The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod City is urging candidates for the 2025 midterm elections not to wait for the deadline for filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) on October 8. In a radio interview yesterday, Comelec-Bacolod election officer Revo Sorbito said the early filing of COCs will give them enough time to check …
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Mystery vault: Sagay LGU takes ‘decisive action’ on missing HEA fund
By JEN BAYLON The Sagay City government is taking decisive action to investigate the missing P7.3 million Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) for city healthcare workers who served during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement yesterday, Sagay Mayor Narciso Javelosa, Jr. said they are working closely with several government agencies to expedite the investigation. Javelosa said …
Looming battle: Leonardia vs. Benitez again in 2025 midterm polls?
Will Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and former Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia face off once more, this time in the 2025 midterm elections? Leonardia was the first to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) before the Commission on Elections in Bacolod, running for lone district representative under the Nacionalista Party, after a Mass at …
Surveillance efforts: Anti-mendicancy task force intensifies drive ahead of MassKara
By JEN BAYLON The Bacolod City Anti-Mendicancy Task Force will closely monitor the presence of Badjaos in the city ahead of the MassKara Festival in October. In a radio interview, Alma Gustilo, head of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), said surveillance and mapping operations have already begun, which focus on Badjaos in the city. …
Secure filing venues; NOCPPO to deploy 763 police officers for COC filing
By JEN BAYLON At least 763 police officers will be deployed to secure the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) in Negros Occidental from October 1 to 8, for the 2025 midterm elections. Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) director, said police assistance desks will be established in city and municipal election …
Return to normal; Lacson won’t declare state of calamity in NegOcc
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson will not declare a state of calamity in the entire province after intense rains brought by the southwest monsoon or habagat caused widespread floods earlier this month. “We will not declare a state of calamity. Evacuees affected by the recent floods have already gone home,” Lacson said on Thursday, …
Dengue cases rise; Intensified anti-dengue drive eyed in brgys as cases surge
The Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) recommends intensifying the campaign against dengue at barangay level following a case surge of the mosquito-borne disease. CHO head, Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli called on barangay officials to lead residents in conducting measures against dengue, such as the 4 o’clock habit, which is to search and destroy mosquito-breeding places, especially …
SO2 degassing; Kanlaon’s sulfuric fumes affect 5 NegOcc LGUs, disrupt classes
By JEN BAYLON Sulfur dioxide (SO2) fumes from the restive Kanlaon Volcano have affected 22 barangays in five local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental, and disrupted face-to-face classes in 14 public schools in Bago City. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said the villages that reported high levels of sulfur fumes are …
Chance to consolidate: LTFRB-6 awaits guidelines for PUV consolidation extension
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Western Visayas (LTFRB-6) is still waiting for the guidelines from the central office on the proposal to give operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) another chance to consolidate. According to LTFRB-6 legal counsel, Atty. Jun Altura, they are hoping that the board will meet within this week to …
‘Peaceful’ protest; Transport groups: Refusal to issue rally permits ‘undemocratic’
By JEN BAYLON Members of traditional transport groups consider the Bacolod City government’s failure to approve their rally permits “undemocratic.” In a radio interview yesterday, Rudy Catedral, president of the Bacolod Alliance for Commuters, Operators and Drivers (BACOD), said the mayor’s office ignored their application to stage rallies in five protest areas in the city. …