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By MAE SINGUAY Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya, upon assumption of office yesterday, June 30, ordered all city government personnel to return to their respective mother units. Gasataya signed Executive Order No. 2 yesterday, directing all city hall employees, regardless of rank, position or designation, to report back to their respective mother units or original …

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman urged elected local government officials in the Fifth District of Negros Occidental to adopt the Open Government Partnership (OGP) as she administered their mass oathtaking at Moises Padilla municipal auditorium. Pangandaman said the national government, under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., stands ready …

By CESAR JOLITO III As he begins his third and final term, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson called on public and private sectors to make every moment count and to continue building a province grounded in unity, good governance and lasting progress. “We shall bring this province ever closer to its ideal — not …

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla has expressed optimism about Bacolod becoming a leading city in the Philippines with its new set of officials paving the way forward. Remulla, who administered the oath of office to incoming Mayor Greg Gasataya at the Government Center grounds on Saturday night, June …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) mobile pesticide sprayer will continue its deployment across various local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental in the coming days to contain the spread of the red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) in sugarcane fields. DA-Negros Island Region Director Jose Albert Barrogo confirmed that the mobile sprayer …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Environmental Management Bureau in Western Visayas (EMB-6) has executed an investigation into reports that quarrying and bulldozing activities are ongoing at a palm plantation in Negros Occidental’s Candoni town despite the issuance of a cease and desist order (CDO). Vicente Losbañes, EMB-6 Enforcement Division head, said a team has already been …

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) said it will look into the effects of the red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) on the recovering sugarcanes in the Negros Island region (NIR). The SRA said around 228.16 hectares of infested areas are reported to be under recovery in Bago City, Murcia, E.B. Magalona, Silay City, Victorias City, and Manapla …

By MAE SINGUAY The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) in Negros Occidental is calling for a P50 per day emergency relief allowance (ERA) for workers in Western Visayas. GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho said an increase in the minimum wage is necessary, considering the failure of the Congress to approve the P200 legislated wage …

Outgoing Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez underscored the economic growth of the city in the past three years, saying that he is turning over a highly urbanized city that is “competitive, rising, and ready to lead.” “And as Bacolod grows, so will our numbers — bigger and better than ever,” he said during his …

By CESAR JOLITO III The Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental has strongly denied recent social media claims alleging that teachers in Barangay Buenavista were threatened by armed individuals, calling the posts “fake news.” The clarification came in an official statement released on Wednesday, June 25, following a post …