Category: Negros

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Vice Governor Genaro “Lim-ao” Alvarez yesterday said that Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. is planning to share to the six congressional districts in the province part of the proceeds from Capitol properties sold and leased to Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI).

The initial proceed is pegged at P700 million which is expected to be paid by ALI to the provincial government once the contract between the company and the provincial government is signed.

The contract is now under review by the Commission on Audit at its regional office in Iloilo after it was sent back by COA national office for comment.

By: Dolly Yasa BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) is getting about P980,000 in funding support for its various training programs even as it braces for the annual ORSITE inspection next week. S/Supt. Allan Guisihan, police provincial director, said that the provincial government has approved the funding support for the NOPPO various […]

BACOLOD City – Governor Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. lauded the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for implementing its ‘New Case Rates’ and ‘No Balance Billing Policy’ (NBB) during the PhilHealth Members’ Forum at the Capitol Social Hall yesterday.

The governor commended the health agency’s improvement in terms of organizing health records.

He said one of the Provincial Government’s thrusts is to provide health programs to the impoverished members of the province for them to gain access to free hospitalization, medicines, and other health care benefits.

One manifestation of such is the Negros Occidental Comprehensive Health Program (NOCHP) in which close to 60,000 families were enrolled in the province alone.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – An ex-convict who figured in a shootout with a policeman Monday night in Kabankalan City was discovered dead in a canefield a few meters away from the crime scene yesterday morning.

S/Supt. Allan Guisihan, police provincial director here, said Joy Voluntante, a suspect in several shooting incidents in Kabankalan, must have succumbed to loss of blood due to a gunshot wound he suffered in a shootout with Police Officer 2 Rafael Gemoto.

Gemoto, on the other hand, succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds a few minutes after the shootout Monday evening while a tricycle driver identified as Noel Garcia who was reportedly hit in the crossfire also died.

Guisihan said Gemoto, an intelligence operative of the Kabankalan police, was said to be on a surveillance mission on Voluntante.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Practically all the rivers in the province have been blocked off by service contractors who have not even conducted feasibility studies nor met with local government unit officials concerned, the reason why no legitimate investor can start with the project.

This was revealed by Atty. Jose Maria Valencia, provincial legal officer here who confirmed that he and Negros Occidental governor Alfredo Marañon asked DOE secretary Jose Almendras to cancel all contracts.

He said that based on the Renewable Act, the service contracts issued by DOE would deter other legitimate investors from putting up hydro power plants in the said areas.

“We have not seen these people, the holders of these service contracts, and they have not even undertaken feasibility studies nor met with the LGU officials,” Valencia said.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Provincial administrator Enrique Pinongan yesterday confirmed that the planned reorganization of the manpower set-up of the provincial government has incurred delay and may be effected during the 1^st quarter of 2012.

Pinongan said the consultancy firm CPRM Consultants Inc. hired by the provincial government to conduct a feasibility study on the reorganization has just finished their data gathering which includes the overall set-up of the provincial government down to the respective departments and data of each personnel.

He explained that the consultancy firm has yet to go over the gathered data for four months after which they will come with their recommendation.

He said the timetable for this to be completed is by yearend.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The provincial government is allotting P25 million for the retirement package of some 40 jailguards who were not absorbed in the Negros Occidental District Jail which was turned over by the provincial government to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology recently.

Provincial legal officer Jose Maria Valencia said the provincial government is still looking for funds for the retirement package, explaining that the jail guards, some of whom have rendered 30 years at the old provincial jail, did not qualify for the new jail facility in Brgy. Tabunan in Bago City.

But these jailguards can still avail of cash gifts to be distributed to all provincial government employees for this year.

Meanwhile, Valencia revealed that the management of 888 Mall has expressed interest on the old provincial jail lot.

DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Executive Director Julian D. Amador lauded its field office in Sipalay City for freeing captured marine turtles in Negros Occidental.

Cenro-Sipalay recently freed a male hawksbill marine turtle found strangled in the net of resident fisherman Orlando Librando.

Librando found the turtle while fishing in the waters of Brgy. II, Sipalay City Sept. 2.

He immediately relayed the information to the Bantay Dagat, who then informed Cenro-Sipalay for the proper release of the animal.

Cenro-Sipalay reported that the hawksbill turtle had “bleeding bruises” and was immediately given medication by Dr. Rosalinda C. Paderog of the Department of Agriculture.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday said that he is still open to coal-fired power plant as base-load source for the province of Negros Occidental.

However, this will depend on the investors “as there are many factors that have to be considered,” he said. One such factor is the opposition of environmentalists.

In endorsing coal, he cited countries such as Japan and Taiwan with very stringent environmental laws but partly generate their power needs from coal-fired power plants.

On pollution, he said more lamentable is bagasse dust coming from sugar mills, for instance, in Canetown Subdivision which is located near the Victorias Milling Company.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The apparently low attendance of tourism personnel from the Capitol and from the different localities in the province irked Negros Occidental governor Alfredo Marañon Jr.

Marañon gave tourism officers present in the opening ceremonies of the Tourism Week celebration yesterday morning at the capitol building a dressing down.

But when interviewed by reporters, he denied he got angry with the tourism personnel though he admitted the low attendance irked him.

He said he saw some tourism officers milling around the provincial Capitol but did not attend the ceremonies.

Discipline is needed in government service, he said, adding that the carrot and stick style no longer workers. “We do not need to use carrot anymore, what is needed is the stick.”

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – If plans don’t miscarry, Negros Occidental could be the Hollywood of Philippines.

This, after renowned Philippine film industry personalities are said to be eyeing the province known for its sugar industry as the country’s capital for film-making to generate more employment opportunities and develop local potentials in film-making.

Joel Torre and Ronnie Lazaro, who both hail from the province, and their team conferred with Negros Occidental governor Alfredo Marañon yesterday morning at his office and presented the making of yet another film with setting in the province. The new film will feature actors and actresses who are from the province.

Torre, director of indie film Yanggaw, said the film industry can be another source of livelihood for Negrenses not necessarily in the aspect of acting but in production.

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already released a total of P509,843,405 through various subsidies in Negros Occidental as of August 2011.

DSWD regional director Minda Brigoli said that t the subsidies released were P330,308,100 for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps); P 6,117,000 for SEA-Kaunlaran  Project;  P111,858,325 for Supplemental Feeding Program;  P2,911,500 for social pension program and P58,648,480 for the Cash for Work Program.

For the entire Western Visayas region, the DSWD has already released P1,646,030,509 total subsidies: P1,062,946,400 for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino; P22,766,500 for Sea-Kaunlaran;P274,916,325 for Supplemental Feeding, P17,176,500 for Social Pension and P268,224,784 for the Cash For work project.