Tuesday, June 22, 2021

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'Sparu' killed in clash with soldiers

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 08:03 AM PDT

AN ALLEGED member of the Special Partisan Unit (Sparu) was killed by the operating troops of 79th Infantry "Masaligan" Battalion in an encounter in Sitio Icugan, Barangay Minapasuk, Calatrava, Negros Occidental on June 22, 2021.

The troops were conducting a security operation in Barangay Minapasuk after receiving reports from concerned civilians about the presence of communist terrorist groups (CTGs) who were allegedly conducting extortion activities in the area when an undetermined number of CTG members fired upon them, prompting the troops to return fire.

The firefight lasted for about five minutes, forcing the enemy to scamper toward different directions, leaving their dead comrade behind, the military report said.

Seized from the encounter site were one caliber .45, one revolver .38, and subversive documents.

No reported casualties from the government troops while an undetermined number of CNTs were believed to be wounded due to bloodstains seen along the rebels' route of withdrawal.

Punong Barangay Johnny Guilot of Minapasuk identified the fatality as Jhonrey Pahayahay, allegedly a member of Special Partisan Unit of Northern Negros Front, Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros.

According to Guilot, Pahayahay has been reportedly recruiting members to join his group while conducting extortion activities, sowing fear to the local populace.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel J-jay T Javines, commanding officer of 79th IB, appreciated the valuable information from the residents about the presence of armed elements, which prompted the troops to respond to the call of the people to preserve the peace in the community.

"The cooperation of the residents clearly shows their desire to completely eradicate the communist insurgency in their communities. They are already fed up. That is why we will not also put our guards down and allow these terrorists to continue to sow fear to the local populace, we need to work together to build communities that are inhospitable to enemies of the state, free from fear, of being used and exploited by the CTGs," Javines said.

Javines also called on the remaining NPA to lay down their arms peacefully and encourage them to avail themselves of the government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip), and live a normal life with their families.

Moreover, Calatrava Mayor Marilyn Era in a statement lauded the Philippine Army for its commitment and dedication to ensuring the safety of the people and for the quick response to the reports of the residents.

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Gasataya orders probe into stolen manhole cover

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 08:02 AM PDT

BACOLOD City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPHW) and the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) to conduct a thorough investigation on the stealing of the manhole cover in front of Robinson's Place Bacolod in Barangay Mandalangan Monday evening, June 21, 2021.

Gasataya said Tuesday, June 22, that he already requested BCPO Director Colonel Manuel Placido to conduct an investigation on the incident.

He said they gathered footage of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the area that showed two unidentified men stealing the manhole cover.

He said the suspects forcibly detached the manhole cover and fled using a motorcycle.

District Engineer Jaime Javellana said they already placed a temporary cover in the area, which is located on a sidewalk, to avoid accidents.

He said the manhole was constructed by the utility company in the city and they also requested the company to replace the steel cover.

He said they also asked the BCPO to intensify its visibility patrol in the area to pre-empt the possible operation of lawless elements.

Javellana urged the scrap owners in the city not the buy the stolen manhole cover.

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Negros Occidental Capitol to start Pfizer vaccine rollout on June 28

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 08:00 AM PDT

THE Provincial Government of Negros Occidental will start the rollout of Covid-19 Pfizer vaccines from June 28 up to July 2.

In a memorandum to all city and municipal mayors in the province issued Tuesday, June 22, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson enjoined them to abide by the guidelines.

Only A1 to A3 vaccinees will be targeted for Pfizer vaccination, Lacson said in the memorandum.

He also advised the mayors to submit soft copy of the completed VIMS-IR master list of the vaccinees for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and a scanned copy of the transmittal letter indicating the number of target Pfizer vaccinees duly signed by the municipal or city health officer and city or municipal mayor.

There will only be two sites for the Pfizer vaccination rollout, which are the Negros Residences and the Teresita Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City where the vaccines are being stored.

The city or municipality shall be responsible for the transport of their constituents to the vaccination site during their assigned schedule. Only those master listed will be vaccinated and there shall be no walk-in vaccinees, Lacson said.

During the vaccination schedule, the vaccinees must bring the vaccination card provided by the local government unit (LGU) with personal information already filled out and signed consent form, fully accomplished Pfizer screening form, or health declaration form. This implies the LGU health personnel has already screened the vaccinees, the governor added.

The province received last week 1,950 vials of Pfizer vaccines, which is equivalent to 11,700 doses, as each vial has six doses and all can therefore vaccinate 5,850 individuals.

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PDEA: Divinagracia drug group still operating

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 07:57 AM PDT

THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Negros Occidental is still monitoring the Divinagracia group that is still reportedly operating despite the death of its leader Michael Divinagracia.

Nicolas Gomez, PDEA-Negros Occidental director, said there are currently nine operating drug groups in the province and Bacolod City based on their latest monitoring. One of the groups is the Divinagracia Drug Group.

Gomez said the Divinagracia group's remnants are still operating, although they are currently "lying low" just like the other drug groups.

But Gomez said Divinagracia's death had certainly made a huge impact on the supply of illegal drugs.

Last May, Divinagracia was found dead in the town of Baras in Rizal province. The slain drug lord was believed to have been strangled to death with a steel wire, prior to being finished off with gunshots.

Divinagracia is the top most wanted drug suspect in Negros Occidental and has a bounty on his head amounting to P500,000. He fled to Calabarzon in 2019.

At present, PDEA is deliberating as to which new barangays will be declared drug-free in Negros Occidental, but Gomez said that as of present, there are no candidates in Bacolod City.

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Fire victims to get cash aid from National Government

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 07:57 AM PDT

FAMILIES affected by the fire in Zone 2, Purok Riverside, Barangay Bata, Bacolod City will receive financial assistance from the National Government Wednesday, June 23, 2021.

Representative Greg Gasataya said Tuesday, June 22, that of 19 families affected, 17 of them will receive P5,000 each, while the two sharers will receive P3,000 each.

He said the cash distribution will be held at Barangay Montevista Gymnasium along with the cash distribution for the burial and medical assistance from the national government.

On Friday, June 18, the fire razed 16 houses in Zone 2, Purok Riverside, Barangay Bata.

City Fire Marshal Chief Inspector Rodel Legaspi earlier said the fire started from the house of Ivy Zulueta around 10:58 a.m. but this is still subject to investigation.

He said they had difficulty penetrating the area because of the narrow passageways and they needed to pull and connect the water hose to reach the affected area.

The blaze was put out around 11:24 a.m. The fire destroyed P 200,000 worth of properties.

Aside from the cash assistance from the National Government, the fire victims will also get financial assistance from the City Government.

Families whose houses were destroyed will receive P10,000 each, while those houses were damaged will receive P5,000.

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Over P20,000 shabu seized in Barangay Banago

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 07:52 AM PDT

AN ESTIMATED P21,800 worth of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride was seized in a drug bust by operatives of Police Station 3 in Purok Bayanihan, Barangay Banago, Bacolod City Monday afternoon, June 21.

The operation also led to the arrest of Jose Aliguin, 34, of Purok Rosas Pandan, Barangay Banago.

Police records showed Aliguin was arrested after he sold a sachet of shabu to a police undercover around 5:30 p.m.

Police recovered from Aliguin's possession three sachets of shabu weighing 3.1 grams and the marked money.

The police said the suspect was identified as a street-level individual in Bacolod City.

The suspect is detained at the custodial facility of Police Station 3. He will be charged with violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

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Fire victim in Mabinay gets new house from Army, LGU

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 07:52 AM PDT

A FAMILY who lost their house in a fire on May 26 got their new house courtesy of the local government unit of Mabinay and the Philippine Army's 11IB.

The newly constructed house was officially turned over to Victorino Beronio on Sunday, June 20, in So. Lapong, Barangay Dahile, Mabinay, Negros Oriental.

On May 26, 2021, a gas lamp burned down Victorino Beronio´s house. He was with his six children when the fire incident happened.

As a father, he did not hesitate to save his children first, which resulted in some minor burns. His children were all safe after he risked his own life.

The construction of a new house was made possible through the support of the Municipal Government led by Mabinay Mayor Joeterry Uy, the Army report stated.

First Lieutenant Andrew Bon Apayart, commanding officer of Charlie Company of the Philippine Army, said the initiative of Mabinay LGU headed by Mayor Uy, the 11IB, other partner stakeholders, and civilian volunteers, in helping hand in hand to finish Tatay Victorino´s new home showcases the true essence of "Bayanihan" spirit.

"A father's day gift to Tatay Victorino from your 11IB and LGU Mabinay," Apayart said.

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Ceneco power rate down by P1.52

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 07:51 AM PDT

UNLIKE those of Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco), electric consumers of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) may incur lower bills this June, as it announced a drop of almost P1.52 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in its power rate.

The power distribution utility caters to consumers in the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay and Silay, and towns of Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.

Ceneco, in an advisory, said its residential rate for June is P9.5429 per kWh compared to P11.0612 per kWh in May.

"The decrease can be attributed to the reduction in generation, transmission, systems loss and other charges such as lifeline and senior citizens discount, Generation Rate Adjustment Mechanism (Gram), Incremental Currency Exchange Rate Adjustment (Icera) adjustment and value-added tax (VAT)," it said.

The advisory further said that the pass-through charges equivalent to P8.3563 per kWh of the total power rate include generation and transmission charges, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)-approved adjustments, government subsidies, and taxes.

Only P1.1866 per kWh of the power rates goes to Ceneco through Distribution, Supply, Metering (DSM) charges and Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable Capital Expenditures (RFSC) for its administrative and operational services.

Since 2010, Ceneco's DSM and RFSC rate has not increased, it added.

Ceneco urged member-consumers to conserve energy to avoid paying higher electricity bills.

For Noceco alone, the power distribution utility earlier reported that the increase for the month is P2.81 per kWh.

Noceco caters to consumers in the south, from Pulupandan to Hinoba-an.

From P9.9999 per kWh in May, its residential power rate went up to P12.8058 per kWh.

The main driver of the higher electricity rates was the P2.2577 per kWh increase in the generation charge, which moved from P5.3879 to P7.6456 per kWh.

The higher generation charge is due to increases of P4.3370 per kWh in Wesm and P0.0594 per kWh in the power supply agreement (PSA) with Palm Concepcion Power Corporation (Psalm).

"The scheduled outage of Kepco Salcon Power Corporation (KSPC) in which the share of its power contracted by Noceco was replaced by Wesm," the cooperative said.

With the higher electricity price from the spot market, it resulted in an increase in the average price of the generation rate.

Other factors that contributed to the overall increase in rates included increases in systems loss rate - P0.3206 per kWh, VATon generation - P0.2402 per kWh; subsidy rates - P0.0210 per kWh; and VAT on the transmission of residential customers - P0.0055 per kWh.

The overall rate increased despite the price reduction of P0.0364 per kWh in the PSA from KSPC and transmission rate of residential customers which dropped by P0.0391 per kWh.

Noceco also advised its consumers to conserve energy and to be aware of their energy consumption to avoid paying high electricity bill.

"Please note that the generation and transmission rates are pass-on charges paid to the respective power suppliers and National Grid Corporation of the Philippines," it said, adding that "thus, the collected amounts on these charges are not retained by Noceco."

For consumers in the remaining cities and towns in the province, the Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) has yet to announce its power rate for this month.

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DAR surveys 147-hectare land in northern Negros Occidental

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 07:43 AM PDT

THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has conducted a series of layout and monumenting survey activities in a 147.7126-hectare landholding located in Barangay Alicante, E.B Magalona town recently.

Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Tessie Pedrosa, who led the survey activities in the landholding formerly owned by Eric High-Quality Agro-Industrial Corporation from May 31 to June 18 this year, said it is the vision of the agency to implement a quick land acquisition and distribution (LAD) process.

The survey is one of the activities for the LAD process.

"Also, to peacefully hasten the delivery of social justice to the beneficiaries of the program through making concise and error-free survey activities," she added.

A team from the DAR along with farmer representatives mounted the markers that are appropriately indicated in the technical descriptions of the lot specified at the certificates of land ownership award (Cloas).

The Cloas are given to the farmer-beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).

Under the program, public and private agricultural landholdings are acquired by the government to be distributed to tenants, farmers, farmworkers and other tillers who are qualified to become agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).

This is in the form of Cloas covering one contiguous tract or several parcels of land accumulated up to a maximum of three hectares per ARB.

DAR-Negros Occidental I said this is anchored on the agency's aim to provide lands to landless farmers and farmworkers, guarantee land security, deliver social equity and provide them with the necessary productive resources needed to ensure their economic viability and productivity.

"These continuous field activities conducted by the DAR are evidence that despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, the service for the Filipino people lives on," it said.

With Negros Occidental still under the modified general community quarantine, the activities conducted have complied with minimum health protocols set by the authorities.

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A fallen angel

Posted: 22 Jun 2021 06:00 AM PDT

A STRAY dog was found stuck on the rooftop of the PENG Building Shopping Area, Bacolod City opposite Thirdwave Restaurant.

According to the reporter and owner of the establishment, Ms. Laverne Alit Trafalgar, an animal lover herself that feeds and rescues local strays, the dog was there for three days and they have been wondering how the dog got into the roof. Her husband told her that the dog was still there on the third day and whilst she was having the meeting, she was alarmed and was concerned about how to rescue the dog. It was pouring rain and it looked scared and hungry and so they decided to call the Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Brigade, of which they immediately responded to the call.

It was a mystery for them how the dog reached the roof with no possible access or entrance.

It was also challenging because it was raining and they had to use the aerial bucket to reach the roof safely to have a closer encounter with the dog. The dog was barking defensively. They admitted that they were cautious as they can hear the fierce loud bark of the dog growling. There was a concerned individual who gave them bread and chicken to entice the dog to come closer but to no success.

It took them 40 minutes to capture the dog from the roof with the fear it would result in accidents or attacks. Mr. Mark Chiu said that this is not the first time that they have rescued animals whenever there is a fire or accidents, whether it is a dog or a pig they try their best to rescue any living creatures because their lives matter and they have sworn to save them.

CARE (Community Animal Rescue Efforts Inc.), Volunteers Ai Gamboa and Lowella Marie S. Quililan rushed to the site for assistance. The Bacolod Chamber Volunteer Brigade volunteers acted urgently, Grace Lachica, Dysan Rodriguez, Salvador Bonilla, Jay-R Pagayonan, Mark Chiu, and Reporter-Laverne Alit Trafalgar with the help of Abby Pabular of Lagawander. Social Media platforms have made rescuing, spreading awareness, and education faster.

CARE was hoping to rescue and take the dog with them to have proper medical assistance, food, and shelter but it was already gone. The dog escaped after he was brought down from the roof by the volunteers, we are thankful though that he is safer now.

There are a lot of things that need charter change such as the animal welfare laws and responsible pet ownership ordinances not only in Bacolod City but in the Philippines as a whole fighting stigma and prejudice. By doing it alone, we can only do a little, together we can do so much to succeed.

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