HEADLINE

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. expressed his support for the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao, in light of the recent attack in Marawi City perpetrated by members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Maute Group. “I fully support the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte and I …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Negros Occidental Representative Alfredo ‘Albee’ Benitez (3rd District, PDP-Laban) is pushing to lower the proposed excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages from P10 to only P5 per liter. The solon, a member of the ruling PDP-Laban, said yesterday he submitted the proposal to the House Committee on Ways and Means, which …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Time to put the brakes on old vehicles. Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr., reiterated his call to modernize the country’s transport system, amid plans by transport groups to conduct a transport strike on June 5, the day classes open nationwide. “We need to modernize our transportation system like in …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Small planters in Negros Occidental, or those working between one to 10 hectares of land, have felt the brunt of the drop in sugar prices, according to Save the Sugar Industry Movement (SAVE-SIM) lead convenor Wennie Sancho. In an interview by Bombo Radyo-Bacolod during the weekend, Sancho dismissed claims that …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) acting director Police Senior Supt. Jack Wanky said yesterday they have positively identified five druglords allegedly operating in Bacolod City. Wanky identified the five individuals as Nolito Cuadra, Dindo Varcillo, Ramy Poja, Berya Tolentino, and Mohammed Camaria. Both Tolentino and Camaria were previously identified by …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga The family that donated the land on which St. John’s Institute (SJI) and the former Queen of Peace Parish church stand have backed the Board of Trustees in its ongoing rift with the Diocese of Bacolod, particularly concerning the land donation it made decades ago. In a statement released yesterday, …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Negros Occidental Representative Alfredo ‘Albee’ Benitez (3rd District, PDP-Laban), validated yesterday political talk about him being in the 12-man senate berth of the ruling PDP-Laban for the 2019 polls. Benitez confirmed that on several occasions House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez stated he was included in the PDP-Laban senate slate. However, the …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., defended Capitol plans to purchase a brand new six-seater aircraft to be used primarily for agricultural purposes. Marañon explained the purchase is not a luxury, but a necessity, pointing out the plane could also serve for emergency airlift operations during disasters, and can also …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Broadcaster Boy Duran, president of the Negros Press Club (NPC), backed a legislation to decriminalize libel saying journalists need to be protected in their duty to report the truth. In an exclusive phone interview, Duran, an industry veteran, evaded questions on the merits of the planned charges by Moises Padilla …

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleno ‘Magsie’ Peña, in an expletive-laden phone interview yesterday, vehemently denied he was behind a statement published in a local paper last week, in which he allegedly called the boycott of Coca-Cola as “stupidity,” and said he plans to file charges against the publication amounting to P20 …