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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meeting with the SRA officials*President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved on Monday, May 15, additional importation of sugar following the recommendation of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to stabilize the price and boost the country’s stock.“We agreed to additional importation of sugar to stabilize the prices. Maximum amount will be 150,000 MT but probably less,” the president said after meeting with SRA Acting Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and Board Member Ma. Mitzi Mangwang, representing the millers.Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile and SRA Board Secretary Rodney Rubrica were also present, a press release from the Presidential Communications Office said.“The exact amount will be determ...

The cracks in the ground where ten houses are located next to a retaining wall along the Palampas River at Purok Tindalo, Barangay 1, San Carlos City, are getting bigger, Joe Alingasa Jr., City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer (CDRRMO), said Monday, May 15.The 58 residents of the 10 houses affected, one of which has started sinking, were preemptively evacuated Friday and have not been allowed to return for their own safety, he said.They initially were evacuated to the San Carlos City evacuation center but they transferred to the Barangay 1 gym that is nearer to their homes.However, Mayor Renato Gustilo said they must return to the city evacuation center where they will be provided with assistance as the barangay gym is being used for sports and other activities, Aling...

The e-jeepney in front of the Bacolod City Government Center on Monday.*Bacolod PIO photoElectric jeepneys will be cheaper and more environment friendly if Bacolod transport operators find them viable, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Monday, May 15.The first of three sample e-jeepneys manufactured by China-based Jiangsu Fengchuen New Energy Power Technology Co. Ltd. has arrived in Bacolod for trial runs by transport operators to determine their durability, performance and efficiency, the mayor said.It will also give Bacolod transport operators the opportunity to make suggestions on how to further improve the e-jeepneys, he said.One suggestion is to move the passenger door from the back to the side to ensure the safety of passengers boarding the vehicle, he said....

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez*Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez laughed off rumors that he is planning to run for governor of Negros Occidental in 2025.As Negros Association of Chief Executives president he is just doing his job visiting the various towns and cities of the province, Benitez said on Wednesday, May 17.“I’ll be clear, I’m not offending anyone, I’m not hurting anyone, I’m just doing my job,” he said.He does not know where the rumors are coming from, Benitez said.Maybe they see him as a potential candidate because of what he is doing in Victorias City, he said, adding “if that’s the case then I truly appreciate it”.But he hopes people do not see his doing his job as a negative, Benitez said.*

Less than half of the Bacolod City government employees have received their midyear bonuses that is equivalent to a whole month’s salary.So far the city government has released about P23 million, City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said.They will check on the other departments where midyear bonuses have not been release yet, he said, noting that the city government has more than 1,000 employees.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the city government’s monthly payroll is more than P50 million so they have covered almost 50 percent of its employees so far.State workers should receive their midyear bonuses starting May 15, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said Sunday, May 14."So, we are reminding all government agencies and offices to en...

Fernando Camporaso Jr. on top of the bridge's steel truss.*PNP photoHe drank, robbed, and made a scene by climbing the steel truss of a bridge.This is how an incident went after an allegedly intoxicated individual robbed two loan collectors in Brgy. Caliban, Murcia, Negros Occidental, Sunday, May 14.Fernando Camporaso Jr., 35, of Brgy. Caliban robbed Jenelyn Jimenez Suico, 35, and Glenn Linogon Ortaniza, 34, collectors of a lending company from Bacolod City, when they passed through the Old Caliban Bridge, a police report said Monday.PMaj. Mark Joeil Reclamado, Murcia police chief, said that while the victims rode a motorcycle, the suspect declared a hold-up and threatened them with an improvised fish bow or “Baslay” and took P7,800 from Suico’s bag.Witnesses said Campo...

The Negros Occidental and Bacolod City governments are stepping up efforts to protect hogs against illnesses brought about by the hot weather that have already caused deaths among the local swine population.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Monday, May 15, directed the City Veterinary Office (CVO) to inspect backyard hog-raising operations in various Bacolod barangays to ensure that the animals are free of hog cholera.“Visit backyard piggeries just to make sure. Let us guarantee the safety of the public,” he said.Dr. Maria Agueda de la Torre, city veterinarian, said the CVO has been monitoring hog deaths, but they have yet to conduct confirmatory tests to determine the cause.“We have already visited most of the barangays, and based on our monitoring, most of them have negat...

Negros Occidental’s active COVID-19 cases have risen to triple digits but the situation is still manageable, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday, May 15.The province had 148 active COVID-19 cases on Sunday, May 14, from 91 on May 1.Lacson said it is not just in Negros Occidental, COVID-19 cases are going up in the whole country.“But they are still manageable, our hospitals are no getting filled up. Many of those who have been vaccinated are experiencing mild cases, which are treatable at home,” he added.Lacson again reminded senior citizens who are unvaccinated to wear masks.Those who wish to be vaccinated can get in touch with their local health units, there are still Sinovac vaccines available, he said.They are no vaccine brand choices since the national governme...

A suspected drug dealer, who claims to be a grade six student, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Purok Totong 4, Brgy. Felisa, Bacolod City, Saturday, May 13.Confiscated from the 18-year-old Bacolodnon were 1 gram of suspected shabu worth P6,800 and the P500 buy-bust money, the police reported Monday.PMaj. Richard Fajarito, Bacolod Police Station 10 Chief, said that the suspect claims that he is a student in an elementary school and is currently studying through the modular system.The police also said that the person had previous records for theft when he was a minor.A case for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act will be filed against the suspect, who is detained at Police Station 8, Fajarito said.*MLG