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The Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA), in a letter to President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr., expressed its concern over the recent pronouncements of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno to increase the excise tax rate on sugar-using beverages and to adopt an open sugar importation policy.Pablo Lobregat, PSMA president, in the letter also noted that Diokno is opting to retain the tax rate on beverages using high fructose com syrup or HFCS.Under the sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) tax provision of the TRAIN Law beverages that use sugar are imposed an excise tax of P6/liter, while those that use HFCS, either entirely or in combination with sugar or other sweeteners, are subject to P12/liter excise tax.“The proposed increase in SSB tax on sugar will benefit a small segment of ...

The provincial Quick Response Team taking a blood sample from a pig at Brgy. Crossing Magallon, Moises Padilla.*The number of local government units in Negros Occidental hit by pig deaths from various diseases have increased to 20 and the barangays to 151, the Provincial Veterinary Office reported Tuesday, July 11.San Carlos City is the first local government unit in the 1st District of Negros Occidental and the 20th in the province to be hit with pig deaths, the PVO report showed.Sixteen pig deaths were reported in barangays Quezon and Rizal in San Carlos City.The pig deaths from African Swine Fever (ASF), hog cholera and other diseases in Negros Occidental were at 16,641 with total losses of P189, 688,125 on Tuesday, the PVO reported.The pig raisers affected are 3,670...

The GCash team with BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo Puyat, Monetary Board Member V. Bruce Tolentino, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, and Rep. Francisco Benitez in Victorias City on Tuesday.*Ronnie Baldonado photoGCash has signed a memorandum of agreement with the local government of Victorias City, Negros Occidental, to deliver safe and convenient digital solutions to constituents for their tax and fee payments, in line with its “Finance for All” vision.Victorias City will be the first LGU to scale up their GCash payment acceptance to more than just real property and business taxes, a GCash press release said Tuesday, July 11.Under the agreement, locals will now be able to use the GCash QR payment method to pay for professional tax and transfer tax, including registration fe...

Monetary Board Member V. Bruce Tolentino, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas deputy governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez (l-r) make a cashless purchase at the Victorias Commercial Center on Tuesday.*Ronnie Baldonado photoVictorias City became the first component city in Negros Occidental and second local government unit in Western Visayas to launch the Paleng-QR Ph Plus Program, a digital payments ecosystem for public markets and local transportation hubs, on Tuesday, July 11.Bacolod, which is a highly urbanized city, was the first LGU in Western Visayas to launch the program.Through the Paleng-QR, Victorias Commercial Center market vendors and local tricycle drivers can now opt for cashless transactions with just a scan of the official QR code, Mayor Javie...

The funeral in Himamaylan on Monday.*303 IB photoThe Army's 94th Infantry (Mandirigma) Battalion, in collaboration with the Himamaylan City Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, gave a slain New People’s Army (NPA) rebel a dignified burial Monday morning, the 303rd Infantry Brigade reported Tuesday, July 11.The alleged rebel was killed in one of the encounters between the NPA fighters and the 94th Infantry Battalion soldiers in Himamaylan City on July 7.Former rebels identified him as Chan/Bambam, as he had a tattoo on his right arm, the 303IB reported.Lt. Col. Van Donald L. Almonte, 94th Infantry (Mandirigma) Battalion commanding officer, said the slain rebel was one of several believed to have been critically wounded during the July 7 Himamaylan encounters....

Sixty-four jail personnel and persons deprived of liberty at the San Carlos City District Jail in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, tested negative for the use of drugs on Monday, July 10.The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency - Negros Occidental conducted a greyhound operation and tested the 64 individuals, the PDEA 6 reported.It said 29 jail personnel and 36 PDLs underwent random drug testing which yielded negative results.The PDEA also conducted a search and seizure operation at the jail and and did not find illegal drugs.*

A tricycle driver was mauled and stabbed to death by three suspects in Sitio Calasa, Brgy. Caradio-an, Himamaylan City, Monday morning, July 10.Raffy Rosa of Purok 2, Brgy. San Antonio, Himamaylan City, was mauled and stabbed by suspects identified as Rico Patiño, 39, alias “Kim Panique”, and alias “Dingdong Casisi”, all of Binalbagan town, the police reported Tuesday.The victim was driving a motorcycle when he was stopped by the suspects who mauled him, witnesses said.Patiño drew a bladed weapon and stabbed the victim several times on his chest and back, they added.The victim was brought to the Valeriano M. Gatuslao Memorial District Hospital in Himamaylan but was declared dead on arrival.Patiño surrendered to the Himamaylan police while the two suspects are still at-l...

The police arrested six suspects and seized P247,860 worth of suspected shabu in three cities and two towns of Negros Occidental on Monday, July 10.John Herwin Castro, 30, and Princess Ditchella, 29, of Hacienda Bacong, Brgy. Alicante, EB Magalona, were arrested in a buy-bust operation Tuesday night.Seized from them were 25 grams of suspected shabu estimated to cost P170,000 and a .38 caliber gun with five ammunition, the police reported Tuesday.Joseph Arnan Vingno, 49, was also arrested in a buy-bust operation in Brgy. Orong, Kabankalan City.Seized from him were seven grams of suspected shabu worth P47,600, the police said.Isagani Gonzaga, 46, a construction worker of Brgy. Maquiling, Sagay City, was arrested with three grams of suspected shabu worth P20,400, the polic...

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Dr. Marlon Era, president of the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines (SWAPP), signed a Memorandum of Agreement to conduct a Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) in Bacolod City, at the Mayor’s Office on Monday, July 10.This comprehensive understanding of the waste stream will enable the city to implement targeted and efficient waste management strategies, including waste reduction, recycling, and proper disposal, in line with sustainable development goals, Benitez said.The WACS initiative aims to provide baseline information necessary for the development of a comprehensive and sustainable 10-year solid waste management plan for Bacolod City, a press release from the city government said.By utilizing this valuable ...

A total of 1,608 healthcare workers in public and private hospitals in Bacolod City have been initially identified to receive the Comirnaty Pfizer-BioNtech-adapted bivalent vaccines for enhanced protection against COVID-19.Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Tuesday, July 11, that he supports the continuing vaccination program as he underscored its importance in the fight against the virus.“I applaud the commitment of the dedicated health care workers who have relentlessly served the community throughout the challenging times brought about by the pandemic,” he added.In Bacolod, the vaccines have been administered every Friday since July 7 to allow the hospital front-liners to have the weekend to rest from adverse reactions.Those who have already availed of the bivalent vacc...