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The Philippine Statistics Authority is investigating the dumping of National IDs in the garbage in Brgy. Tiling, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, as seen in a video that went viral on social media.PSA-Neg. Occ. head Luis Gonzales said on Thursday, July 13, that he sent one of his staff to Brgy. Tiling to investigate the matter and was still waiting for a report.Gonzales said that this incident will be referred to the PSA central office for further investigation.The individuals found liable for the incident might face charges for violating the Data Privacy Law as the National IDs contain personal data, he said.Gonzales also clarified that National IDs can only be received directly by their owners from their respective PhilPost branches and not by anyone.*

Big Belly Food to Go was one of the caterers during the state of the city address of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe caterer alleged to have served spoiled food during the State of the City Address of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez apologized to those who were affected by the incident and asked the public for their understanding.In a public statement issued Wednesday, July 13, Big Belly Food to Go owner and chef Darwin Castaneda said that they apologize to those who were affected by the incident as it was never intended and assured it will never happen again.Earlier reports said that on July 5, some attendees of the SOCA complained about the alleged spoiled food served by the caterer.Members of the media had also complained of stoma...

An alleged former member of the New People’s Army voluntarily surrendered to the police at Spur 16, Brgy. Bunga, Don Salvador Benedicto town in Negros Occidental on Wednesday, July 12.The 50-year-old farmer from San Carlos City, whose name was withheld, surrendered to the police and turned over a .357 caliber magnum revolver with three rounds of ammunition.The farmer was a former of the Northern Negros Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor, the police reported.*

Late milling is an added cruelty on sugar workers, Wennie Sancho, SAVE SIM convenor, said.*Nic Ledesma photoThe Save the Sugar Industry Movement (SAVE SIM) denounced on Thursday, July 13, the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s proposal to allow the start of all milling operations simultaneously on September 1, instead of the customary start in August for some Negros mills.“This is an injustice to sugar workers and small farmers who have been suffering from the long off-season since May. It has been more than two months now that sugar workers have had no work while small farmers have no income. Extending the start of milling to September 1 means prolonging their hunger and their agony for another six weeks,” Wennie Sancho, SAVE SIM convenor, said in a press release.Sancho pointed...

The Philippine Association of Sugar Refiners Inc. (PASRI) is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to withhold support of the plan to impose higher taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and to instead strongly oppose the proposal to increase indirect taxes on sugar.PASRI president Renato Cabati, in a letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. dated July 7, cited Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s announcement that the Department of Finance intends to increase the sweetened beverage tax rate under Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law to PHP12 per liter, regardless of the type of sweetener used.The proposal aims to fund newly initiated socio-economic programs, such as the food stamp program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Caba...

Six persons were arrested by the police after they allegedly recovered P61,880 worth of suspected shabu in separate operations in two cities and a town in Negros Occidental on Wednesday, July 12.Jumel Arnejon, alias “Tyanak”, 28, of Brgy. Malasibog, and Princess Dian Balsa, 31, of Brgy. Balintawak, in Escalante City were arrested in a buy-bust operation, Wednesday afternoon, the police reported Thursday.The police recovered four sachets of suspected shabu weighing eight grams with an estimated value of P54,400 and other drug paraphernalia.In Valladolid, Kyle John Mondido of Brgy. Tabao Proper was also arrested by the police in a buy-bust operation, Wednesday night.Recovered was a gram of suspected shabu worth P6,800, the police reported.Meanwhile, three individuals were...

Wilfredo Requiron and Asuncion Mapa finally married.*Six children and 24 grandchildren later, Wilfredo Requiron and Asuncion Mapa finally tied the knot after an almost 50-year relationship.The pair and 31 other couples were married in the “Kasalan ng Bayan” in Brgy. Bulanon, Sagay City, Thursday, July 13, in time for the Talabahan Festival in the barangay, a press release said.The mass wedding was administered by Mayor Narciso Javelosa. Vice Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva and councilors Perfecto Marañon, Rodnel Delos Reyes, Roldan Gamao, Felisa de la Cruz, Miller Serondo, and Ching Javellana also attended the ceremony and served as the godparents of the couples.“We are very happy that we were finally married and we thank Mayor Javelosa and the city government for this opportunity,”...

A perspective of the legislative building to be built behind the Bacolod City Government Center.*The Monetary Board has approved Bacolod City’s P4,171,000,000 loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines, Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said Wednesday, July 12.The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod in turn approved the request of Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez for an appropriation ordinance to finance the projects identified in the loan of Bacolod City with DBP.Sayson said with the appropriation ordinance the bidding of the projects to be financed by the loan can start.Among the priority projects to be financed by the loan is the purchase of additional property in Barangay Felisa for a sanitary landfill, Sayson said.There are four landowners who have offered the...

One at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office was found positive in the ongoing drug-testing of all personnel of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 in Western Visayas.Out of 5,694 PRO-6 organic personnel, only one, who is from NOCPPO, was found positive and is now subject to a confirmatory test, a press release from the PRO 6 said Wednesday, July 12.If the positive drug test result will be confirmed, the personnel will be facing charges and dismissal from service, it added.The ongoing drug testing is part of the regional police office’s initiative “to cleanse its ranks from any involvement in illegal drugs”.PRO-6 Regional Director, PBrig. Gen. Sidney Villaflor, said that the drug testing is part of our Internal Cleansing Program, a tangible way of checking the perso...

An ASF checkpoint in San Carlos City.*The deadly African swine fever (ASF) has hit pigs in two barangays in San Carlos City, Mayor Renato Gustilo confirmed Wednesday, July 12.There were 16 pig deaths in barangays Quezon and Rizal in San Carlos City, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) reported.RT-PCR tests confirmed ASF positive cases in the two barangays and samples will be submitted to the Bureau of Animal Industry for official results, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.Gustilo said the pigs within the 500 meter radius of the ASF hit areas have been cordoned.The pig raisers are encouraged to slaughter the healthy pigs in the area and sell the pork only to residents within the 500 meter radius, he said.San Carlos City is the first local government uni...