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By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA At least 40 individuals who are occupying the Libertad Public Market Annex Building as their temporary shelter were evicted by the Bacolod City Legal Office’s (CLO) enforcement team yesterday. CLO enforcement team leader Levy Pangue said most of the evicted individuals were not vendors at the public market. The occupants had …

By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved on first reading a proposed ordinance granting barangay franchises or certificates to operate for trisikads and electric bicycle (e-bike) operators as a prerequisite to the issuance of a business permit by the city. Councilor Dindo Ramos, SP committee on transportation chairperson, said barangays are “in …

By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA A second notice of violation was served against AMA Computer College – Bacolod campus yesterday for operating without a business permit. Secretary to the Mayor Marty Go said the notice was served by the Bacolod Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) and the City Legal Office (CLO) at 9:47 a.m. He said …

By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said yesterday the province is treating the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation as a serious concern, with a task force already organized to lead the government’s response. Lacson said the RSSI task force is currently working to determine the most effective strategies to contain …

By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA “Physical assault and stabbing incidents among students in various public schools in Bacolod City can be considered alarming.” This was stressed by Lila Vaflor Aro, spokesperson of the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Bacolod after a 14-year-old Grade 8 male student was allegedly stabbed by a 12-year-old Grade 7 …

  By CESAR JOLITO III Negros Occidental was officially under a state of calamity following the continued spread of the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), while neighboring Negros Oriental is set to declare the same as authorities intensify efforts to protect the sugar industry. The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) yesterday approved a province-wide state …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Negros Occidental provincial government has restored 110 hectares of degraded forestland within the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) through its community-based reforestation and watershed conservation program, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said. Diaz, who visited Sitio Tambara in Talisay City’s Barangay San Fernando for an inspection yesterday, said the provincial …

By CESAR JOLITO III United Sugar Producers Federation (Unifed) President Manuel Lamata described the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) outbreak in Negros as a serious, island-wide concern that could significantly affect the country’s sugar industry. Lamata called on farmers to work together in containing the infestation, noting that Negros accounts for more than 60 percent …

By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA The Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) in Bacolod City is still awaiting the results of police investigation into the stabbing incident involving two minors in front of Sum-ag National High School on Monday, June 29. DSSD assistant head Alma Gustilo said the case has already been referred to the …

By CESAR JOLITO III Kabankalan City is set to be placed under a state of calamity as the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation continues to spread across sugarcane plantations, with the Negros Island Region (NIR) now recording the highest number of affected areas in the Visayas. Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda announced that he would …