President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lauded Pag-IBIG Fund anew as the agency declared P48.76 billion in dividends to be distributed to its members as earnings on their savings in 2023, the highest in its 43-year history. For 2023, Pag-IBIG Regular Savings earned an annual dividend rate of 6.55 percent while the Modified Pag-IBIG 2 …
Monthly Archives: February 2024
Damage hits P55-M; No plans to place NegOcc under ‘state of calamity’ amid El Niño
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The Negros Occidental provincial government has no plans to declare the province under a “state of calamity,” as crop damage due to the El Niño phenomenon has already reached P55 million. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the declaration should be carefully studied. Lacson believes that it is still too early to …
AI, the new dentistry
By Dr. Joseph Lim A profound change is happening to dental health care. And Artificial Intelligence is very much a part of it in the changing landscape of dentistry. AI is a force for change, a paradigm shift, a way to transform dentistry into ways never imagined before. Many dentists are already using AI technology …
Firing the hiring epidemic
By Herman M. Lagon (Second of two parts) But what are the possible solutions to this “lagay” (bribe or grease money) and “palakasan” (favoritism, including nepotism, its subset) social epidemic? Strict anti-corruption laws, transparent hiring practices, merit-based recruitment processes, whistleblower protections, and regular audits of hiring activities, among others, can stand as the bulwark against …
NegOcc PVO prepares checkpoints for pork ban
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The Negros Occidental Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is preparing checkpoints to monitor the entry of pork products in the province following the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 24-07, which imposes a total ban on hogs and pork byproducts from eight areas, including Bacolod City. PVO head Dr. Placeda Lemana said they …
BFP-NegOcc needs more fire trucks
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Negros Occidental said yesterday that they are short of fire trucks. In a radio interview yesterday, newly-installed provincial fire marshal Senior Superintendent Arnold Alba said BFP-NegOcc has only 78 fire trucks, with one in every local government unit (LGU). Alba has requested LGUs to …
BTAO suspends traffic aide for not wearing helmet
By Mae Singuay The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) suspended a traffic enforcer for not wearing a helmet while backriding on a motorcycle. BTAO head Patrick Lacson said the suspension comes after a photo was posted on social media, showing the traffic aide, a job order casual. The motorcycle driver wore a helmet, while the …
Negros Occidental hog production drops 4.79% due to swine diseases
Hog production in Negros Occidental decreased by 4.79 percent in 2023 due to the effects of African swine fever (ASF) and hog cholera, figures of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released yesterday showed. Last year, the province produced only 58,182.10 metric tons (MT) of hogs compared to 61,109.27 MT in 2022. This brought a reduction …
Grenade blast suspect falls
By Jen Baylon The suspect in the grenade explosion at a coffee shop at Barangay Rizal in Negros Occidental’s San Carlos City on Tuesday morning, February 27, was arrested. San Carlos police chief Colonel Nazer Canja said the suspect was arrested in his residence in the city’s Barangay Punao a few hours after the incident. …
Interpol Red Notice out vs. fugitive ex-solon Teves
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has issued a Red Notice against fugitive former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday. In a press briefing, Remulla said a team from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will be sent to the last known whereabouts of Teves to work with the Interpol …