacolod City government to crack down on persons responsible for the production of fake business permits, Gabriel said.When Oliveros’ case was called for arraignment, Oliveros plea...

Corn harvesting at the Negros First Integrated Agricultural Center in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.*photo courtesy of PIO Negros OccidentalThe Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) in Negros Occidental is implementing three projects at the Negros First Integrated Agricultural Center (NFIAC) in Himamaylan City to boost production of corn, rice, and other crops.The components of the P11.8 million projects are seed production and certification, sustainable integrated farming, and support for the establishment of corn production in various demonstration farms.“These are all our projects at the NFIAC. We hope to improve this facility so it can serve its purpose,” OPA officer-in-charge Dina Genzola said in a statement on Tuesday, May 14.As support to “Binhi sang Prob...

Two policemen from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office were among four cops who were awarded the “Medalya ng Kadakilaan” or the Heroism Medal by the Police Regional Office-6 during the Flag Raising Ceremony at Camp Gen. Martin Teofilo B. Delgado in Iloilo City on Monday, May 13.The awardees were Lt. Col. Nazer Canja and Cpl. Jeric Coronado from NOCPPO, and Maj. Ahlie Estember and MSgt. Gerold Pacsial of the Iloilo Provincial Police Office.They were awarded for their significant operational accomplishments that greatly contributed to the attainment of the mission of their respective units, PRO6 said.PRO-6 Director Jack Wanky congratulated the awardees for their commitment towards their sworn duties.“May you continue to give pride to PRO-6, to your uniform, and may...