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No one was found positive for the use of illegal drugs during surprise tests conducted on 195 jail personnel and persons deprived of liberty during a joint greyhound operation at the Silay City District Jail in Brgy. Mambulac, Silay City, Negros Occidental, Friday, August 25.The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Western Visayas reported on Monday that the PDEA-Negros Occidental office together with the Silay City Police Station and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology conducted the greyhound operation and drug testing.A search and seizure operation and random testing of 60 jail personnel and 135 PDLs was conducted, PDEA 6 said.The search and seizure operation also found no illegal drugs within the facility.PDEA 6 said that the operation was in line with their campaig...

Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis "Paul" Azcona (2nd from left) at the VMC warehouse that was hit by fire Sunday night.*The fire that hit Victorias Milling Co. Sunday night will not hamper the start of its milling on September 1, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis "Paul" Azcona said Monday, August 28.The fire hit the raw sugar warehouse and clinic of VMC in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, which is the largest sugar refinery in the country.VMC has yet to issue a report on the extent of the damage and the Victorias Bureau of Fire Protection said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.Azcona, who visited the mill Monday, said that VMC officials will complete their assessment but he is positive they can open on September 1.The fire “had a minim...

The Victorias City Hall will be the future site for the first component museum in Negros Occidental, with the signing of a Deed of Usufruct Agreement on Monday, August 28.Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) , National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) Director-General Jeremy Barns, NMP Visayas National Museums Director II Ma. Cecilia Tirol, and City Administrator Lindolf De Castro signed the agreement.The first component museum in Negros Occidental will feature the sugar heritage and indigenous flora and fauna of the province, a press release from Victorias City said.“We’re very excited about this partnership, we know that the National Museum of the Philippines and the partnership with the Department of Tourism, hopefu...

Bacolod firefighters recue a child from floodwaters on Monday.*BFP Bacolod photoActing Mayor El Cid Familiaran has ordered the cancellation of classes at all levels and the suspension of work in government offices in Bacolod City on Tuesday, August 29, due to inclement weather conditions brought on by Typhoon Goring.Employers of private businesses and establishments located within Bacolod are also highly encouraged to suspend work in order for their employees to attend to the needs of their familiesaffected by the inclement weather, Familliaran said in Executive Order 47, Series of 2023.Familiaran said work in all government offices, including national government offices, located within Bacolod will be cancelled, except for those that render essential services to the public...

Expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr.*Criminal charges have been filed against expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. and four of his cohorts for the killing of Governor Roel Degamo and nine others, the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed Saturday, August 26.DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said murder, frustrated murder and attempted murder cases were filed before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Aug. 18.Clavano said the DOJ is hopeful the court would issue the warrant of arrest against Teves “in the next few days.”“The Degamo case has already been filed in Manila. It is before the court and we are awaiting the issuance of a) warrant of arrest,” he said during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.Eleven other suspects were slapped with simil...

Fire hits the Victorias Milling Co. warehouse Sunday night, August 27.*Amity Volunteer Fire Brigade photoA fire hit the raw sugar warehouse and clinic of Victorias Milling Co. in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, Sunday night, August 27.The fire allegedly started at the clinic and spread to the warehouse destroying the sugar inside.The cause and extent of the damage has yet to be determined.Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, who was at the scene of the fire, said aside from the Victorias firefighters, fire trucks from neighboring local government units and the Amity and Chamber volunteer fire brigades arrived to help put out the blaze.He and Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) thanked all the firefighters who responded.“The damage is being ass...

The Over All Plebicite Committee canvassing vote results Saturday night.*The majority of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative member-consumers have voted in favor of the CENECO-Primelectric Holdings Inc. joint venture agreement, CENECO acting general manager Arnel Lapore said Sunday night, August 27.The “yes” votes on Sunday breached the threshold of 50 percent plus one of the votes, but it will have to be the National Electrification Administration to declare that the JVA has been approved by the majority of the CENECO member-consumers, he said.The CENECO board has already passed a resolution informing NEA of the results, he said.On the sixth day of the plebiscite on Sunday the yes to the JVA votes reached 98,591 representing 55.53 percent of the total voters, Jonathan ...

Fuel prices will go up again on Tuesday, August 29, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said Saturday.Diesel prices are expected to increase by P0.40 to P0.60 per liter, and gasoline by P0.10 to P0.20 per liter.Oil firms raised the per liter prices of gasoline by P1.10 and diesel by P0.20 last week.There has been a per liter increase of P14.50 for gasoline and P8.80 for diesel since the start of the year, data from the Department of Energy (DOE) showed.*

A man was shot to death by an unidentified suspect in Barrio Wak-wak, Brgy. 5, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, on Saturday night, August 26.Killed was Johnryl Calunsag, 34, of Brgy. 3, San Carlos City, the police said.The victim sustained gunshot wounds on different parts of his body that caused his death, the police added.He was brought to the San Carlos City Hospital for a post-mortem examination.The San Carlos police are conducting a pursuit operation for the possible arrest and identification of the suspect.*

Four suspects, including two teenagers, were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in two cities and a town in Negros Occidental and P144,840 worth of suspected shabu was seized on Friday, August 25, the police reported.Benny Pepito, 39, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Rizal, Silay City.Seized from him were 20 grams of suspected shabu worth P136,000, improvised tooters, and other non-drug items, the police said.Two teenagers, aged 16 and 18, were also arrested with shabu worth P6,800 in Brgy. Carmona, Pontevedra town, Friday night, the police added.John Kyle Sumaria, 24, tagged as a street level target, was also arrested in Brgy. 6, Victorias City.They recovered P2,400 worth of suspected shabu from him, the police said.*