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Another farmer was shot dead  in Calatrava town, Negros Occidental, Thursday,  May 2.Fructoso Patubay Sr.,  63, was shot dead by an unidentified suspect at Sitio Antubayon, Brgy. Laga-an,  at about 6 a.m. Thursday.Investigation revealed that the farmer went to his farm, which is about 600 meters away from his house, to graze his cow and goats. The daughter of the victim heard several gunshots coming from the farm and found her father lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. The farmer was brought to the Calatrava Health Office but was declared dead on arrival. On May 1 a couple, who were both farmers, were found dead inside their residence in Calatrava with multiple gunshot wounds. The assailants  have yet to be identided.* ...

A barangay kagawad was shot multiple times resulting in  his death in Sitio Canorong, Brgy. Puso, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, Wednesday evening,  May 1. Reynaldo Jacolbe, 48, a Brgy Puso kagawad, was shot by unidentified suspects while he was passing a rough road in the area onboard his motorcycle, the police said. Jacolbe was on the way to his farm when the assailants  positioned in a  sugarcane field fired at him.The victim managed to drive his motorcycle 30 meters away from the suspects’ position but he fell. The suspects followed him and shot him again.* 

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez* Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said on Friday, May 3, that there will soon  be a mass resignation from the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) in Negros Occidental.Many PDP elected government officials in Negros Occidental are members of the Love Negros–United Negros Alliance coalition that is supporting the reelection bid of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson. Benitez, who ran for mayor under PDP Laban, said he is committed to supporting Lacson. Jesus Villanueva Hinlo, PDP deputy secretary general for Visayas and Negros Occidental Council president, earlier said their party may support former Victorias mayor Francis Frederick “Wantan” Palanca for governor of Negros Occidental in 2025. Although Palanca has...

The pertussis positive cases   in Bacolod City have increased to nine, the City Health Office reported on Thursday, May 2. Eight of the patients have recovered and one remains hospitalized. The CHO said the babies who tested positive for pertussis came from barangays Tangub, Villamonte, Taculing, Handumanan, Granada and Cabug. The number of confirmed pertussis cases in Negros Occidental remained at 13, with one death, as of April 30, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Provincial Health Officer, said. They are still waiting for the test results of 19 probable pertussis cases, she said. Pertussis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes severe, uncontrollable coughing fits that can leave the individual “whooping” for deep breaths afterwards. It...

A drought damaged area.* Cauayan town, whose rice crops have been the worst hit by the drought in Negros Occidental, is not declaring a state of calamity since it still has sufficient resources to assist the affected farmers, Mayor John Rey Tabujara said on Thursday, May 2. The drought damage to rice crops in Cauayan town has hit P66.1 million and affected 1,130 farmers, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist reported on April 16. Tabujara said the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Cauayan local government have provided food assistance to more than 600 farmers from the initial list of those affected. They will release a second batch of food assistance to more than 1,000 farmers, he said. Cauayan still has P4.5 million available to assist...

The United Negros Alliance (UNegA) will  make an official announcement  on whom its vice gubernatorial bet for  2025 will be, Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said on Thursday, May 2.  Rep. Stephen Paduano  (Abang Lingkod) told reporters on Wednesday that    outgoing Board Member Jose Benito Alonso  will be the Love Negros-UNegA coalition  candidate for vice governor. Alonso  will be fielded by  UNegA as Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer is running for congressman of the 4th District. Escalante said he will neither confirm or deny that  Alonso will be the UNegA bet as the announcement will have to come from Ferrer. He said a UNegA party meeting is expected to be held this month. Padu...

The WVRAA meet opening at the Panaad  Stadium  in Bacolod City on Thursday.*Richard Malihan photoThe Department of Education-Region 6 (DepEd-6) is adopting its own sports manual of operations for the first time in the 2024 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet that kicked off Thursday,  May 2, and will run until May 7. The sports manual was launched two days ahead of the opening of the regional amateur games at the Panaad Park and Stadium  in Bacolod City Thursday afternoon that was joined by  close to 5,700 delegates. This year’s WVRAA is  hosted by Negros Occidental province along with the highly-urbanized Bacolod City. Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, in his speech at the opening rites, said  “this year’s theme, '2024...

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Bohol Gov.  Erico Aristotle Aumentado and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (l-r) at the RDC meeting at Malacañang on April 30.*The  almost P10 billion  Bacolod Coastal Express Way was one of  three Western Visayas  priority projects that were presented to  President Ferdinand  Marcos Jr. during his meeting with Regional Development Council (RDC)  chairpersons from around the country last week,  Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Thursday, May 2. Three RDC Priority Programs and Projects per region were presented to the president during the April 30 meeting at Malacañang.  The Bacolod Coastal Express Way from barangays Punta Taytay to Banago has been prioritized for construction in an...

The Western Visayas’ economy was valued at P1.024 trillion in 2023, joining the small group of one-trillion regional economies, according to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).The regional economy grew by 7.2 percent and ranked second-fastest, following closely the Central Visayas Region with 7.3 percent, the National Economic and Development Authority 6 (NEDA 6) reported in its website. The region also surpassed the Western Visayas Regional Development Plan target growth rate of 6.0 to 7.0 percent as well as that of the National Capital Region and the national average, which stood at 4.9 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively, it said. Broken down by major industries, the services industry comprised the biggest share of the region’s economy...

SSS Bacolod Branch personnel serving a notice of delinquency on Thursday.*SSS photoThe Social Security System (SSS) conducted a Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) drive against seven employers in Bacolod and Silay cities on Thursday, May 2. The employers were issued notices of delinquency for failure to remit P7,918,025.27 affecting 485 employees, Josefa Pineda, SSS Regional Communications Officer, said. The notices were serve to employers in Barangay Taculing and at Lacson Street in Bacolod City and Silay City, she said. Employers engaged in   sugarcane farming, restaurants, automotive care, wholesaling and a placement agency were served the notices. SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet , in a press release, said their  m...