Category: Uncategorized

Pacquiao still in top form at 40: Bacolod mayor

BACOLOD CITY — Mayor Evelio Leonardia, flag-bearer of Team Pacquiao, said Filipino boxing icon, Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, is still at his peak at 40 years old.

The chief executive here, who waved the Philippine flag inside the ring before the bout in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, said Pacquiao, in defending his World Boxing Association welterweight title against American Adrien Broner, showed the same form he had at the prime of his boxing career.

“Life begins at 40. This is what Senator Pacquiao has just proven in Las Vegas. He did not only beat Broner, but he also beat Father Time,” he said in a statement on Sunday.


Some 5,000 residents of Bacolod City watching the free live broadcast of the Pacquiao-Broner fight at the Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports Center celebrate after Senator Manny Pacquiao defended his World Boxing Association welterweight title against American Adrien Broner on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019.
Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO

Leonardia added that it was “amazing to watch a 40-year-old boxer still with so much speed and power.”

“While other boxers see their careers decline upon reaching the 30s, Manny is even still peaking,” he further said.

Leonardia, who first carried Pacquiao’s belt in 2005, and who has been carrying the Philippine flag inside the ring since 2006, said that after the only eight-division world boxing champion’s latest triumph, “the Manny Pacquiao mystique goes on.”

“And it looks like it will still be a long, long time that he’ll rule the fascination and adoration of the Filipinos,” he added.

The mayor said Pacquiao, an adopted son of Bacolod City, once again brought all the Filipinos together as one to cheer the flag and the Philippines.

Here in Bacolod, about 20,000 people flocked to the eight free live viewing venues set up by the city government, including the Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports Center where 5,000 people gathered.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. also lauded Pacquiao’s win against Broner.

“Our boxing hero’s latest triumph will certainly inspire many young athletes who dream big,” the governor said in a statement.

He added that Pacquiao “again showed the world that with long years of championship experience and hard work, one would be able to overcome any challenge in the ring.” (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059510

GMA visits Silay airport, takes ‘RoRo’ in sentimental journey

BACOLOD CITY — House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental during the 11th anniversary of its operations on Friday as part of her “sentimental journey” to her favorite projects in the country.

“Happy anniversary to all of us. I like to say all of us because I’m proud to have been a part of the history of this airport,” the former president said in her message during the morning program.

As then chief executive, Arroyo led the inauguration of the Bacolod-Silay Airport on July 13, 2007 ahead of its formal opening as an airport of international standards on January 18, 2008.


House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo boards a roll-on, roll-off vessel bound for Dumangas, Iloilo at the Bredco port in Bacolod City, after her visit to the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City on Friday (Jan. 18, 2019). Arroyo visited the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental during the 11th anniversary of its operations on Friday as part of her “sentimental journey” to her favorite projects in the country.
Photo from Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Beat the Odds Facebook page

Arroyo, who came with her sister-in-law Marilou Arroyo-Lesaca, whom she described as a presumptive congresswoman for running unopposed as representative of the 5th District, was joined by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., Silay City Mayor Mark Golez, Abang Lingkod partylist Rep. Stephen Paduano, and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director General Jim Sydiongco during the program.

The House Speaker said she did not actually know there will be a celebration and she visited without knowing about the event.

“I’m already going to leave public office on June 30, and I told my staff, ‘You know, I want to make a sentimental journey to my favorite projects in the Philippines, and among them is the Bacolod-Silay Airport. That’s why I decided to come today,” she said.

“Since there’s no event in Congress or in Metro Manila, I said. ‘Let’s go to Silay. Let us look at how it is doing now, only to find out that today is your anniversary. So, the Lord wanted me to be part of this anniversary,” she added.

Arroyo recalled the resistance of some sectors to the transfer of the airport from Bacolod to Silay, but she noted the opening of the new airport has brought so much benefits to the province, particularly on tourism.

“Congratulations, for being the second most-visited by domestic tourists,” she said of Negros Occidental, adding that the province has also become attractive to more foreign visitors and investors.

After visiting the Bacolod-Silay Airport and passing through the 10-km. airport access road, the House Speaker proceeded to the Bredco port in Bacolod to take the Bacolod-Dumangas route going to Iloilo on board a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel.

“From here, we will be going on another sentimental journey, to take the RoRo, which was also our project,” she said.

The Bacolod-Dumangas route started in 2005 as part of Arroyo’s “Strong Republic Nautical Highway” program to ensure fast and economical movement of goods and people, and to boost domestic tourism and trade.

“That will be another sentimental journey because to me, the most important infrastructures in the Visayas are roads, airports, and RoRo (ports),” she added. (PNA)

Korean firm invests P2-B for solar farm in Bacolod City

BACOLOD CITY — A 50-megawatt solar power plant will soon rise in the village of Vista Alegre in this city.

The development of the first large-scale renewable energy project in Bacolod, with an estimated cost of PHP2 billion, kicked off with the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the partner-developers held at L’ Fisher Hotel here Thursday night.

Mary Grace Helene Buhain, president and chief executive officer of Amatera Renewable Energy Corp., and Charles Ji, president of TPC Construction Corp., signed the agreement on behalf of their respective companies.


Mary Grace Helene Buhain (3rd from left), president and chief executive officer of Amatera Renewable Energy Corporation, and Charles Ji (4th from right), president of TPC Construction Corp., with landowner Ma. Teresa Lacson (4th from left), Amatera chief operations officer and Vista Alegre village chief Jose Maria Leandro Roberto de Leon (3rd from right), and other officials of both companies after the signing of the memorandum of understanding at L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Thursday night (Jan. 17, 2019).
Photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver
 

“The vision of Amatera goes beyond business, but the social responsibility to benefit everyone,” Buhain said.

The Bacolod-based company, which is leasing the 74-hectare family-owned land for 25 years to the Korean firm, had secured a clearance from the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct grid impact studies on the Vista Alegre property in early 2016.

Its project was then included on the agency’s list of awarded solar projects in June that year.

Buhain said the project consultants will come from Korea, but they will also hire locals for the construction, which is expected to start this year.

In his speech, Ji said the signing of the MOU was the start of the beautiful partnership and collaboration between the two companies.

“We are thankful for the trust given to our company, (for us) to work together for this project,” he added.

Engineer Hanshel Layaoen, technical consultant for Amatera, said about 100 employees would be hired for the technical and labor aspects, and at least 300 workers more would be needed to complete the project in six to seven months.

Both companies aim to start the commissioning by 2020, which is also the scheduled completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kilovolt Backbone Project of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

The influx of solar power plants in Negros Occidental in recent years caused the main line, transmission, and interconnection lines to congest, according to the DOE.

Considering the congestion, Layaoen said the construction of the Bacolod solar farm project cannot proceed without the transmission utility’s backbone project.

Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, who attended the signing event, welcomed the development of the renewable energy project in Bacolod as he recognized that solar is now at the center of local energy transformation.

“This is the first large-scale solar energy source in Bacolod and a step towards a greener and more sustainable city,” said Familiaran, who is currently the acting mayor since Mayor Evelio Leonardia flew to the United States to witness the fight of Senator Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Sunday. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059317

Bacolod councilor linked to drugs still on leave

BACOLOD CITY — The Bacolod City councilor, tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte in the illegal drug trade, was unable to preside over the session of the City Council on Wednesday as he is still on leave, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran has said.

Familiaran, who sits as acting mayor after Mayor Evelio Leonardia left for the United States on Wednesday night, said on Thursday that instead of Councilor Ricardo “Cano” Tan, who is the number one councilor, it was Councilor Caesar Distrito who took over as acting vice mayor and presiding officer.

“Councilor Tan is still on leave. He still has vacation leave and sick leave credits left,” he added.


Councilor Ricardo Tan (left) greets Mayor Evelio Leonardia during their meeting with officials of the Negros Occidental Football Association at the Bacolod City Government Center in October last year.
File photo from Bacolod City PIO

Last Sunday, Familiaran first confirmed that Tan was unable to attend the City Council sessions after he and his wife were ambushed on their way home last December 14.

On January 12, Tan was linked by Duterte in the illegal drug trade during his speech before an audience at the birthday party of a businessman here.

Reacting to the development on Sunday, Familiaran said the City Council is leaving to law enforcement agencies the action to take on the alleged involvement of Tan in illegal drugs.

He also said President’s pronouncement regarding the city councilor was a “shocking revelation.”

On Wednesday night, the President told the media in Manila that Tan was the drug lord being protected by sacked Bacolod Police chief Senior Supt. Francis Ebreo.

Malacañang said on Thursday that it will leave to investigators to probe Tan, who is already on the drug watch list of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

“The investigator will be doing that, not us,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a press briefing.

Duterte also tagged Ebreo as a “protector” of drug syndicates, recalling a time when the relieved police officer visited Tan in a hospital after he was ambushed. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059275

Peaceful environment draws investors to NegOcc: guv

BACOLOD CITY — The peaceful environment of Negros Occidental attracts investors, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said on Thursday.

“There are so many investors coming because we are a peace-loving province. Here, their investments are assured. We have a peaceful place to invest in,” he said in his message during the New Year’s call of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) personnel held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol here.

The governor, who welcomed the group led by newly-appointed officer-in-charge, Senior Supt. Romeo Baleros, lauded the provincial police force for their efforts in maintaining the peace and order.


Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. (seated, 2nd from right) with Senior Supt. Romeo Baleros (2nd from left), provincial police officer-in-charge; Supt. Adrian Acollador, deputy provincial director for administration; and National Police Commission provincial director Mae Diamante, during the New Year’s call of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office personnel held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Thursday (Jan. 17,2019). 
Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Capitol PIO

“Allow me to thank each and every one of you, on behalf of the province, for a job well done. Our beloved province of Negros Occidental compared to other provinces is relatively peaceful. We don’t have much crime because of your efforts,” he added.

The governor, however, said the police should not rest on their laurels.

“We would like to achieve more, exceed what we have done last year,” he said.

Marañon pointed out that Negros Occidental already has diversified industries and no longer relies solely on the sugar industry as a monocrop economy.

“Our province’s economy is taking off. We have an improved economic situation. There should be no hindrance to that,” he said.
“Lots of investors are coming here, almost every week and there will be more coming. Let us help each to make this province more peaceful,” the governor added.

For his part, Baleros said they are paying a call on the highest official of the province to show the support and commitment of the police to assist the provincial government.

“Our New Year’s call to Governor Marañon is a manifestation of our continued support in providing his constituents a peaceful and tranquil place to live in,” he said.

Baleros added that the NOCPPO, being an implementing arm of the government in enforcing the law, will “always coordinate, collaborate, cooperate and work under the direction of our governor to attain his aspiration for the good of the Negrosanons.”

“We look forward to our mutual cooperation in keeping Negros Occidental safe and peaceful,” he added. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059279

Employers urged to pay P5 COLA for sugar industry workers

BACOLOD CITY — Employers in the sugar industry enterprises in Western Visayas were urged to pay their workers the PHP5 daily cost of living allowance (COLA) starting January 17.

Labor sector representative Wennie Sancho made the call on Thursday after the effectivity of the allowance was tackled by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB)-6 (Western Visayas) in its earlier meeting in Iloilo City.

“They have to faithfully pay it. It’s just a small amount,” he said.


Wennie Sancho, labor sector representative to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-Western Visayas.
File photo by Erwin P. Nicavera

Sancho said the living allowance would help minimum wage earners in Region 6 cope with the rising cost of petroleum products, which also leads to the increase in the prices of basic goods.

“It (PHP5 COLA) is one of the new provisions of the latest wage order,” he added.

Wage Order No. 24, which was approved by the RTWPB-6 in June last year, provides that such allowance will take effect six months after the wage increase became effective in July 16, 2018.

Sancho said the Department of Labor and Employment-6 headed by Regional Director Cyril Ticao is expected to issue an advisory on the effectivity of the PHP5 living allowance.

Wage Order 24, which mandated an increase of PHP13.50 to PHP41.50 in the daily minimum wage in Region 6, provides for the said COLA among workers of sugar industry enterprises in the agricultural, industrial, and commercial sectors.

The current minimum wage in Western Visayas, including the living allowance, is pegged at PHP295 and PHP365 per day.

Another provision includes the effectivity of the wage increase on Boracay Island starting January 27.

The island-resort was closed for six months from April to October last year. As part of the moratorium, the new wage increase will take effect only three months after the re-opening of the island.

Considering that business operations in the entire Aklan were also affected, the wage increase took effect in other areas of the province only last November 2018. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059245

Bacolod City rakes in P1.4-B in taxes, other revenues in 2018

BACOLOD CITY — The City of Bacolod raked in PHP1.444 billion in real property taxes and other non-tax revenues in 2018, with a collection efficiency of 143 percent, records of the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) showed.

A report submitted by City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhe to Mayor Evelio Leonardia showed the collection target set by the Department of Finance – Bureau of Local Government Finance (DOF-BLGF) for Bacolod was only PHP1.013 billion.

“Again, major economic indicators for Bacolod are pointing upwards. This is a solid statement that we have restored business confidence,” the mayor said in a statement on Thursday.

The CTO reported that in 2018, the city’s real property taxes reached PHP730.528 million, indicating a collection efficiency of 186 percent, compared to the target of PHP392.671 million.

It added that non-tax revenues, including business and other local taxes, fees and other charges, and economic enterprises, contributed a total of PHP714.199 million, posting a collection efficiency of 115 percent as against the target collection of PHP621.145 million.

“With (our) total collection efficiency was 143 percent, we exceeded the target of DOF-BLGF,” Balalilhe said.


He noted that CTO-Bacolod had received three awards from the DOF-6 (Western Visayas) in 2017 for having the highest collection efficiency among the cities in the region.

In 2018, Bacolod hit a record-high of 23,187 business permits registration, which is 23.2 percent or 4,370 higher since 2015. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059268

NegOcc vet office collects P10.9-M in revenues

BACOLOD CITY — The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Occidental collected a total of PHP10.9 million in revenues in 2018, which is 6.7 percent higher than the PHP10.2 million in the previous year.

The PVO’s earnings came from farm income and collection of laboratory and veterinary fees.

Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian, said on Wednesday the increase can be attributed to the effective implementation of Provincial Tax Ordinance No. 2017-001.


A client applies for a veterinary health certificate required for animal shipment at the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Bacolod City.
Photo courtesy of  PVO-Negros Occidental

He noted that they have strengthened the implementation of its provisions, particularly on information dissemination and delivery of technical services among commercial farm owners and backyard gamefowl farms.

“We have been campaigning for them to register their farms,” he said.

Decena added that the higher income also reflects the interest of stakeholders to avail of the PVO’s services.

Reports of the PVO showed that regulatory services, including veterinary health certificate issuance, livestock and gamefowl registration, and traders’ license application mostly contributed to the revenues, totaling almost PHP7.2 million.

Income generated from farms and sale of various products reached about PHP3.5 million while collections from laboratory services and dairy training fees totaled PHP222,424 and PHP50,060, respectively.

Decena said this year, the PVO targets to increase its collection by improving its products and services. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059105

More road networks needed in west Visayas: DOT exec

BACOLOD CITY — More road networks should be established in Western Visayas to boost the region’s tourism industry, a Department of Tourism (DOT) official has said.

DOT-6 Regional Director Helen Catalbas said in a statement on Tuesday there were 168 proposed tourism road projects in Western Visayas last year.

Of which, 79 projects totaling PHP2.48 billion were included in the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA). A total of PHP520 million worth of projects are in Negros Occidental, including one amounting to PHP90 million in Bacolod City.

“These road projects make more tourism destinations accessible to tourists and provide livelihood in the community,” Catalbas said.

As tourism facilities begin to emerge with the influx of tourists, the DOT has recognized that strong road networks often lead to better economy, she added.

Catalbas said air, land and sea connectivity is one of the competitive advantages of Western Visayas, adding that micro, small and medium enterprises are also getting a boost from investments pouring in.

“The strengthened linkage of Western Visayas to more major hubs in the Philippines made the region accessible to more domestic and foreign tourists,” she added.

In 2017, tourist arrivals in Western Visayas reached 5.8 million, with tourism receipts, or amount of spending, worth PHP128.45 billion.

This coming Jan. 29, the DOT-Department of Public Works and Highways Convergence Program on Tourism Road Infrastructure Projects (TRIP) will hold a regional consultative workshop in Iloilo City.

During the activity, the previous year’s accomplishments and updates on pending and upcoming projects will be presented.

For 2019, there are 142 proposed road projects from different legislative districts in the region.

In Negros Occidental alone, there are 11 projects funded under the last year’s GAA and will be included in the assessment.

These are comprised mostly of construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of roads in the cities of Talisay, Cadiz, Sagay, Kabankalan and Sipalay, and town of Binalbagan with an initial appropriation of PHP420 million. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059077

Negrenses urged to report sightings of Irrawaddy dolphin

BACOLOD CITY — Residents of Negros Occidental were encouraged to report sightings of the Irrawaddy dolphin to protect the population of the endangered species.

The call was made by the Center for Research and Engagement of the University of Saint La Salle-Bacolod after a dead pregnant Irrawaddy dolphin was found at the mangrove area of Barangay Sampinit in Bago City earlier this month.

Research associate Mark de la Paz, whose team examined the animal, said in an interview on Tuesday that they suspect the dolphin, which measured about two meters, was about to give birth.


The decomposing pregnant Irrawaddy dolphin found in the mangrove area of Barangay Sampinit in Bago City, Negros Occidental last January 13.
Photo courtesy of Danilo Pahilanga

De la Paz said they found a wound on the animal’s body, with its ribs cage broken.

“The dolphin was possibly hit by a boat or a hard object,” he added.

The initial sighting of the floating dead dolphin was reported by a resident on Jan. 3, but when the locals tried to check on its presence, they could no longer find its carcass.

Members of Barangay Katungdan, a group of volunteers for mangrove protection, again received reports on its sighting on the morning of January 13.

De la Paz said the animal’s carcass was already in the advanced state of decomposition when found in the mangrove area.

Irrawaddy dolphins — considered critically endangered in Negros Occidental — inhabit the waters of Bago City and Pulupandan town.

De la Paz’s group called on fishermen to slow down their boats during fishing activities to avoid hitting the dolphins. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1059057