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Ronaldo “Ronnie” Almoneda and his new car* For Ronaldo “Ronnie” Almoneda, a Provincial Capitol employee, luck has never been on his side, especially in raffle draws. Until Tuesday, the Day of Valor, when he finally won a grand prize: a brand new car. Almoneda, an employee at the Provincial Planning and Development Office, was one of the grand winners of the raffle draw at the 33rd General Assembly of the  Capitol Government Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CAPGEM) at the SMX Convention Center Bacolod.He won a brand new Toyota Vios, one of the major prizes of the raffle, where he only had six tickets under his name. “I had two stubs with 24 tickets and four of us - my child, wife, and brother, divided it equally,” he said, adding “With six tickets...

LTFRB 6 officer-in-charge Salvador Altura Jr.* The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is reminding all operators of traditional public utility vehicles (PUV) that their consolidation deadline is  April 30. PUVs that fail to consolidate will not be allowed to operate after April 30, unless new guidelines are issued, LTFRB 6 officer-in-charge Salvador Altura Jr. said Thursday, April 11. Altura joined a meeting presided by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson  on the need for the Negros Occidental provincial government to  submit its Local  Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), held  at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City. Consolidation refers to the government requirement for PUV operators to form cooperatives or...

The voter registration turnout in Negros Occidental is below target, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Thursday, April 11. The total number of new voter registrants from February to April in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City is 52,655, Comelec records showed. The Election Registration Board hearings on the voter applications for the first quarter of 2024 will be on April 15, he said. The voter registration for the 2025 elections started February 12 and will end September 30. Ananoria urged the public to register early and to avoid the deadline rush. The Comelec is aiming to register 200,000 new voters in Negros Occidental. Ananoria said voters who did not vote in the last election will be delisted by the Comelec. There...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, April 11, that   he will adhere to the Department of Education guidelines for class suspensions and shifting to alternative delivery modes (ADM) due to extreme heat and calamities.  Localized assessments will ensure timely response and the welfare of learners and instructors, the mayor said in a Facebook post. In light of the high heat index experienced in different parts of the country, DepEd reiterates the provisions of Department Order 037 issued in 2022, which provides guidelines on the cancellation or suspension of classes and work in schools in the event of natural disasters, power outages/power interruptions, and other calamities,  its official statement dated April 4 said.  De...

A gun ban will be enforced in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from 12:01 a.m.  Monday, April 15, to 11:59 p.m. on April 21, Col. Rainerio de Chavez, Police Provincial Director, said on Thursday. The suspension of all permits to carry firearms outside of residence is being imposed as part of the security measures for the 28th Panaad sa Negros Festival that is held annually at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City. The weeklong festival will kick off on Monday.  De Chavez said 500 policemen and additional force multipliers will be sent off on Saturday to secure the festival site. Backpacks and deadly weapons will be prohibited at the festival site, he said.  They are also be finalizing rerouting plans ...

The El Niño drought damage to crops in Negros Occidental has breached the P100 million mark. The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist in a report submitted to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, which he released Wednesday, April 10, placed the damage to rice and corn at P115,228,510  in 22 towns and cities of Negros Occidental. Damage to rice was P110,490,700 and corn - P4,737,809 affecting 3,312 farmers tilling 2,737 hectares in 153 barangays. The largest damage to rice crops was in Kabankalan City at P41,910,361 followed by  Cauayan - P14,001,540, Candoni - P10,300,773, Bago City - P8,233,608,  Ilog - P7,487,370, Himamaylan - P3,732,556; San Enrique - P3,581,679, Valladolid - P3,442,846, EB Magalona - P2,572,460, Hinoba-an - P2,525,595, San Carlos City - P2,3...

COMELEC-Bacolod Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña* About 24,759 voters in Bacolod City are set to be delisted by the Commission of Elections, COMELEC-Bacolod Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said on Wednesday, April 10. To be delisted are voters who failed to vote in the last two elections, she said.The Election Registration Board hearings will also start Monday, April 15, until April 19, she said.There are 12,228 voter applications that they will hear, she said. The hearings will also cover applications for   correction, reactivation and transfer of voters’ records, she said. The deadline for filing of opposition to the application of a voter registrant is until Friday, April 12, she added.* 

Negros ACE president  Javier Miguel “Javi”  Benitez (2nd  from left)  presented a  resolution in support of the NIR to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson in the presence of Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante and Vice Governor  Jeffrey Ferrer (right)  in  July 27, 2022.* President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s support for the Negros Island Region, by promising to sign the NIR bill into law, "deeply shows his understanding and respect for our wish to come together as one region", the president of the Negros Association of   Chief Executives (Negros ACE) said on Wednesday, April 10. The benefits of unifying Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor under one administrative region will be huge, Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Beni...

The Bacolod City government is holding a  film festival in September  that  will serve as a platform to showcase the creativity of filmmakers residing in the city, develop film appreciation, and further promote the local film industry. Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez officially announced the call for entries to the Bacolod Film Festival  in accordance with the recently approved City Ordinance No. 1061. Councilor Em L. Ang,  chair of the Committee on History, Culture, and Arts of the Bacolod City Council, authored C.O. 1061, also known as the Bacolod Film Festival Ordinance, with fellow Councilors Cindy T. Rojas and Celia Matea Flor. The ordinance, which provides for the creation of the Bacolod Film Festival Council (BFFC), is made ...

Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes* The Diocese of Dumaguete led by Bishop Julito Cortes is calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto Senate Bill No. 2507  seeking the creation of the Negros Island Region for "grave lack of fair, just and truthful consultation". Marcos, who was in Bacolod Monday, said he  is signing the bill creating  the NIR  into law to unify the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor under  one administrative region.The NIR bill was co-authored by all of the representatives of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor,   and  was also endorsed by Neg. Occ. Gov. Eugenio  Jose Lacson and Neg. Or. Gov.  Manuel “Chaco" Sagarbarria. The  Diocese of Dumaguet...