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The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office arrested 93 wanted persons in the province, contributing to the 226 arrest made in Western Visayas from May 6 to 12.The police arrested 226 most wanted and other wanted persons in Western Visayas in their weeklong campaign, the Police Regional Office-6 reported.Of the 226 arrests, 42 were classified as most wanted persons (MWP) and 184 were tagged as other wanted persons (OWP).NOCPPO apprehended 11 most wanted and 82 other wanted persons, topping other police units in the region.The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) arrested 11 most wanted persons, Antique Police Provincial Office (AntPPO) - 6, Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO) and Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB6) - 5 each, and Aklan Police Provincial Office (...

DSWD personnel deliver food packs to El Niño affected residents*The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released P64,829,829.90 in food assistance to El Niño affected families in Western Visayas, with Negros Occidental getting the biggest share.However, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office has yet to release the P10 million allotted by the provincial government for drought affected farmers in Negros Occidental, PSWDO head Chiqui Gonzales said on Tuesday, May 14.She said they are still validating the list of farmer-beneficiaries submitted by local government units and ensuring that documents are in order.The PSWDO will try to hasten the process so the financial assistance to about 5,000 farmers can be released, she said.Each farmer wil...

Manuel Fayre Jr., the new Bacolod NBI chief*The Counter Terrorism Division head of the National Bureau of Investigation is the new NBI - Bacolod District Office chief.The turnover from outgoing NBI Bacolod Agent-in-charge Renoir Baldovino to Manuel Fayre Jr., a Certified Public Accountant, took place on May 6, NBI Bacolod executive officer Jose Gabriel Jr. said on Tuesday, May 14.Fayre, however, had to return to the NBI headquarters to wrap up work there, and is expected to return to Bacolod this week, Gabriel said.Fayre had also previously headed the NBI Capiz office.Baldovino, who had served as NBI Bacolod chief for seven years, is  now the  executive officer of the NBI Tarlac office.The change in leadership is part of the regular rotation of assignments, Gabriel...

Three persons died, including a bystander, when a motorcycle and a Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) vehicle collided at Aquiles-Zayco Avenue, Brgy. 1, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Monday afternoon, May 13.Killed in the accident were the motorcycle driver Glenn Ramirez, 35, his back rider Joeven Pineda, 31, and bystander Brix Rallos, the police said.The Barangay Camingawan DRRMO vehicle was traversing Tan Lorenzo Street in Brgy. 1 with a patient on board going to the Kabankalan District Hospital.On approaching the intersection, the motorcycle driven by Ramirez continued moving forward without noticing the DRRMO vehicle, causing the collision, the police said.The victims were brought to Lorenzo Zayco Memorial District Hospital but were declare...

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) logged fewer crimes against women and children in the first four months of 2024, data from the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) on Tuesday, May 14, showed.From January to April this year, 38 cases were recorded, lower by almost 25.5 percent compared to the 51 cases reported during the same period in 2023.Capt. Hazel Oropel, officer-in-charge of BCPO-WCPD, attributed the decrease to the sustained implementation of their advocacy programs.“Our WCPD investigators conduct lectures in schools and distribute flyers with crime prevention tips. We coordinate with the barangays and conduct dialogs with members of the community for awareness on laws protecting women and children,” Oropel said over BCPO’s “Kadampig Mo” radio program.Of th...

Seymour B. Sanchez*An award winning filmmaker and longtime educator is the director of the Bacolod Film Festival set to be held in select cinemas in Bacolod in September.The Bacolod Film Festival Council (BFFC), chaired by Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez with Councilor Em L. Ang as co-chairperson, designated Seymour B. Sanchez as the filmfest director.Sanchez was recommended by legal consultant and film producer Josabeth “Joji” V. Alonso to the BFFC as “the best person to oversee and manage the festival”, a press release from the BFFC said.City Ordinance 1061-2024, also known as the Bacolod Film Festival Ordinance, is authored by Ang, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Committee on History, Culture and Arts, with councilors Cindy Rojas and Celia Flor as co-authors....

A dog was administered with an anti-rabies vaccine in Bacolod City last month.*photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIOThe City Veterinary Office (CVO) targets to immunize 70 percent of the estimated 100,000 dog population in Bacolod City by October this year to achieve herd immunity and prevent a rabies outbreak.Dr. John Michael Cabuguason, assistant city veterinarian, said on Monday, May 13,  that they are conducting mass dog vaccination for free in the barangays, but pet owners can bring their dogs to the CVO to get immunized for a minimal fee of P50.“Right now, our procurement is about 60,000 doses on a staggered basis. We hope to finish the mass dog vaccination by September or October and saturate all the 61 barangays,” Cabuguason said.He added that a part of the 70 percent ...

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Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, May 13, that the drought damage to sugarcane will affect Negros Occidental’s economy.It will impact on Negros Occidental because sugar is still our primary agricultural product, Lacson said.So we can expect less purchasing power from consumers, he added.Negros Occidental has suffered the biggest damage to sugarcane  because it is the biggest sugar producer in the country, he pointed out. But if rain comes soon, it will minimize the damage because sugarcane in a sturdy crop, Lacson said.The Sugar Regulatory Administration on Friday said the drought damage to sugar and molasses in Western Visayas was P215,700,114, with Negros Occidental the hardest hit at P200,178,856.*

Sen. Grace Poe steered the passage of the bill on second reading at Monday’s session.*The Senate approved House Bill No. 9805 granting a franchise to the Negros Electric and Power Corporation (NEPC) on second reading, Monday, May 13.The franchise will allow NEPC, a joint venture between Primelectric and Central Negros Electric Cooperative, to take over the power distribution services of CENECO in Bacolod, Silay, Talisay and Bago cities, as well as the municipalities of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.Senate Committee on Public Services chairperson, Senator Grace Poe, steered the passage of  the bill on second reading at Monday’s session.Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said he believes the bill granting the NEPC a franchise will be approved on third and final ...