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May172023 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Two found dead in Negros

Two persons were found dead in Calatrava and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, the police reported Wednesday, May 17.A dead man was found in Brgy. Minapasok, Calatrava town, Tuesday morning, two days after he went missing.The body of Jose Arioso, 59, of Brgy. Minapasok was found in an open field about five kilometers away from his residence.PCapt. Jess Alba, Calatrava deputy police chief, said that according to residents before the victim went missing he went to a fiesta on Sunday.Barangay officials found his body Tuesday morning and immediately contacted the police and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.The police conducted an ocular investigation and found that no foul play led to the death of the victim.Meanwhile, in Cauayan town, a 28-year-old mar...

May172023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Pig deaths from cholera hit 2,421, guv creates incident mgmt team

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Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, center, presides over a meeting on the hog disease situation in Negros Occidental on Tuesday.*Richard Malihan photoNegros Occidental remains African Swine Fever (ASF) free despite the death of 2,421 pigs from hog cholera, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, May 16.Department of Agriculture Regional Executive Director, Jose Albert Barrogo, also said on Tuesday that there is still a need to protect the provinces of Antique and Negros Occidental, which are the two Western Visayas provinces that remain ASF free.Lacson issued Executive Order No. 23-19 activating an Incident Command System and creating an Incident Management Team in response to the hog deaths and to set up a management mechanism versus the animal biosecurity threat.The EO also directe...

May182023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Man facing raps for death of Skittles pleads not guilty

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Skittles was shot at Greenplains Subdivision in Brgy. Singcang, Bacolod City on February 20.*The Bacolod resident accused of allegedly killing Skittles, a Siberian Husky, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment at Branch 1 of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities at the Bacolod Hall of Justice on Thursday, May 18.Dominador Divinagracia Bangero Jr. is facing a criminal case for violation of the Republic Act 8485 or the "Animal Welfare Act" before Judge Jose Paolo Ariola.He has been accused of allegedly shooting Skittles, the dog of his neighbor, at Greenplains Subdivision in Brgy. Singcang, Bacolod City, on February 20.The Community Animal Rescue Efforts (CARE) Inc. is calling for justice for Skittles.*

May162023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Capitol releases P81.1M for mid-year bonuses: Diaz

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The Negros Occidental provincial government has started releasing midyear bonuses totaling P81,195,636 to all its regular and casual employees, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, May 16.The provincial government has 2,761 employees – 2,032 of whom are permanent and 729 are casuals, Diaz said.The provincial government had appropriated P92.2 million for the midyear bonuses in its 2013 budget, he said.The funds were downloaded Monday, he said.The midyear bonus is equivalent to one month’s salary.*

May172023 by Digicast Negros StaffNo Comments

Bacolod seals partnership for cashless payments

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Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, second from left, with GCash AVP Head of Public Sector and Partnerships Cathlyn Pavia and LGU Leader for Visayas and Mindanao JR Marfori, and Bacolod City Treasurer Arlene Memoria (l-r) at the signing of the agreement.*Bacolod City government’s partnership with G-Xchange Inc., a leading corporation in the Philippines specializing in remittance services and mobile payment solutions, was launched at the Bacolod City Government Center Wednesday afternoon, May 17.This collaboration signifies Bacolod City government's commitment to embracing digitalization and leveraging technology to enhance government services, a press release said.The signing of the agreement was led by Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez with GCash AVP Head of Public Se...

May182023 by Digicast Negros StaffNo Comments

SSS reminds members, pensioners to secure their My.SSS login details

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Social Security System (SSS) President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet reminded members and pensioners to secure their login credentials for their My.SSS account and other personal information to protect their online account from being used in fraudulent transactions.Macasaet said that several SSS members and pensioners are digitally challenged or not well-versed in suing computers and smartphones and find it challenging to access their M.SSS account. As a result, they tend to seek assistance from other people, including fixers, who are more tech-savvy. Unfortunately, scammers and unscrupulous persons take advantage of them to gain access to their My.SSS account and use it for their own personal gains.“We discourage them from sharing their usernames, passwords,...

May182023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Neg. Occ. hits 68% of target in Chikiting Ligtas campaign

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Negros Occidental is still leading in the Western Visayas Chikiting Ligtas 2023 campaign, a supplemental immunization campaign to vaccinate children aged 9 to 59 months old against measles rubella, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, OIC provincial health officer, said Wednesday, May 17.Negros Occidental immunized 146,114 or 68 percent of its target children as of May 15, and needs to reach 65,000 more by the end of the month, she added.Himamaylan City is still leading in Negros Occidental having immunized 93 percent of its target, she said.They are hoping the immunization rates in San Carlos and Kabankalan cities that have big populations will go up, she said.She said officials of both cities have been supportive of the campaign.*

May172023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Backhoes dig mass graves for dead pigs in San Enrique

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Backhoes are now being used to dig mass graves for dead pigs from hog cholera in San Enrique, Negros Occidental, Mayor Jilson Tubillara said Tuesday, May 16.Records show that since last month 726 pigs have died in San Enrique affecting 217 raisers, but the number is much higher as other deaths have not been reported, he said.Pigs in all 10 barangays of San Enrique have been hit with hog cholera. They become ill in the morning and die in the afternoon, Tubillara said.San Enrique is a catch basin for water so if dead pigs are thrown in rivers this causes the spread of the virus that infects other pigs, he said.They are using backhoes to bury the dead pigs because they are so many, and they must be buried six feet below the ground to prevent the spread of the disease, he said....

May172023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Ferrer acting governor

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Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer.*Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer will be acting governor of Negros Occidental starting Wednesday, May 17.He will assume the duties and responsibilities of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson until May 25.Lacson said he is going to be the United States to be a godfather at a wedding.He will back in Negros Occidental on May 26.*

May172023 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

DA to conduct joint surveillance of pig deaths in Bacolod, Negros

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All the pig blood samples sent by Negros Occidental have tested negative for African Swine Fever (ASF) so far but more tests will be conducted, Department of Agriculture Regional Executive Director Jose Albert Barrogo said Wednesday, May 17.The DA is arranging with Bacolod City and other local government units for the conduct of joint surveillance operations to gather more blood samples from pigs for testing, he said.“Right now we are aiming to focus on Bacolod, and have sent a request to Mayor Albee (Benitez) for joint surveillance operations,” he said.Under the joint surveillance, a DA team will be sent to work with Bacolod’s accredited barangay bio security officers in the gathering of blood samples, Barrogo said.Barrogo said he is also sending letters to the mayors of B...