https://www.sunstar.com.ph/

---

• John Becaro: ‘Drawing is like breathing’
• Capitol, digital college to provide free education to 100 deserving students
• National gov’t to fund NegOcc LTO licensing center
• DRRMO coordinating with DPWH to address Bacolod flooding
• NegOcc still has lowest vaccinated seniors, adults in WV
• Army stressed gun battle occur in Binalbagan
• Hinigaran, Cadiz go beyond dengue alert level threshold

John Becaro: ‘Drawing is like breathing’ Posted: 08 Jul 2022 08:23 PM PDT "Draw as many as you can, like it's part of who you are"This is the mantra of Negrense John Becaro, who now runs his own illustration firm called Ninja Brush, as he continues to express his artistry through his comics and other drawings.Becaro who hails from Cadiz City, Negros Occidental has made illustrations for Nokia back in 2018 and Toby's Sports for five years since 2011.He was also hired by Glasshouse Graphics, an international full-service animation and comicbook design studio and of Typhoon Productions which is a sketch card company.His passion for drawing started when he was young after seeing his elder brother making illustrations for his sister's school project.Becaro said he got curious and drew until it became his profession, adding that it helped him financially when he started getting paid for his drawings during high school until college."I have many projects done but one that I am so particularly happy to complete is my very own independently published graphic novel called Pintura; Panimulang Yugto," he shared, adding that he was able to finish it with the help of friends back in 2014.His projects and illustrations can be seen through https://johnbecaro.wixsite.com/johnbecaro or his deviantart and youtube accounts.Now based in Cavite, Becaro is set to release two more graphic novels "Hiraya" and "Dugo ng Engkanto," both continuation of "Pintura.""Drawing is like breathing," he stressed, as he told young illustrators to focus on self-development despite it being a long tedious process.It is also important, he said, to be a fan of your own work first and most of all, be open to the world of ideas especially from other people so that you will learn more.Budding illustrators should likewise look for things that inspire them to draw, the artist said.Asked if he would allow his children Chesca and Neo to follow in his foot-steps, Becaro said he would support them.*

Capitol, digital college to provide free education to 100 deserving students Posted: 08 Jul 2022 08:11 PM PDT THE Provincial Government of Negros Occidental is looking for 100 deserving incoming college students in the province to become recipients of its Abanse Negrense IT and Business Scholarship Program.Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the executives of the Mapúa Malayan Digital College (MMDC) at the latter's Learning Hub located at the fourth floor of Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City yesterday, July 8.Under the scholarship program, Negrense students will be able to take Information Technology (IT) and Business Administration courses at MMDC, a new and digital-first college focused on technology and business.Lacson, in his message, said that it cannot be denied that education remains to be a privilege rather than a right for many Filipino youth.He underscored that the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis further aggravated poverty, inequalities and other gaps related to education."Further, it is undeniable that a technology gap currently exists in our schools that prevents our students from enjoying the advantages provided by technology," he added.For the governor, the agreement signing is a big step towards the provincial government's goal of making education accessible, particularly in the field of business and technology, to the less privileged but deserving Negrense students.He thanked MMDC for opening its doors to Negrense students and for choosing Negros Occidental to be its first learning hub in the Visayas and Mindanao.The Abanse Negrense IT and Business Scholarships Program equips 100 deserving students from various localities Negros Occidental, except for Bacolod City, with a free education from MMDC with a choice from majors that could eventually pave the way for in-demand careers and employment.A fully online college, MMDC is directed towards digital-first education in technology and business to make quality education accessible, affordable and flexible.It delivers a cutting-edge online curriculum and offline experiences designed for the modern Filipino student.In terms of specializations, those taking the IT program can choose from Network and Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and Software Development.For the Business Administration (BA) program, they can choose from Marketing Management, Human Resources Management, and Operations Management.Dr. Dodjie Maestrecampo, president of Malayan Colleges Laguna, said the past couple of years has demonstrated how volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous the world is."Now more than ever, we need to invest in knowledge and information as our resource for preparedness," he said, stressing that "we need qualified college graduates who can work and thrive in this challenging environment."Maestrecampo also said there's a need for professionals who can contribute to the agility and sustainability of Negros Occidental to transform it into a center of excellence in business and IT."We at Mapùa Malayan Digital College are honored to have this opportunity to support and innovate the education landscape in Negros Occidental," he said.The Malayan Colleges Laguna official added that, "through our game-changing, digital-first education model for IT and Business college programs, Bacolod City and Negros Occidental students can be confident that they will be prepared for the future workplace."The scholarship is open for incoming Negrense college students for School Year 2022 to 2023 beginning this August 16.Initially, the provincial government has already identified three scholars.One of them is Jeremy Mariño of Murcia town who said that, "by awarding us this scholarship, you have lightened the financial burden which will allow us to focus more on learning.""Your generosity will inspire us to help others and give back to the community," he told the governor in his message.The 100 scholars are on top of regular enrollees, including those from Bacolod City, who applied online or through the MMDC Learning Hub.While tuition fees are as low as P15,000 per trimester, the Abanse Negrense Scholarship allows qualified students to enjoy a full scholarship on matriculation fees for their entire stay at MMDC.Applicants must be incoming college freshmen students, with a high school report card, and must be willing to render volunteer work for the provincial government.To begin the application process, students must fill out the application form on the website, www.mmdc.mcl.edu.ph.The documents that they need to submit include proof of Negros Occidental Residency like Barangay Certificate and Applicant's Personal ID, Grade 12 or High School Report Card/Form 138 indicating "eligible to transfer to 1st year college," PSA Birth Certificate, good moral character, government Issued IDs of parents , 1.5X 1.5 ID photo with white background, and MMDC waiver forms.After submitting documents, the student must then pass the MMDC Online Readiness Assessment.Deadline for the application and submission of documents is on August 5.Moreover, the scholarship is valid for the entire duration of the student's stay at MMDC.The student is expected to fulfill the requirements like maintaining a Term Weighted Average (TWA) of 2.50 per term or better, with no failing grade or dropped subject and a full load per term during his or her studies.Scholars must complete all requirements of the study within the period specified, follow the rules and regulations of the school where he/she is enrolled and must not have been subject to any disciplinary action by the school.Also, they should render one year volunteer work to the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and attend meetings, general assemblies, trainings, and other activities intended for the scholars as required by the Scholarship Program Division.With the Abanse Negrense Scholarship for IT and Business courses, both the Office of the Governor and MMDC hope to provide quality education to deserving students, further empowering them to go places with Mapúan academic excellence.To begin the application process, applicants are also urged to visit www.mmdc.mcl.edu.ph.Meanwhile, also resent during the MOA signing were MMDC Executive Director Engineer Dennis Tablante, Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II, and Negros Occidental Scholarship Program Division Head Karen Dinsay, among others.*

National gov’t to fund NegOcc LTO licensing center Posted: 08 Jul 2022 08:09 PM PDT BACOLOD City Lone District Representative Greg Gastaya said yesterday, July 8, the national government will allocate funds for the operation of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) licensing center in Negros Occidental.Gasataya said that Republic Act No. 11818 or an Act converting LTO Licensing Center in Bacolod City into a regular licensing center to be known as the "Negros Occidental Licensing Center" lapsed into law on June 2, this year.In 2020, he filed House Bill No.5680 Establishing Negros Occidental Licensing Center aiming to improve the personnel, capacity, and services of the licensing center.Gasataya also said the LTO-Bacolod has been catering to major transactions in relation to motor vehicle registration and issuance of driver's license, adding that its current workforce only consists of four regular employees and nine job order casuals.With this workforce, it could no longer accommodate the big volume of individuals who are lining up at the LTO office, he lamented."It's now part of the proposal that the manpower will increase from four regular employees into more than 20 regular employees," the lawmaker said.Currently, LTO Region 6 Director Gaudioso Geduspan II is also finalizing the new location of their office in Bacolod to accommodate the big volume of individuals who are transacting with the agency.

DRRMO coordinating with DPWH to address Bacolod flooding Posted: 08 Jul 2022 08:03 PM PDT THE Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) is now coordinating with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to determine the status of the drainage master plan in the locality.Dr. Anna Marie Laarni Pornan, DRRMO head, said yesterday, July 8, that this is to address the flood problem in the city."We have three national roads under the DPWH and we will determine the local and national drainage units in various areas," she said.In 2016, DPWH allotted P16 million for the study of the drainage master plan, but it was reduced to P14 million.The comprehensive master plan involves the national and local roads in Bacolod to address the flood problem in the city.The study was conducted by Pert Consultants, who are based in Bataan, and they already identified 20 local roads that need the inland drainage.These areas are along Lacson Street, B.S Aquino Drive, Lopez Jaena, Burgos Street, Rosario Street, San Sebastian Street, Luzuriaga Street, Rizal Street, Hilado Street, Hernaez Street, Gatuslao 1, Gatuslao 2, North Capitol Street, La Salle Street, Yulo Street, South Capitol Drive, San Juan Street, Rodriguez Street, and Roxas Avenue.Bacolod Congressman Greg Gasataya earlier said it is a great advantage for the city to have a scientific study of the drainage system to immediately identify and replace the malfunctioned drainage units.Earlier this week, four areas in Bacolod City were affected by floods due to heavy rains.Pornan said a surface runoff occured along Gonzaga-Lopez Jaena Streets, Rosario-Mabini Streets, Lacson-Hernaez Streets, Lopues East, Araneta-Magsaysay Streets, and Barangay Mansilingan.She said flood waters subsided after a few hours, adding that her personnel were then directed to check the areas and conduct declogging. (MAP)

NegOcc still has lowest vaccinated seniors, adults in WV Posted: 08 Jul 2022 08:01 PM PDT NEGROS Occidental still has the lowest turn-out of vaccinated senior citizens and adults against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Western Visayas, records from the Department of Health (DoH) Regional office show yesterday, July 8.As of July 4, the DOH-6 reported that of the 1.4 million adults in Negros Occidental eligible for vaccination, only 933,682 were inoculated or only 65.31 percent with 99,315 of them or about seven percent have received booster shots.There are also 136,788 senior citizens out of 269,602 have received their jabs or 50.74 percent with only 21,923 of them or 8. 13 percent had their booster shots, the line agency added.To address the issue, the provincial government already conducted house-to-house vaccination but still the inoculation turn-out remains low, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang lamented.Tumimbang admitted that advocacy is one of the things they are lacking, not just for senior citizens but for their family members as well."Some senior citizens won't submit to vaccination saying they are just staying at home anyway... Still, they need it because they might have companions who go out and could be virus carriers," he stressed.Tumimbang added that there are people who refused to be vaccinated thinking that everything now is already normal.Although the new cases in the province are not in the double digits based on the reports submitted by various laboratories, he noted.The doctor also said that those who are fully vaccinated and manifested symptoms usually do not undergo rerse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test anymore."They would rather stay at home and quarantine for five days until the symptoms subsides. There are no more patients in the quarantine facilities anymore, too," Tumimbang said.Meanwhile, the provincial government is now monitoring the number of new cases in the nearby province of Iloilo and areas from Metro Manila before deciding on the closure of borders.Tumimbang said hopefully the number of new cases in these areas will no longer continue to climb.

Army stressed gun battle occur in Binalbagan Posted: 08 Jul 2022 07:58 PM PDT "THERE was an encounter."This was stressed by Captain Kim Apitong Spokesperson of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army yesterday, July 8 amidst the claim of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) that their four colleagues were "massacred" in Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental in the morning of July 6.Apitong said that these statements are not new to them as the CTG is always misinforming the public."We have pictures and the evidence (that an encounter took place) and we even have the pictures of the casualties who were holding their firearms," Apitong said.He said the rebels can deny all they want but the army were able to recover subversive documents that they left behind aside from the reports of the Philippine National Police"Those who were killed were combatants, whether they are sick or not, we don't know about that," Apitong emphasized, adding that the killed rebels were exchanging gunfire with the army.The military spokesperson also said that it is up to the public to decide who is lying.In a statement earlier, Ka Juanito Magbanua, who is the spokesperson of the Apolonario Gatmaitan Command of the New People's Army in Negros Island, debunked the claim of the military that an encounter took place.Magbanua maintained that the 94th Infantry Battalion together with the 33rd Division Reconnaissance Company (DRC) raided a hut in Sitio Calunakon in Barangay Santol, Binalbagan town, where the rebels were taking refuge as they were sick.Magbanua claimed that the soldiers arrested Roel Sagon, 30, alias "Berio"; Rowel Udtuhan, 40, alias "Jing-Jing/Caloy" both of Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental; Nikka Ledesma, 20, of Cebu City and Alden Rodriguez, 20, of Barangay Bantolinao in Manjuyod town and killed them at the nearby nearby Sitio Amelis in Barangay Biao.Sagon serves as the leader of Sentro De Grabidad Central Negros 2 Squad 3 while Udtuhan is is his assistant. Ledesma was the group's political guide while Rodriguez is a member of the Squad 3.

Hinigaran, Cadiz go beyond dengue alert level threshold Posted: 08 Jul 2022 07:56 PM PDT HINIGARAN town and Cadiz City, Negros Occidental have already gone beyond the dengue alert level threshold, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang reported yesterday, July 8.But unlike Hinigran, Tumimbang said, Cadiz is now approaching the "epidemic stage" in terms of increase in the number of dengue cases.As of July 2, Hinigaran has 16 dengue cases from 12 while in Cadiz, the number of residents who fell ill to the mosquito-borne disease climbed to 11 from two, he said, adding that the figures may continue to increase.Tumimbang added that La Carlota City and Binalbagan town also remain under dengue alert threshold with 20 and 10 cases, respectively.Records from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) show that five local government units in the province previously in the top ten with the greatest number of dengue cases are no longer in the alert level threshold.These includes the cities of Kabankalan, San Carlos and Bago and the towns of Cauayan and Pontevedra.Tumimbang also explained that despite the fact that the number of deaths due to dengue in Negros Occidental has reached ten, it is still not alarming.It is just a small percentage compared to the total number of cases, he said.The doctor noted that a person manifesting symptoms even without diagnosis is already considered as dengue-infected.Meanwhile, the PHO will only recommend fogging and the use of the larvicidal agents against dengue-carrying mosquitoes in areas where the disease is already considered an epidemic."We will sit down with the LGU and discuss strategies, implementation and response (against dengue) including clean-up drive every Friday after office hours," Tumimbang stressed.In Bacolod City, dengue cases have increased by 179 percent during the first six months of 2022 compared to the same period last year.The local health office reported that from January to June 25, 2022, Bacolod City had a total of 279 dengue cases with five fatalities.This is higher than the 100 cases and two deaths for the same period last year.The fatalities include the 11-year-old boy in Barangay Singcang-Airport; 20-year-old woman in Barangay Pahanocoy; 19-year-old male teenager in Barangay Sum-ag; 75-year-old man in Barangay Tangub and the three-year-old girl in Barangay Mansilingan.Of the 279 dengue cases, Barangay Tangub has the highest number of cases with 25.Followed by Barangay Mansilingan with 22 cases; Barangays Estefania and Singcang-Airport, 21 each; Barangay Sum-ag, 20; Barangay Mandalagan, 19; Barangay Taculing, 17; Barangays Villamonte and Alijis, 15 each; Barangay Granada, 14; Barangay Cabug, 10; and Barangay Banago, 8. (with reports from MAP)

You are subscribed to email updates from SUNSTAR. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States