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The transition teams' meeting on Wednesday, June 22.*Nico Delfin photoThe transition team of outgoing Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia did not turnover any documents, including data on the city’s casuals and job order (JO) workers, to the team of mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez during a meeting at the Bacolod City Government Center Wednesday afternoon, June 22, Rep. Greg Gasataya said.Gasataya, who heads the transition team of Benitez, said they were told that they can instead get the documents they need from the city government’s various departments that are ready.Outgoing City Administrator Edward Joseph Cuansing said the documents of the various departments, which the Benitez team can go over, are already complete. The Benitez team can coordinate with the different departm...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson wants to ensure food self-sufficiency in Negros Occidental.*Richard Malihan photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government is setting its priorities for the second term of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson in a three-year development plan, and is preparing for a 14 percent drop in its 2023 budget, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Wednesday, June 22.The priorities of the provincial government in its three-year development plan are food security, education, infrastructure and peace and order, among others, Diaz said.Lacson is aiming to make Negros Occidental self-sufficient in food amid a looming worldwide crisis, he said.The provincial government department heads have been asked to set tangible, concrete and doable objectives, he added.Di...

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer (right).*Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer said on Wednesday, June 22, that he is hopeful that the much awaited reforms in the sugar industry, including the full implementation of the sugar road map and utilization of the Sugar Industry Development Act fund will be realized under the Marcos administration.President-elect Ferdinand Marcos’ announcement that he will also head the Department of Agriculture shows “he is serious in working on his campaign promise that agriculture will be a priority agenda in his administration, which will greatly benefit Negros Occidental in terms of food security and in our effort to wipe out insurgency”, Ferrer said in a press release.David Alba, represen...

Personal belongings, medical paraphernalia, and subversive documents were seized form the rebel hideout, the Army said.*Troops of the 79th Infantry "Masaligan" Battalion overran a Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) hideout after an encounter in Sitio Tinibyangan, Brgy Minapasuk, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, at about 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 22.Lt. Col. J-jay Javines, 79th IB commander, said their troops were conducting a re-visitation of the area when they encountered about 10 rebels believed to be remnants of the dismantled Northern Negros Front (NNF-D).Days before the encounter, several encampments were also found in the barangay, he added."This encounter happened after our troops received information from concerned citizens about the presence o...

SRA says sugar shortage driving up prices.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe high sugar prices in the market have been caused by the greediness of some sugar traders, Manuel Lamata,  United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines president, said Thursday, June  23.“They are hoarding sugar to manipulate the market as if there was a shortage,” he said.Lamata said the  Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Customs  and the police should  raid sugar warehouses and file cases against the traders.Hoarding is  economic sabotage, he pointed out.The planned import program of Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator Hermenegildo Serafica  was  meaningless, Lamata said.The  200,000 metric to...

The provincial government is having a hard time convincing senior citizens to get vaccinated against Covid-19*Richard Malihan photoConvincing more senior citizens in Negros Occidental to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is an uphill battle.Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said they targeted 15,000 senior citizens during their simultaneous provincewide mass vaccination drive this month but so far only 714 have been covered.The provincial government is giving rice assistance to senior citizens who agree to be vaccinated, and financial incentives to barangay health workers who are able to convince more residents to get inoculated.They will just keep on trying to convince more residents, especially senior citizens, to get vaccinated for their own protection, he said.T...

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian will be the guest speaker at 84th Anniversary of Bacolod City.*Bacolod City is marking its 84th Charter Anniversary at the Bacolod City Government Center at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 18.Senator Sherwin Gatchalian will be the guest speaker at the celebration, which theme is “Surviving the crisis, rising above and beyond”.Bacolod’s top taxpayers will be awarded during the program.Republic Act 11146 declares June 18 as Bacolod’s Charter Day and an annual public holiday in the city, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.*

Bacolod mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez to introduce members of Truth Commission on June 28.*A former state auditor will head the Bacolod City Truth Commission, mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez said on Saturday, June 18.The Truth Commission, which will be composed of professionals, will be under the City Legal Office.Its members will be introduced on July 28, Benitez said.Incoming City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III will be a member of the commission, he added.The Truth Commission will not only look at past Bacolod City government transactions but will recommend how “we should conduct ourselves so that we don’t have any unqualified audit findings in the future and how to be more transparent”, Benitez said.The Emergency Operations Center that was created a...