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The Department of Social Welfare and Development has removed 87,678 households in Western Visayas, which include 23,687 from Negros Occidental, from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).They were removed from the list of recipients because they were already tagged as “non-poor” based on the Listahanan database, DSWD-6 public information officer May Rago-Castillo said Thursday, August 11.Households removed from the list in Aklan were 8,692, Antique - 8,829, Capiz - 18,691, Guimaras - 3,303 and Iloilo - 24,476, she added.There are about 134,930 new poor households eyed as potential beneficiaries of the 4Ps in Western Visayas for this year,  Rago-Castillo said.She said the breakdown per province of those to be included on the list was not available yet.The Pa...

Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer*Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, who has been calling for the resignation of Hermenegildo Serafica from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), said he will not comment on the matter anymore since an investigation is already underway.“The investigation is ongoing so for delicadeza I will refrain from any comment as of now,” Ferrer said on Friday, August 12.He will just submit documents in support of his call for the removal of Serafica, he said.Ferrer said he will also not comment on his call for the revocation of the president’s appointment of Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. as Sugar Board member representing the planters anymore.“I have already said what I want to say against Mr. Valderrama that is over” he sa...

“Since the president has already decided on the issue, the pressure is now on the mills to produce as much sugar as they can," Enrique Rojas, president of the National Federation of Sugarcane Producers, said.*Ronnie Baldonado photoSugar groups welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s revocation of the order that would have allowed the importation of 300,000 metric tons of sugar, and joined the call for a revamp of the Department of Agriculture (DA)  and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA)  on Friday, August 12.Malacañang is investigating the “illegal” issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 (SO4) granting the importation of 300,000 MT of sugar without the authority of the president, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced on Thursday.The president is concurrent DA ...

The taxi driver who harassed his minor passenger will be charged for acts of lasciviousness.*A 60-year-old taxi driver who touched the leg of his female minor passenger will face charges for acts of lasciviousness.A video of the 16-year-old girl being touched by the suspect has gone viral on social media.The victim was sitting in the front seat of the taxi on her way to Barangay 28 when the harassment happened on Wednesday, August 10.Based on the victim's post, she warned the driver to stop what he was doing but he did not listen and continued to touch her.The victim has no photo of the taxi or its plate number, but she filed the complaint before the Women and Children’s Protection Desk.The police identified the 60-year-old suspect with the help of the ride hailing ...

The Bacolod City government will provide free school supplies to students at public schools not later than November 22 when the 100 percent mandated face-to-face classes start, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Thursday, August 11.The school supplies will be delivered on time, he said.They are still determining the amount needed for the schools supplies and where the funds will be sourced from, Benitez also said.The city government is preparing for the opening of classes, and is addressing health and traffic concerns, Benitez assured.The city government wants to ensure that the health of students is properly protected, he said.Dr. Carmela Gensoli, Bacolod City Health Officer, said they strongly advise parents to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 for t...

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer (l-r)*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez called on the sugar industry stakeholders on Thursday, August 11, to unite and work for the common good.Lacson, when asked for his comment on the call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to revoke the appointment of Aurelio Valderrama  Jr.  as planter representative on the Sugar Board, said “I don’t think we have to continue talking about this”.“Mr. Valderrama has already made an open letter and recognizes the authority of the president and he is at the disposal of the president,” Lacson said.The governor said it is not good to say that there is now a brewing disagreement between sugar groups in ...

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announcing the Palace investigation into the issuance of the unauthorized order granting the importation of sugar at a press briefing on Thursday.*Malacañang is investigating the “illegal” issuance of Sugar Order No. 4 granting the importation of 300,000 MT of sugar without the authority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced in a press briefing Thursday, August 11.EO4 was uploaded on the website of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Wednesday and later deleted.“An investigation is ongoing to determine whether any acts that will cause the President to lose trust and confidence in his officials can be found, or if there is malice or negligence involved,” Cruz-Angeles  said.“In such a...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is staging a “MassKara sa Panaad” in support of Bacolod City’s festivities in October, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Friday, August  12.Local government booths will open to sell goods and activities will also be staged at the Panaad Park in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod, during the MassKara Festival, he said.Diaz said provincial government officials, including its tourism officers and representatives of the Association of Negros Producers, met with Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Thursday to discuss programs that Negros Occidental and Bacolod City can jointly undertake.They discussed the MassKara Festival to be held in Bacolod City in October and the Negros Trade Fair in Makati City in September.They are also...

The military asset after he was killed.*Calatrava PNP photoA military asset was allegedly killed by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, Friday, August 12.Killed was Renato Estrebello who was shot by five unidentified armed men outside his house.The victim was taken outside his house where he was shot several times by the assailants who reportedly identified themselves as NPA members.Police said that the motive for the killing was the victim’s alleged connection to the Army.*

The recovered items from the encounter site.*303rd IB photoThe Philippine Army has yet to release the name of the suspected New People’s Army rebel who was killed in an encounter with  state troopers in Sitio Bulasot, Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, August 11.The government forces encountered the members of the Central Negros 2, Komiteng Rehiyon – Negros after they responded to a report that armed men were seen in the area, the Army’s press statement said.The soldiers recovered two M-16 rifles, two .45  caliber pistols, numerous magazines with live ammunition, medical supplies, backpacks, propaganda materials, and subversive documents.Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the NPA rebels in Negros ...