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Former COA state auditor Marilou Reyes, and lawyers Romeo Carlos Ting Jr., Lyzander Dilag, Pacifico Maghari III and Karol Joseph Chiu (l-r) at the press conference Tuesday.*Mayor-elect  Alfredo  “Albee” Benitez has  red-flagged more than P1.5 billion  in  Bacolod City government  transactions for investigation,  his spokesperson  Lyzander “Bong”  Dilag announced  Tuesday, June 28.Benitez on his assumption of office will issue an executive order creating a committee, dubbed the truth commission, which will correct the errors of the past and ensure that they do not happen again, Dilag said at a press conference at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City.“To achieve our goal of good governance, it may be a necessary consequence to ho...

The Negros Occidental High School (NOHS) will kick off the holding of its year-long 120th Foundation Celebration on  Friday, July 1.First known as Instituto Rizal, NOHS started opening its doors to students on July 1, 1902 with 125 enrollees and three American teachers, a press release from the school said Thursday.Instituto Rizal began its classes using two rented spacious buildings for classrooms and dormitories for the boys and girls who resided outside of Bacolod.Like in the United States, the dormitories were considered part of the school system itself, in order to ensure that the students out-of-town were also accommodated.Ray Howell, a Thomasite, was hired as the first high school principal but the school was only short-lived as it was temporarily closed from Se...

Bacolod City and 11 local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental will be under Alert Level 1 from July 1 to 15, presidential spokesman Martin Andanar announced Tuesday, June 28.The 11 LGUs are Cadiz City, Candoni, Talisay City,   Victorias City, Enrique B. Magalona, La Carlota City, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Sagay City, San Enrique, and Valladolid, he said.The 20 other LGUs of Negros Occidental will remain under Alert Level 2.In Negros Oriental placed under Alert Level 1 until July 15 are Amlan, Bacong, Dauin, Dumaguete City Valencia and Zamboanguita,   while the rest of the province will be under Alert Level 2,  Andanar said.Other areas in Western Visayas under Alert Level 1 are Aklan,  Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo Province, and Iloilo City....

VMC President Minnie Chua gave her assurance that they are willing to refine when they have the raw sugar supply,*Ronnie Baldonado photoThree sugar mills in Negros Occidental vowed to restart mill operations before the official milling season in response to the call of Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer to allay fears of a rumored sugar shortage in the country.David Alba, general manager of the Asociacion de Agricultores de La Carlota y Pontevedra (AALCPI), said on Thursday, June 30, that Victorias Milling Company (VMC), Universal Robina Corp. (URC) La Carlota and the Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM) are all willing to reopen and mill early once raw sugar is available.Alba said AALCPI along with other industry stakeholders are helping Ferrer to reach out to...

Former Bacolod mayor Monico Puentevella* The Ombudsman has dismissed a criminal complaint filed in 2017   against former Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella and three others    for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for lack of probable cause.Also dismissed was an administrative case for misconduct filed against the four for lack of substantial evidence. The dismissal of the cases was approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Dec. 2, 2021, and released to the media on Tuesday, June 28.The other respondents in the case   were Jerome Solinap, then   Bacolod Bids and Awards Committee chairman, Assistant City Engineer Josephus Cerna and maintenance foreman Harry James Magbanua.The complaints filed by Samu...

The fare hike was granted to ease the effects of the rising fuel prices.*Levi Trio photoThe minimum fare of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) will increase to P11 nationwide starting Friday, July 1, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said in an order released Wednesday, June 29.Eduardo “Junjun” Asis, acting secretary general of the Sentrong Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Negros, said the granting of the fare hike is good news for them.It will be added income for the drivers with the rising prices of fuel, he said.Diego Malacad, United Negros Drivers and Operators Center secretary general, said the increase can temporarily help the drivers but it will also mean less passengers.The better solution is to withhold the excise tax on fuel, he said. ...

Dengue cases in Negros Occidental have further increased by 605 percent from January 1 to June 18 compared to the same period last year, the Department of Health in Western Visayas reported on Monday, June 27.Negros Occidental had 140 new cases from June 12 to 18 for a total of 1,368 cases and seven deaths this year, which is still the highest in Western Visayas, the DOH said.Bacolod City’s dengue cases from January 1 to June 18 increased by 153 percent compared to last yearThe city had 22 new cases from June 12 to 18 for a total of 238 and four deaths, the DOH said.The dengue cases in Western Visayas hit 3,653 as of June 18, or an increase of 298 percent compared to last year.The region has 24 dengue deaths this year, the DOH added.Aklan has  131 dengue cases ...

Mechanized farming will help boost Negros Occidental's food production.*Richard Malihan photoMore than 200 hectares owned by the Negros Occidental provincial government will be  converted into  productive land  for agriculture and livestock, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz  said Wednesday, June 29.This is part of the provincial government’s thrust toward ensuring food  security for Negrenses, he said.Among the areas  to be used are the Negros First Ranch in  Murcia, and properties in Talisay and Himamaylan cities, he said.“There is a sense of urgency, so that we can address the gaps in the food supply for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City,” Diaz said.The more than 200 hectares for agriculture and livestock will be managed by t...

The body of the shooting victim was found at a garbage dump in Barangay 8*The body of another person who was shot to death in Bacolod City was found in a garbage dump at Palanca Road in Barangay 8 at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 28.This brings the shooting incidents in Bacolod City to 13 with 10 persons killed in June, Lt. Col. Sherlock Gabana, Bacolod police spokesperson, said.The victim was identified as Mark Borbon Decolongon, 37, of  Purok Woodstock, Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City."He is a known drug user and seller, and thief", Gabana said.The victim sustained gunshot wounds on his neck and chest, the police said. Recovered from the crime scene were two empty shells of a .45 caliber pistol, the police added.*

Mayor Evelio Leonardia and El Cid Familiaran (4th and 3rd from left) with GP councilors Israel Salanga, Cindy Tan-Rojas, Em Legaspi-Ang and Renecito Novero (l-r)*Outgoing Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia administered the oaths of office of reelected Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and four Grupo Progreso councilors, and delivered his final message as the top city executive at the Bacolod City Government Center Wednesday afternoon, June 29.Familiaran was accompanied by his wife, Portia, during the oath-taking rites.The mayor also swore into office GP councilors Israel Salanga, Em Legaspi-Ang, Cindy Tan-Rojas and Renecito Novero.Leonardia paid tribute to Familiaran, his Grupo Progreso peers and the barangay captains who stayed with him in his public service journey that has span...