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Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez administers the oath of SRA Board Member Aurelio Valderrama, Jr., left, representing the planters at the BCGC Saturday. *Archie Rey Alipalo photoNegrense Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr., the newly-installed board member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration, vowed to work towards the unification of a common goal and set aside political and personal agenda for the survival of the industry."I will talk to every planter, find out what their concerns are. My dream and my prayer is that we can unify and have one common agenda," said Valderrama, SRA board member representing the planters, after taking his oath before Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the Bacolod City Government Center on Saturday, August 7.Valderrama, president of the VICMICO Planters A...

The recovered drugs.*San Carlos PNP photoA street-level drug suspect was arrested in a buy-bust operation at San Juan Tunga, Brgy 5, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, on Friday, August 5.Nabbed was 20-year-old Robert Fernandez, who was tagged by the police as the Top 6 priority target on their list.He was arrested after he sold suspected shabu to a police poseur buyer.Recovered from him were 10 grams of suspected shabu worth P68,000, a coin purse, and the P600 buy-bust money.The suspect is now in police custody and will face drug charges.*

The Commission on Elections in Bacolod City has disapproved 32 voter applications for failing to meet the registration requirements, local election officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña said Monday, August 8.Of the 41 voter applicants who were called to the Election Registration Board hearings, 32 were found to be no longer living in the barangays where they want to vote, she said, adding that most of them are from Barangay 19.At least 10,293 registrants in the city have applied for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections set on December 5.Caña said that those whose applications have been disapproved can still seek a petition for inclusion.Meanwhile, the poll body is set to de-list the double registrants and voters who have already passed away.*

One of the two arrested in the NBI raid*The National Bureau of Investigation arrested two persons believed to be part of a gambling syndicate for illegally posing as Small Town Lottery (STL) operators in the vicinity of the Libertad Public Market in Bacolod City shortly before noon on Friday, August 5, NBI Bacolod chief Renoir Baldovino said.Nabbed were Reynne Magbanua Lopez and Arjens Arro Esbida of Bacolod City, who are facing charges for violation of Presidential Decree1602 as amended by Section 3 Paragraph C of Republic Act 9287, an act increasing the penalties for illegal numbers games, Baldovino said.Baldovino said the NBI raided the operations of the two at corner Libertad and Mabini streets for posing as STL operators without a franchise or permit from the Philippine Ch...

Jocelle Batapa-Sigue took her oath as Department of Information and Communications Technology undersecretary, before DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy on Thurday.*Former Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, newly appointed undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, took her oath of office before DITC Secretary Ivan John Uy on Thursday, August 4.Batapa-Sigue said she is deeply humbled and honored to assume the position “with the goal of helping our country leverage on digital innovation by including the countryside in the discussion”.She is inspired by direction set by Uy to include among his priorities the development of ICT-driven industries to generate more jobs and investments for the country, Batapa-Sigue said.“The DICT is well-aware of ...

President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr. has appointed a member of the Confederation of Sugarcane Planters Associations (CONFED) as acting member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board representing the planters. Aurelio Gerardo Javellana Valderrama Jr., CONFED board member, was appointed in a document signed by the president on August 2.CONFED president Raymond Montinola said on Friday, August 5, that their group along with the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, Panay Federation and the Philippine Sugar Millers Association have recommended the retention of Hermenegildo Serafica as SRA administrator.He said  for the  Sugar Board they have recommended the appointment of Butch Alisla as millers representative  and Valderrama for the planters....