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Two police officers were injured when their patrol car fell and crashed into a vacant lot beside the highway in Basay town, Negros Oriental, Friday morning, July 21.Maj. Marcos Lopez, Basay Police Station chief, said the two police personnel were injured after the driver lost control of the vehicle.The victims were identified as Patrolman Bryan Earl Oville, driver of the patrol car, and Patrolwoman Jedeliza Andrade from the Basay Police Station, who sustained minor injuries.The patrol car was heading towards the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) in Agan-an, Sibulan town, when the driver lost control of the vehicle after it overtook a tricycle, because of a slippery road.The victims were brought to the Bayawan City District Hospital and were subjected to CT sc...

Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon said on Friday, July 21, that with the death of Monsignor Guillermo “GG” Azcona Gaston the Diocese of Bacolod “lost one of its great pillars and patriarchs who have shaped the diocese into what it is today”.Gaston, 91, succumbed to cardiac arrest, on Thursday.Buzon said “It is with deep sadness that we bid goodbye to our dear Msgr.Guillermo Gaston”.“A man of many talents, Msgr. GG, as we fondly call him, served the diocese in various capacities as teacher, formator, liturgical artist, administrator and many others. But most of all, he is deeply revered as a true priest and zealous pastor of the Lord’s flock,” the bishop said.“We thank him most sincerely, as we pray that the Father receive him, his good steward and faithful son, to his eternal r...

An alleged New People’s Army (NPA) leader described as a notorious hitman and an unidentified rebel were killed in an encounter with government soldiers at Sitio Kawayanan, Brgy Montilla in Moises Padilla town, Negros Occidental, at 11:55 p.m. Thursday, July 20.Killed in the encounter between the 62nd Infantry Battalion soldiers and six NPA members were Marivic Ebarle, alias “Ivan”, commanding officer of a Section Guerilla Unit of Central Negros 1, and a still unidentified rebel, 1Lt. Mary Liza Joy de Guzman, 62IB civil-military operations officer, said Friday.The 62IB responded to information from residents on the presence of the rebels in Sitio Kawayanan, which resulted in a 15-minute firefight.Two NPA rebels were killed and their bodies were recovered, while two were wounded...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson joined the 37th Founding Anniversary celebration of the 303rd Infantry Brigade on Thursday, July 20, and thanked the military officers and personnel for their selfless and courageous service in promoting peace and order in Negros Island.The governor, together with 303rd IB Commander, Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, led the wreath-laying ceremony at the Camp Major Nelson Gerona monument in Murcia, Negros Occidental.Lacson lauded the brigade for their excellent service, not only in line with promoting peace but also in times of disasters and calamities.“May God continue to bless and protect you, and may he sustain the gains of our endeavors for a more peaceful and progressive province,” he said.A Plaque of Appreciation was also given to ...

Monsignor Guillermo ‘GG’ Azcona Gaston.* Ronnie Baldonado photoMonsignor Guillermo ‘GG’ Azcona Gaston passed away at The Doctors Hospital in Bacolod City at 5:37. p.m. Thursday, July 20.Gaston, 91, succumbed to cardiac arrest, his nephew Joey Gaston said.He had been recuperating from a fall at his home at Hacienda Rosalia in Manapla in December.Gaston was ordained a priest in 1959, studied in Rome and was assigned to various parishes within the Diocese of Bacolod.He also served as rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral from 1985-1988 and 1991-1995.Joey Gaston said the venue and schedule of the memorial services for his uncle will be announced shortly.*

Ninety fake Bacolod business permits have been discovered, and the number appears to be increasing, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Thursday, July 20.Fixers, who may be part of a syndicate, are believed to be behind the issuance of the fake business permits, Benitez said, adding that an investigation is underway.Those allegedly involved were job order workers from the previous administration, who are no longer working for the city government, he said, adding that it could have been an inside job.The Bacolod City Treasurer has found fake official receipts, assessments and business permits all because of reports from concerned citizens, he said.Benitez said he is encouraging Bacolod residents to be active participants in reporting illegal activities in the city government...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (left) and Councilor Vladimir Gonzalez at a press conference on Thursday*Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Thursday, July 20, that he is submitting a list of idle land owned by the national government in Bacolod City to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) so it can expand its housing program in Bacolod City.Benitez said this in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order (EO) 34 directing all government agencies, including local government units, to identify government properties that can be used for the expansion of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program.This EO will now force the national government agencies and departments to transfer their unutilized land to the DHS...

Patrick S. Lacson, Sonya M. Verdeflor and Bartolome N. Orola Sr. (l-r).*The Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, July 19, granted Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez authority to sign the contracts of service of six persons, including three of his Asenso Bacolod partymates in the 2022 polls.The six are former councilors Bartolome N. Orola Sr. and Sonya M. Verdeflor, former Negros Occidental board member Patrick S. Lacson, Lizel De Las Alas, Emmylou F. Iman, and Maria Louie A. Jomero.Orola, Verdeflor and Lacson, who lost their bids for councilor in 2022, were granted contracts of service from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.Documents submitted to the SP said Orola would advise the mayor on socio-economic and development matters, Verdeflor on social services with emphasis on ...

Vice President Sara Duterte has not authorized the solicitation of any membership fee.*Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson on Thursday, July 20, also warned the public against persons promising livelihood projects from Vice President Sara Duterte in exchange for a P50 membership fee in their organization.Tongson said they have asked the police and barangay officials to investigate the persons behind the scam and already have preliminary findings.Tongson said reports reaching his office is that the leader of the organization soliciting membership fees is not from Himamaylan City.They are reportedly promising their recruits P15,000 in livelihood support from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), Tongson said.The public should not believe these people because they are ...

Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez at the Lasallian Education Symposium*Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ. 3rd District) urged the academic sector to adopt the “lifelong-learning model” to elevate the education system while addressing the impacts of digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic in Negros Occidental.Benitez, in his speech during the Lasallian Education Symposium at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City on Tuesday, July 18, said that there is a need to adapt and address the evolving digital landscape, traditional models of education, and learning deficiency due to the pandemic.The symposium provided a platform for crucial discussions on the future of education in Negros Occidental and the country, a press release from his office said.Benitez ur...