P1-M worth of shabu seized in Bacolod, Silay cities

BACOLOD CITY — Almost PHP1 million worth of suspected shabu were seized by police in separate buy-bust operations conducted in the cities of Bacolod and Silay in Negros Occidental since Monday.

In Bacolod on Wednesday, operatives of Police Station 9 arrested Richard Diafante in Purok Matahum, Barangay Tangub around 12:05 a.m.

The suspect was found in possession of PHP40,000 worth of shabu placed in one big and two small sachets after he sold PHP200 of the prohibited substance to an undercover policeman.

About 15 grams of suspected shabu worth PHP225,000 along with the buy-bust money, drug paraphernalia, and mobile phones were seized by police operatives from a suspect in Silay City on Monday afternoon (Feb. 25, 2019).
*Photo from Mayor Mark J. Golez Facebook page)*

About half an hour later, Angel Perez, 32, was arrested in Purok Kahirup, Barangay Mandalagan by personnel of Police Station 3.

Operatives seized from Perez about 10 grams of shabu with estimated value of PHP125,000 along with the PHP500 buy-bust money, PHP200 cash, and drug paraphernalia.

About 1:30 a.m., Joseph Saul was apprehended by personnel of Police Station 6 in Purok Bagong Katilingban, Barangay 40. Saul yielded nine sachets of shabu with a street value of PHP8,000.

Twenty minutes later, operatives of Police Station 7 arrested Bon Jovi Umbao and Rommel Laurilla in Purok Paghida-et, Barangay Mansilingan.

Umbao, a high-value target, and Laurilla, who is included on the drugs watch list, are suspected members of the police-identified Cuadra drug group.

Policemen recovered from their possession three sachets of shabu worth PHP6,000 along with the PHP500 buy-bust money and drug paraphernalia.

On Monday night, personnel of City Drug Enforcement Unit recovered PHP531,000 of the prohibited substance from three suspects in Barangay 8.

The suspects, John Roy Pasco, Jocelyn Villa, and Joevel Diaz, yielded 13 sachets of suspected shabu with the PHP1,000 marked money and drug paraphernalia.

About 4:50 p.m. on the same day, three persons were arrested in a buy-bust conducted by operatives of Silay City Police Station at Fortuna Subdivision in Barangay 5.

Police identified the suspects as Edel Salado, who is included in the target drug list, Remo Jimenea, and Aris de Guzman. The last two are newly-identified drug personalities.

They yielded a big sachet and 63 medium sachets of shabu weighing about 15 grams with an estimated value of PHP225,000 along with the PHP 4,500 buy-bust money, drug paraphernalia, and mobile phones. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063074

Ceres-Negros subdues Shan United, takes top spot in Group G

BACOLOD CITY — OJ Porteria scored twice while Bienvenido Marañon converted a penalty to lift Ceres-Negros to a 3-2 triumph against Shan United in their AFC Cup 2019 opening match on Tuesday night.

The win in front of some 5,700 fans at the Panaad Stadium here gave the Filipino club three points, to take the top spot in Group G after the earlier face-off between Persija Jakarta of Indonesia and Becamex Binh Duong of Vietnam ended in a scoreless draw.

Porteria hit the back of the net 19 minutes into the game. Marañon’s spot kick in the 37th then gave the Busmen a 2-0 lead at half time.

OJ Porteria (right) scores a brace to lead Ceres-Negros’ 3-2 win against Myanmar’s Shan United in their AFC Cup 2019 opening match at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City on Tuesday night (Feb. 26, 2019).
*Photo from Ceres-Negros FC Facebook page*

The Burmese side fought back with Zin Min Thun’s goal in the 51st minute, and another by Dway Ko Ko Chit in the 88th, only a minute after Porteria scored his second goal.

“We controlled the game very well. We kept the ball, we (had) a lot of chances. The two goals that we conceded were lapses. That’s something we have to improve on in the next game,” said Porteria, who was named “Man of the Match”, during the post-match press conference.

He added that after losing to Myanmar’s Yangon United in the preliminary qualifiers of the AFC Champions League last February 5, the Busmen were raring to bounce back.

“We had a game here three weeks ago that we lost and it really hurt us. Our preparation before this match was to come out hard, play hard to win the game. I’m very proud of the boys for giving their all,” Porteria said.

Ceres-Negros head coach Risto Vidakovic, however, believed the team could have played better.

“We controlled the first half. In the second half, I don’t know what happened, maybe we relaxed. It’s not normal to concede two goals that easily. We have to be more serious. For a team like us, we cannot concede two goals. We have to think about that in the next game,” the Serbian mentor said.

Shan United head coach Min Thu said that despite losing anew to the hosts, he was satisfied with the performance of his team.

“We lost the match but we scored two goals. It was a very good game. I’m satisfied with the perfomance of our players,” he added.

Shan United will face Ceres-Negros at their home turf at the Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon on May 1.

On March 12, Ceres-Negros will play against Vietnam’s Becamex Binh Duong at Binh Duong Stadium in Thu Dao Mut City. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063036

Bacolod City registers 17K businesses in January

BACOLOD CITY — Almost 17,000 business establishments in this city have renewed or registered their firms in the first month of 2019, records of the City Mayor’s Office-Permits and Licensing Division showed.

Division head Stela Rose Rayos said that as of Monday, the total registration has reached 16,994, which is 923 more than the 16,071 listed for the same period in 2018.

This shows an increase of 6 percent, she added.

The Business One-Stop-Shop, which caters to the renewal of business permits aimed at providing convenience and accessibility to taxpayers, runs until February 28 at the Bacolod City Government Center.
*Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO*

Mayor Evelio Leonardia said in a statement that if the trend continues, Bacolod will have another record-breaking year in terms of business registration figures.

“This is very encouraging and we will pursue this to the hilt. We appeal to all concerned to help us achieve this,” the mayor said.

By the end of 2018, the annual business registrations in Bacolod totaled 23,187, which was about 5.33 percent higher than the 22,004 establishments registered in the entire 2017.

The 2017 figures are higher by 15.68 percent compared to the 19,021 approved permits in 2016.

From 2015 to 2018, business permits registration increased by 23.22 percent — from 18,817 to 23,187 by Dec. 31, 2018.

Leonardia said that as the city government continues to innovate and find ways and means to improve the ease of doing business, his administration will not only work to retain existing ones, but even attract new investments.

“This is the core of our intensified campaign to establish Bacolod as one of the ‘most business-friendly cities in the country,’” he added.

The city government has established the Business One-Stop-Shop, which runs from January to February, to encourage more investors to register their businesses.

This year, the one-stop-shop, which caters to the renewal of business permits and aimed at providing convenience and accessibility to taxpayers, runs until February 28 at the Bacolod City Government Center.

Business taxpayers who pay in full within the period can avail of a 10-percent discount. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062952

114 former NPA supporters, militias pledge loyalty to gov’t

BACOLOD CITY — A group of 114 former supporters and militias of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental vowed loyalty to the government in a ceremony held at the Barangay 2 covered court on Monday.

Their oath of allegiance was facilitated by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), which covers the northern part of the province.

Lt. Col. Emelito Thaddeus Logan, commanding officer of the 79IB, said in a statement the participants’ renounciation of support to the CPP-NPA shows that Negrenses have awakened from the lies and deceptions of the terrorist rebels.

A total of 114 former supporters and militias of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental vowed loyalty to the government in a ceremony held at the Barangay 2 covered court on Monday (Feb.25, 2019).
*Photo courtesy of 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army*

“I encourage other Negrenses to end their support to the rebel groups to reach the desired lasting peace and sustain the development of Negros Occidental,” he added.

The 114 participants, including 98 former mass supporters and 16 unit militias, took a pledge of allegiance to the Philippine Constitution before Steven Dronco, local government operations officer of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in San Carlos City.

They are residents of Barangays Quezon, Guadalupe, Buluangan, Nataban and Cod-cod.

The ceremony was witnessed by Mayor Gerardo Valmayor Jr. and Supt. D’ Artagnan Katalbas Jr., city chief of police, and officials from various barangays.

For his part, Valmayor thanked the 79IB for initiating the Community Support Program that provides security and assistance in the delivery of the government programs to his constituents.

Earlier, the 79IB also facilitated the conduct of the oath of allegiance of two groups, which also renounced support to the CPP-NPA, in two cities in northern Negros.

Last February 22, 80 former members and mass supporters of the CPP-NPA pledged loyalty to the government in Victorias City.

The participants are from Barangays Estado and Gawahon in Victorias City; Caduhaan in Cadiz City; Canlusong in EB Magalona; and San Pablo in Manapla.

The following day, 35 persons from Escalante City also expressed their loyalty to the Philippine government.

They included residents of Binaguiohan, Pinapugasan, Paitan, and Dian-ay, who took their oath of allegiance before Pastor Morito Panadero at the battalion’s headquarters in Barangay Bato, Sagay City.

The United States and the European Union have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062936

Ceres-Negros to face familiar foe Shan United in AFC Cup opener

BACOLOD CITY — The Philippines’ Ceres-Negros FC will face a familiar foe in Shan United FC of Myanmar in the Group G opening match of the AFC Cup 2019 at the Panaad Stadium here Tuesday night.

The Philippine national league champions are looking to reclaim the ASEAN Zone title after finishing runner-up in 2018, a year after winning the zonal finals for the first time.

Ceres-Negros head coach Risto Vidakovic said the first match against Shan United is important and there is a big pressure on them to win at home.

Ceres-Negros head coach Risto Vidakovic (right) with goalkeeper Roland Muller (2^nd from right), and Shan United head coach Min Thu (left) and defender David Htan during the pre-match press conference for the AFC Cup 2019 in Bacolod City on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019.
*PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver*

“We have to work hard if we want to win. I hope the players learned something from the last game we played here. They (Shan United) have better preparation than us but we’re playing at home and I think with a big effort, we can do something,” the Serbian mentor said during the pre-match press conference held at Luxur Place on Monday afternoon.

Ceres-Negros had played against the Taunggyi-based club thrice last year. First, in the AFC Champions League preliminary stage where they defeated the Burmese team. Both teams also met in the group stage of the AFC Cup, with the Filipino club dominating the home and away matches.

Goalkeeper Roland Muller said Ceres-Negros is looking forward to a new challenge in this year’s continental club tournament.

“Now, we are focused on the AFC Cup. We prepared good. We had a good camp in Singapore. We will start a new chapter and we are ready,” the Filipino-German stopper said.

Shan United head coach Min Thu said that after facing Ceres-Negros last year, they have prepared well for Tuesday night’s match.

“We know the team. We have the best preparation to face them to get a good result. It’s always difficult to play away games. Anyway, we have good preparation, we will try our best,” he added.

Min Thu said they have a young squad of both local players, and foreign additions. Three Brazilians are suiting up for Shan United in the tournament.

Defender David Htan acknowledged that Ceres-Negros is “a very good team”.

“The game will be a very tough one. We will try our best to face them,” he said. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062921

35 ex-NPA backers take oath of allegiance to gov’t

BACOLOD CITY — Some 35 residents of Escalante City, Negros Occidental were the latest group of former mass base supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) who expressed their loyalty to the Philippine government.

The participants, who come from the villages of Binaguiohan, Pinapugasan, Paitan, and Dian-ay, took their oath of allegiance before Pastor Morito Panadero at the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bato, Sagay City on Saturday.

The 35 residents of Escalante City, Negros Occidental who took their oath of allegiance to the Philippine government at the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Bato, Sagay City on Feb. 23, 2019.
Photo courtesy of 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army

Lt. Col. Emelito Thaddeus Logan, commanding officer of the 79IB, in a statement on Sunday night, welcomed the decision of the Escalante City residents to renounce their support to the communist rebels.

Logan said he is thankful for the turnout of their campaign of encouraging the Negrenses to stop supporting the rebel groups to have lasting peace and progress in Negros Occidental.

Both the United States and the European Union have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group.

The group of 35 is the second from northern Negros who took their oath of allegiance in a week after the 80 former members and mass supporters of the CPP-NPA who also pledged loyalty to the government in Victorias City on Friday, also through the 79IB.

Logan earlier said the groups denouncing support to the CPP-NPA came after a series of insurgency awareness sessions conducted by their community support program teams.

The 80 participants are from Barangays Estado and Gawahon in Victorias City; Caduhaan in Cadiz City; Canlusong in EB Magalona and San Pablo in Manapla. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062884

NegOcc village to declare CPP-NPA ‘persona non grata’

BACOLOD CITY — Officials and residents of Barangay Carol-an in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental will declare the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and its political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF), as “persona non grata”.

It was agreed that a barangay resolution will be passed to formalize the declaration, during the town hall meeting held in the remote southern Negros village on Sunday, which was facilitated by the Philippine Army’s 62nd Infantry Battalion.

Village head Jocerel Paculanang said the communist rebels are no longer welcome in Barangay Carol-an.

Residents of Barangay Carol-an in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental take an oath of allegiance to the Philippine Constitution before Lt. Col. Egberto Dacoscos, commanding officer of the 62nd Infantry Battalion, during the town hall meeting held in their village on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019.
*Photo courtesy of 62nd Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army*

“This is an ancestral domain and all of our residents want to live peacefully. We will never let the same fate happen again to anyone of us,” Paculanang said in the local dialect, during the gathering attended by about 600 village residents.

Last January 29, NPA rebels gunned down former village watchman Cornelio Morales in Sitio Camandag, in front of his daughter and their neighbors.

This prompted residents of the 27 sitios (sub-villages) in Barangay Carol-an to condemn the presence and the atrocities of the CPP-NPA in their community.

“Hand in hand, we will work together for peace. Do not enter again to our barangay”, Paculanang added.

During the activity, Army troopers gave lectures while former rebels gave testimonies.

Those who attended also took an oath of allegiance before Lt. Col. Egberto Dacoscos, commanding officer of the 62nd Infantry Battalion, manifesting their continuous loyalty to the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines and withdrawing support to the CPP-NPA-NDF.

The United States and European Union have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062882

Labor unions lead signature drive vs. sugar import liberalization

BACOLOD CITY — The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (Nacusip) is leading a nationwide campaign that aims to gather one million signatures to strongly oppose the proposed liberalization of sugar imports.

Nacusip national president Roland De la Cruz said in a telephone interview on Monday that the signature campaign is an initiative of the workers’ unions to protect the sugar industry.

“This is not just about the sugar industry of Negros Occidental, but the sugar industry of the Philippines as a whole,” the labor leader said.

National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines national president Roland De la Cruz (seated, right) and officials of allied labor organizations launch the signature campaign strongly opposing the proposed liberalization of sugar imports in Bacolod City on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019.
*Contributed photo*

This is the result of the various efforts of the industry sectors after the Sugar Summit spearheaded by the Sugar Regulatory Administration and the Department of Agriculture earlier this month, he added.

De la Cruz and officials of the Philippine Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Workers Union (Paciwu), Congress of Independent Organizations (CIO), and Fraternal Labor Organizations (FLO) launched the campaign in a gathering held in this city on Saturday.

They were the first signatories to the open letter addressed to President Rodrigo Duterte, which they dubbed as a call and appeal from the workers, citizens, and families who are dependent on the sugar industry.

“We hope the President will get the pulse of the industry before finally deciding on the proposal. There is a big chain of interconnectivity here, if the sugar industry gets killed, everything else will follow,” de la Cruz said.

He added that their action is not just confined in Negros Occidental, the country’s top sugar producer, since the industry also includes other regions in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

De la Cruz said that in Bacolod, they launched the English and Hiligaynon versions of the open letter, and they will soon come up with a Tagalog version.

“We are looking that after three months, we can submit the open letter to the President along with the signatures we have gathered,” he added.

In the open letter, they called on the government and the President “to junk and totally discard the proposal to liberalize the importation of sugar.”

They pointed out that “unrestricted sugar importation” will “cause closures of sugar mills, massive dislocation and retrenchment of workers, and widespread unemployment of workers and farmers.”

“The entry of imported cheap sugar from abroad with regulation and safety nets will destroy the sugar industry, our economy and the future of our children as well as the welfare of all the citizens of this province and of the whole country,” they added.

“We represent the workers and the citizens who are directly and indirectly dependent on the sugar industry, those who are working in the sugar mills, sugar farms and to those families who will be affected by the liberalization of sugar imports,” the groups further said.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier said that while the planned liberalization of sugar imports would negatively affect local producers, this would benefit a greater number of consumers.

He added that the plan to import some 200,000 metric tons of sugar seeks to address the elevated domestic inflation rate last year caused by supply-side factors, such as the lack of supply of rice, meat, and several other agricultural products. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062879

80 ex-NPA supporters in north Negros vow loyalty to gov’t

BACOLOD CITY — Some 80 former members and mass supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in northern Negros pledged loyalty to the government in a ceremony held at the covered court of Barangay 5 in Victorias City on Friday.

They took their oath of allegiance during the event that was initiated by the Philippine Army’s 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) based in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.

Some 80 former members and mass supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army from five villages in northern Negros take their oath of allegiance to the government in a ceremony held at the covered court of Barangay 5 inVictorias City on Friday (Feb. 22, 2019).
*Photo courtesy of 79^th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army*

Lt. Col. Emelito Thaddeus Logan, commander of the 79th IB, said in a statement that this was the result of the series of insurgency awareness sessions conducted by their Community Support Program (CSP) teams.

“It made them realize the lies and deceptions of the communist terrorists. They voluntarily reached out to the government troops, shared their experiences, and revealed that they were providing support to the CPP-NPA,” he added.

They are from barangays Estado and Gawahon in Victorias City; Caduhaan in Cadiz City; Canlusong in EB Magalona; and San Pablo in Manapla.

Logan said the participants admitted providing material, financial, and moral support to the CPP-NPA and some of them even became fighters.

Others who took the oath included former Militia ng Bayan members and a courier.

Logan said the participants appreciated the efforts of the CSP teams and the local governments in addressing their issues and concerns to achieve lasting peace and development.

He also thanked the group for their cooperation, and the city government of Victorias for its unconditional support and partnership.

The United States and European Union have declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062775

Bacolod starts bidding of 3 flagship projects

BACOLOD CITY — The City of Bacolod has started the bidding process for the implementation of the three of its four flagship projects to be funded by a PHP1.7-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

City Assessor Maphilindo Polvora, chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), said as of Thursday, several prospective bidders have already purchased bidding documents.

The three projects include the PHP350-million development of Progreso Village Relocation Site, PHP350-million Bacolod City College Site Development and Facilities, and PHP200-million construction of roads and bridges.

The BAC has conducted a pre-procurement conference and advertised the invitation to bid in a newspaper and posted it on the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) portal and the DBP website, Polvora said.

He added that the DBP will release the loan amount once the winning bidders have been declared.

“The bid should be responsive and calculated in accordance with the plan of the end-user,” Polvora said.

The fourth project is the PHP800-million construction of Bacolod MassKara Coliseum with outdoor arena.

Last December, the City Council ratified the term loan agreement and continuing deed of assignment with hold-out agreement between the City of Bacolod and the DBP represented by Negros Occidental Lending Center head Bernardo Castillon.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier said the four projects are “meant really to improve our day-to-day life in Bacolod and these will have a long-term effect on the City of Bacolod”.

“The maximum loan we can avail of is PHP1.7 billion. For sure, it will not be PHP1.7 billion in the end,” the mayor added.

Leonardia said the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum will be positioned as an income-generating project since commercial spaces will be available within the building.

The mayor’s challenger in his reelection bid, former councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, has filed a petition for temporary restraining order against the PHP1.7-billion loan before the Regional Trial Court Branch 44. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062713