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Cocolisap hit coconut trees in Barangay Mailum, Murcia.* photo courtesy of Ramon Uy Sr.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Thursday, August 24, that the attack of aspidiotus regidus, also known as cocosilap, on coconuts trees in two cities and two towns in Negros Occidental has been contained.The scale pests had attacked coconut trees in Bago and La Carlota cities and the municipalities of Murcia and La Castellana early this month prompting Lacson to issue an executive order designating the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) as the lead agency in the battle against the cocolisap.“Cocolisap is contained so that’s a positive sign. It’s still there but its not like when it started,” he said, adding that it has not spread to other local government units.“We were attacked, right n...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson distributing cash incentives to the athletes*Richard Malihan photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson led the distribution of P677,000 in incentives to the Palarong Pambansa medalists of Negros Occidental at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Thursday, August 24.Negros Occidental contributed significantly to the total medals received by Western Visayas to bag second place in the Palarong Pambansa, he said.The gold medalists received P5,000 for each medal, silver medalists - P3,000, and bronze medalists - P1,000 each.Negrense athletes won 106 gold medals, 31 silver medals, and 54 bronze medals.The most bemedalled athlete was given another P5,000, and the record-breaker athlete also received an additional P5,000.The trainers were also given P85,000 in i...

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) here will train more than 2,700 public school teachers who will serve as poll personnel during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in Bacolod City on October 30.As of Thursday, the series of training has been scheduled to start on September 8 and run until October 21, only during Fridays and Saturdays.City Election Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said three teachers, comprising the electoral board (EB), will be assigned to each of 908 clustered precincts in the city.“We target minimum disruption of classes (during training) since the teachers will already be back in school by then,” she added.Each EB is composed of a chairperson, a poll clerk, and a third member.In voting centers where the EBs have yet to be filled, ...

The Sugar Regulatory Administration has submitted draft amendments to the Philippine Sugar Corporation (PhilSuCor) charter to the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in response to calls for its revival, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said on Thursday, August 24.The draft amendments call for the inclusion of PhilSuCor credit facilities for farmers, and authority for it to release the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) socialized credit program funds, he said.The proposed revival of PhilSuCor would be a very good move, he said.PhilSuCor was ran by farmers so they understood when and how the credit program should be implemented, Azcona said.“Our farmers cannot afford delays when it comes to the need for financing,” he said.The state-owned corporation was esta...

The MassKara Festival 2023 logo by multimedia artist Myish Endonila.*The Bacolod Yuhum Foundation said there was no intention to “shutout” the media from the launching of the MassKara Festival 2023 logo, official soundtrack and activities at Stonehill Suites in Bacolod City on Wednesday night, August 24.There is a scheduled press presentation solely for media partners this weekend, a statement from Yuhum Foundation spokesperson Mate Espina said on Thursday, August 24, in response to reports on the non inclusion of the mainstream media and the presence of a vlogger at the affair.“We regret the miscommunication on this matter as we have scheduled separately an event for our media friends to allow us more time for discussions and Q and A,” Espina said.The recent launch and spo...

The Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO) employees union lawyer Rey Gorgonio denied that he was spared from disconnection for non-payment of an electric bill that was due for six months.CENECO acting general manager Arnel Lapore in a memorandum dated August 4 noted that strangely the account of Gorgonio covering a six month period, which had been due, was spared from being disconnected.It was learned that the account was settled after the manager of the Consumers Account Department called the attention Stefannie Montaner, Lapore added.Gorgonio said the electric bill registered in his name was for electricity consumed by boarders staying in a compound, and not for his residence.When he found out about it, it was fully paid immediately, he said.The lawyer alleged ...

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in Bacolod City reminded Facebook users on Wednesday, August 23, to remain vigilant amid reports of cyber attacks targeting pages of local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental.The latest incident involved the official Facebook page of the town of E. B. Magalona, which was hacked on Tuesday, a day after the office of Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez (3rd District) reported unauthorized access to the lawmaker’s “Cong. Kiko Benitez” page.“Public pages are really the targets of hackers, these are vulnerable. For DICT, we always remind the public to secure their accounts,” said Mary Jane Agonace, provincial director of DICT-Negros Occidental.She said users must be mindful of the privacy settings that would allow t...

The Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation (BREDCO) has expressed its intention to reclaim additional areas intended for development under the replanning/re-engineering of its port operations in Bacolod.Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez endorsed the BREDCO letter of intent to the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Wednesday, August 23, for appropriate action.Benitez said he is expecting that the proposal will require an amendment to the Comprehensive Revised Reclamation Agreement (CRRA) entered by the City and BREDCO on March 16, 1995, and the subsequent Tripartite Memorandum of Agreement between the City, BREDCO and Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) on March 18, 2000.The City Legal Office is now studying the proposal so it can render a legal opinion on the matter, he add...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Wednesday, August 23, that furniture and other obstructions along Lopez Jaena Street will be confiscated if their owners refuse to remove them.Beds, chairs, tables and other furniture made at the Lopez Jaena shops being displayed on the newly paved street have been noted to be increasing in number.The obstructions will be confiscated by the City Legal Office in order to clear the road in preparation for the expected increase in traffic with the opening of public schools on Tuesday, August 29.Rey Demisana, city enforcement team head, said they have repeatedly reminded the furniture shop owners against encroaching on the roads but they keep returning when the enforcement team leaves.*

The official Facebook page of Rep. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) that had fallen victim to what appears to be a troll hacking group originating from overseas has been recovered.The “Cong. Kiko Benitez” Facebook page was hacked at 12 p.m. Monday and his team regained access to it at 1 a.m. on Wednesday, August 23.The team of Benitez had immediately sought the support of the Facebook Meta Philippines in Manila, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, National Bureau of Investigation - Western Visayas and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordination Center.The Benitez team said it is continuing to closely coordinate with the Meta team and the government agencies to establish proactive measures for protection and to prevent the recurr...