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

300 families in Silay City get ‘Yolanda’ housing units

BACOLOD CITY — A total of 300 families affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda in Silay City, Negros Occidental have received permanent housing units from the National Housing Authority (NHA) at the relocation site in Barangay E. Lopez.

The development was announced on Wednesday by the Office of Third District Rep. Alfredo Benitez, which is facilitating and coordinating the implementation of the housing project.

The 300 houses are part of the 1,992 housing units allocated for Silay City.

NHA-Bacolod manager Alejandro Ongsuco turned over to Mayor Mark Golez a miniature replica of the “Yolanda” housing unit during the ceremony held on Monday.

Silay City Mayor Mark Golez (center) receives a miniature replica of a “Yolanda” housing unit from National Housing Authority-Bacolod manager Alejandro Ongsuco (right) during the turnover ceremony for the first 300 of the 1,992 housing units in Barangay E. Lopez on Monday, Feb 18, 2019.
*Photo from Mayor Mark J. Golez’s Facebook page*

The mayor handed the symbolic key to the houses to Nora Sigaton, who represented the beneficiaries.

Golez congratulated the recipients and all those who made the implementation of the housing project possible.

“Form a homeowners association and ensure accreditation from the city government to avail of more development programs and assistance,” the mayor told the beneficiaries.

Benitez, chairperson of the House committee on housing and urban development, said in a message relayed by Marie June Castro, coordinator on district housing concerns, that he lauds the decision of beneficiaries to accept the Yolanda housing project.

“Moving your families from danger zones and giving your children a safe and decent shelter will lead to a brighter future and you will have the opportunity for security of tenure,” the legislator added.

The first batch of 300 informal settler-families that received the permanent housing units were from Barangays, 2, 3, 5, Balaring, Bagtic, E. Lopez, Hawaiian Central, Guinhalaran, Lantad and Patag.

These are families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda, as well as those living in high-risk areas and danger zones.

The housing site has a multi-purpose covered court with training center and open spaces for community facilities.

In the Third District alone, a total of 5,481 units of “Yolanda” permanent housing have been granted to qualified beneficiaries in three local government units.

Aside from the 1,992 housing units in Silay City, there are also 1,168 housing units in Barangay Sto. Niño, Municipality of E.B. Magalona and 2,321 housing units in Barangay 13, Victorias City included in the project.

These houses are part of the 27,055 permanent housing units constructed by the NHA in northern Negros, which was the worst-hit in the province during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda on Nov. 8, 2013. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1062473

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)