HEADLINE

By CESAR JOLITO III A massive fire gutted at least 180 houses and damaged 36 others in Bacolod City’s Barangay 27 around midnight yesterday, leaving an estimated P4.5 million worth of damages and 314 families homeless. Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)-Bacolod Fire Superintendent Jenny Mae Masip said the blaze in Purok Cheriza was first reported at 12:09 …

  By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson assured residents that the provincial government is doing its utmost to address the clearing of hardened lahar from creeks in La Castellana but admitted that clearing operations will take time due to limited equipment. “We are doing our utmost best to clear the lahar. …

By CESAR JOLITO III Authorities have identified the suspect behind the killing of a Filipino-Chinese businessman who was gunned down outside his hardware store on Bonifacio Street in Bacolod City’s Barangay 12 on Tuesday morning, September 9, tagging the perpetrator as an alleged gun-for-hire. In a press conference yesterday, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director, Police Colonel Joeresty Coronica, …

By CESAR JOLITO III A contractor and construction supplier was shot dead while opening his hardware store on Bonifacio Street in Bacolod City’s Barangay 12 yesterday, in what police described as a brazen daylight attack. The victim was identified as 52-year-old Filipino-Chinese Romy Li, a resident of Barangay Taculing and owner of Emerald Republic Hardware, …

By CESAR JOLITO III A lawmaker from Negros Occidental has warned contractors that they risk being blacklisted if they fail to immediately repair defective flood control projects in the province’s 3rd District. Negros Occidental 3rd District Representative Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez issued the warning after inspecting flood mitigation structures in E.B. Magalona and the cities of Silay …

By CESAR JOLITO III Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya ordered a full investigation into the discovery of P1 million worth of unused cement in two warehouses of the Bacolod City Engineer’s Office (CEO) on Saturday, September 6, warning that legal action may be taken against those accountable. “Heads will roll. This will not be swept …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the proposal to lower the minimum age requirement for national candidates should ultimately be left to the electorate. “It’s really up to the people who will elect them,” Lacson said, adding that age should not be a hindrance as long as candidates meet constitutional …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Department of Agriculture in the Negros Island Region (DA-NIR) is working on measures to increase the buying price of palay (unmilled rice) to shield local farmers from losses as the peak harvest season begins this September amid the two-month importation ban on rice. DA-NIR Regional Director Jose Albert Barrogo said some …

By CESAR JOLITO III The People’s Coalition for Good Governance (PCGG) has issued a strong call for accountability within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), denouncing what it described as a deep-seated culture of corruption involving politicians and contractors in infrastructure projects. PCGG convenor Wennie Sancho, in a statement on Tuesday, September 2, …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Negros Occidental provincial government has deployed heavy equipment to begin dredging operations at Tamburong Creek in La Castellana’s Barangay Biak na Bato, after hardened lahar from Kanlaon Volcano triggered severe flooding over the weekend. “We will start with the clearing of the roads, then dredge the creek,” Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz …