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Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at a press conference at the Bacolod City Government Center on Monday,*Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, August 7, that he will never break the law and will leave the claims hurled by Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Neg. Or., 3rd District) against him to the proper authorities to handle.Benitez pointed out that he is bound by the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 that specifies that any person, association, company directly or indirectly dealing with designated terrorists will be subject to certain penalties, which includes reclusion perpetua.Reclusion perpetua carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.Teves, in a video circulating on social media, said since he along with his friends and children are...

The inspection of establishments at Lizares Avenue on Friday.*Bacolod PIO photoThe Bacolod City government is cracking down on establishments selling alcoholic drinks to minors and is checking on their business permits.City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. warned on Sunday, August 6, that establishments that defy the law against the sale of alcohol to minors and the provisions in their business permits could face closure.To address concerns raised by parents and to ensure the safety of minors, the Bacolod Permits and Licensing Office, in collaboration with Police Station 6, City Legal Office and the Department of Social Services and Development Office, conducted a joint operation on 11 stalls at Lizares Avenue in Bacolod City allegedly serving alcohol to suspected minors, la...

DepEd 6 Regional Director Ramir Uytico receives the first runner up trophy of Western Visayas from Vice President Sara Duterte.*Negros Occidental lost its bid to host the 2024 Palarong Pambansa.Cebu City will host next year’s Palarong Pambansa, Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte announced at the closing ceremony of the 2023 games at the Marikina City Sports Center on Saturday, August 5.“Congratulations to Cebu City and we wish them a successful 2024 Palarong Pambansa”, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Sunday.Lacson, who made a pitch for Negros Occidental to host the 2024 Palaro before Department of Education officials, said there was no time to be disappointed.After 2024 the next turn for the Visayas to host the Palaro would be in 2028...

Fuel prices will go up for a fifth straight week on Tuesday, August 8, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said on Saturday.Unioil said it expects diesel prices to increase by P3.70 to P3.90 per liter, and gasoline by P0.20 to P0.40 per liter.Last week the per liter price increase for diesel was P3.50, gasoline - P2.10 and kerosene - P3.25.Oil Industry Management Bureau Assistant Director Rodela Romero of the Department of Energy attributed the increase to the production cut in Saudi Arabia.*

The recovered items from the Guihulngan encounter*An alleged New People’s Army rebel was killed and firearms were seized in encounters in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, and Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, on Saturday and Sunday, August 5 and 6, the Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion reported.The 62nd IB soldiers engaged eight NPA rebels in a 10-minute gun battle at Sitio Leong, Brgy Imelda, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, at about 5:45 a.m. Saturday.Recovered from the encounter site were a .45 caliber pistol with magazines, serviceable ammunition, two backpacks, and personal belongings.During pursuit operations, 62IB troops encountered three fleeing rebels at Sitio Cansimba, Brgy Quintin Remo, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental, at 12:09 p.m. Sunday.A 3-minute fire...

The seized shabu in Hacienda Teresita, Barangay Granada, Bacolod, on Saturday.*The police arrested six suspects and seized P290,300 worth of suspected shabu and a homemade shotgun in buy-bust operations in four cities and a town in Negros Occidental from Friday to Sunday, August 4 to 6.Wilfredo Porras Palmer, 59, was arrested in a buy bust operation at Hacienda Teresita, Barangay Granada, Bacolod, at 1:25 a.m. on Saturday, Police Station 5 reported.Seized from him were 27 grams of shabu worth P183, 600, the police reported.Two suspects were also arrested in Sitio Sawangan, Brgy. Libacao, Himamaylan City, and six grams of suspected shabu valued at P40,800, drug paraphernalia and a homemade shotgun, were seized Sunday morning, the police said.Lowell Taladua, 40, and Joy B...

Two persons were stabbed to death in Negros Occidental cities on Friday and Saturday, August 4 and 5, the police said.Leonardo Himaya-an, 59, a laborer was allegedly stabbed by Rijie Casintahan, 20, in Sitio Camanda-an, Brgy. Bantayan, Kabankalan City, on Friday.A witness to the incident said that Himaya-an and Casintahan had a heated argument in the middle of their drinking session, the police said.The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim in the lower right side of his abdomen and left armpit.Himaya-an was brought to the Kabankalan City Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.The suspect is now under the custody of the police.Meanwhile, Amostiola Cabognason, 43, of Sitio Calimbuhan, Brgy. Quezon, San Carlos City, was also stabbed by an unidentified suspect, on Sa...

Director Kent John Desamparado and writer Crispel Jhun Ducay with Cinemalaya Festival Director Chris Millado*The premier screening of short films by two Negrense filmmakers, which are in competition in this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, was held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Sunday, August 6.The short films of Kurt Soberano and Kent John Desamparado, “Golden Bells” and “Ang Kining Ambahanon kag Binalaybay ko Para sa Imo”, were screened at the Cinema Rizal of the PICC.They are among 10 films vying for the Best Short Film award at the festival.Soberano and Desamparado’s films were part of the Cinemalaya Shorts B program which involves stories about familial love shot and produced from various regions in the country.K...

The Negros Occidental provincial government turned over P3.5 million to the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry to help develop the billion-peso crab export industry and create livelihood programs for Negrense women in rural areas on Thursday, August 3.MBCCI Chief Executive Officer Frank Carbon said this partnership aims to develop the blue swimming crab industry in the northern Negros towns and cities and create livelihood projects for Negrense women.The turnover led by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson was held at the Governor’s Office at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City.Carbon said that it is a counterpart project where the MBCCI will provide about P1 million for additional labor and management of the project.“The crab industry is the only export industry in Negr...