BACOLOD DAYLATE
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rPLEASE INCLUDE PHOTO IN SLIDESHOW: SUNSTAR_Bacolod_peace and order meeting_2016-09-07.Rev.0.jpg
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BACOLOD. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (2nd from right) with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (right), Senior Supt. Flynn Dongbo (left) and Chief Supt. Renato Gumban during the meeting of interim City Peace and Order Council Tuesday. (Photo contributed by Bacolod PIO)
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tags: bomb plot, hoax, social media posts, text messages, viral, Davao blast, face charges, full security alert, heightened alert, public places, police visibility, Bacolod City Peace and Order Council
r‘Stop spreading hoax bomb plot’
Merlinda A. Pedrosa
BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia appealed to the public to stop spreading or sharing unfounded information or social media posts to avoid causing fear and panic.
On Monday, text messages and social media posts have been circulating that Bacolod is allegedly the next target of bombing after the Davao City blast.
“I appeal to all those spreading these unfounded information, whether intentionally or innocently, to stop immediately. It does not do any good to an already tense citizenry. Let us be vigilant but not paranoid," Leonardia said in a press statement Tuesday.
“Let us be more circumspect on rumors that Bacolod City is one of the next targets of bombing plot,” he added.
Councilor Caesar Distrito, chairman of committee on laws, ordinances and good government, said those who are sharing wrong information could face charges.
“Let us avoid sharing unverified texts or social media posts that will only frighten others. We should be responsible,” he said.
Distrito said only the authorities can confirm if Bacolod is under threat.
Senior Superintendent Flynn Dongbo, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), had earlier said the rumor has no basis, adding that they are on full alert and continue to monitor and secure public places.
For his part, Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban, director of Police Regional Office-18, echoed the city officials’ call not to spread text messages or social media posts about a rumored plot to bomb Bacolod.
“Text messages not from police, please do not spread,” Gumban said during the meeting of the interim Bacolod City Peace and Order Council at the Annex Hall of Bacolod Government Center Tuesday.
He said there is no truth to the rumors, citing police intelligence reports.
Still, Gumban ordered the BCPO to maximize police visibility in Bacolod, especially in places of convergence like malls, ports, terminals, and churches.
He also advised the public to help the police in intercepting bomb plots or averting it.
“If you see suspicious-looking people going around, report it to the police so we can prevent crimes,” he added.
About 35 representatives from various City Hall departments and offices, and government agencies attended the CPOC meeting, including Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, Councilor Ricardo Tan, and City Administrator John Orola, among others.
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tags: Presidential Assistant for Visayas, Michael Dino, lobby, Negros Island Region, 2017 national appropriation, 2017 budget, consultation meeting, President Rodrigo Duterte, pro-poor president
rMalacañang official vows to lobby for NIR budget
Marchel P. Espina
rPRESIDENTIAL Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino promised to lobby for the inclusion of Negros Island Region (NIR) in the 2017 appropriation of the national government.
Dino was in Negros Occidental yesterday for a consultative meeting with Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and some mayors at the Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City.
Dino said he visited the province to listen to the concerns of the chief executives and to tell them what our office is all about, which is to bridge the gap between Malacañang and Visayas.
“With me coming over (here) is like bringing Malacañang to Bacolod,” he added.
Among the concerns raised by local officials was the non-inclusion of NIR in the budget next year.
“We can revive (the budget). That’s the concern, especially of the governor,” Dino said.
He said he would talk to Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez “to clarify” the matter.
“I want to get to the bottom of it. Are we going to give a budget or not?” he said.
He pointed out that President Rodrigo Duterte is “very pro-poor,” adding that “if we need a budget here, why don’t we give a budget?”
“Even a meager budget is enough. The governor said that meager budget is fine as long as there is a budget,” Dino said.
NIR is seeking a P42-billion budget next year.
Marañon and Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo had also been lobbying for the region’s inclusion in the national budget.
Both governors have already met with Duterte about the budget, as they remained hopeful that the president would still change his mind on the NIR funding.
They also met with Diokno but the meeting did not yield a positive result, which prompted the two Negros governors to seek another meeting with the president.
‘No politics’
Dino vowed the administration would not play party politics when it comes to delivering services to the public.
“I remember the marching orders of the President. Visit the poorest of the poor and that is Samar. He mentioned that he lost in Samar (in the May 9 elections), but take care of Samar. Same here in Negros,” he said.
“I never ask what are their party or affiliation or who have they supported in the last election. I didn’t ask because I don’t want to ask and I don’t need to know. As long as the project is good for the people then we go for it,” Dino pointed out.
He said that he told the officials here to give him two to three weeks to answer their concerns.
Asked if he would still push through with the project proposals – expansion of airport and establishment of NIR regional center – of the previous administration.
“I will look into that. If good for the common people, definitely I would push for it. Like the extension of airport, the terminal here is going to burst already. We also need to focus on the terminal as well,” Dino said.
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tags: Miss Universe 2016, pre-pageant, candidates, Department of Tourism, Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, Michael Dino, Visayas, Negros Island
rMiss U bets set to visit Negros
rPRESIDENTIAL Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino said Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo has agreed to bring some of the Miss Universe 2016 candidates to Negros Island for a pre-pageant pictorial.
“She’s (Teo) agreeable to bring seven to eight candidates here for pictorial on January 16,” said Dino, who was in Negros Occidental yesterday for a meeting with officials led by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr.
The Philippines will host the Miss Universe pageant next year. Various pre-pageant activities will be held in the cities of Cebu, Iloilo and Vigan between January 13 and 18.
Dino said he suggested to Teo to also bring the candidates to Negros, Bohol, and Samar “to feature the entire Visayas.”
In a report of SunStar Cebu on August 28, Dino said that she asked Teo that candidates be sent to visit other provinces of each region where the pre-pageant activities can be held.
“Why don’t we also bring some candidates to other provinces? Tungaon nato ba. In the Visayas, some of the candidates can also be made to visit Bohol (in Central Visayas), or Samar in Eastern Visayas or Bacolod,” Dino explained.
That will give other provinces a chance to be featured in the international scene, he said.(MPE)
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PLEASE INSERT PHOTO AS INPAGE AND TEASER: SUNSTAR_Bacolod_Police assistance desk_2016-09-07.Rev.0.jpg
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BACOLOD. Personnel of Police Station 6 man the assistance center at the Ceres South Terminal in Bacolod City yesterday. (Merlinda A. Pedrosa)
rtags: Negros Occidental Capitol, City Hall, security, tightened security, terror threat, Provincial Capitol security, security personnel, additional security, Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Gov. Alfredo Marañon, Senior Superintendent Flynn Dongbo, Philippine National Police, Alert Level 2,
Public Safety Personnel Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office
Capitol, City Hall beef up security
Marchel P. Espina, Merlinda A. Pedrosa
rSECURITY were tightened both at the Capitol building of Negros Occidental and at the Bacolod Government Center following the terror threat in the wake of the bombing in Davao City last Friday.
Venchito Magalona, head of the Provincial Capitol Security, said the intensified security in the premises of the Capitol building was prompted by online reports that Bacolod City will be targeted next by a terror group.
He said that additional security personnel were deployed to secure the government building.
He added that bags of those coming in the building are being inspected at the entrance.
Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. had called on the public to stay vigilant and be alert in their surroundings.
Senior Superintendent Flynn Dongbo, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office, said there’s no truth to the rumors, however, he advised the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual activity or suspicious people to the authorities.
He added that the police have intensified their presence and checkpoint operations in public places.
In Bacolod, Mayor Evelio Leonardia ordered tightened security inside the Bacolod Government Center.
Executive Assistant Celestino Guara, cluster head on peace and order, said Leonardia instructed him Sunday night to step up security measures in the building.
He said the Public Safety Personnel Office personnel were tasked to inspect the clients bags at the entrance – one in front and another one at the back of the building.
Guara added that they are coordinating with the policemen assigned at the Government Center to intensity visibility patrol especially during night time.
Leonardia also ordered the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to review the disaster response plan.
Executive Assistant Jose Maria Vargas said they are on Alert Level 2 to monitor various areas in the city.
He said he will coordinate with other responding teams like Amity, Chamber, and Red Cross to help them in case of emergency incidents in Bacolod.
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tags: Oplan Tokhang, surrenderers, war on drugs, illegal drug personalities, Negros Island Region, Oplan Double Barrel, police operations, Chief Inspector Dianne Catedral,
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‘Tokhang’ nets 25,000 drug surrenderers
Glazyl Y. Masculino
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A TOTAL of 25,013 drug personalities, including pushers and users, have surrendered to police in the Negros Island Region (NIR) through “Oplan Tokhang” from July 1 to September 1.
Of the 25,013 drug surrenderers in NIR, 11,804 were recorded by the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (Norppo) while 10,498 were listed by Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Norppo). The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has 2,711 surrenderers.
Of the 11,804 drug surrenderers under Norppo, 10,996 were users and 806 were pushers.
In Nocppo, 9,776 were users and 722 were pushers while BCPO recorded 2,447 users and 264 pushers.
Records further showed that 17 drug personalities were killed mostly in police operations since the implementation of Oplan Tokhang and Oplan Double Barrel on July 1.
Of the 17 killed, one was a user and 16 were pushers.
Chief Inspector Dianne Catedral, public information officer of PRO-NIR, said yesterday the number of surrenderers are expected to increase as police identifies new drug personalities weekly.
Drug suspects nabbed
Meanwhile, nine persons, including the sixth drug personality of Cadiz City Police Station, were arrested in separate drug bust operations in Negros Island.
In Cadiz City, arrested for sale and possession of illegal drugs on Monday were Aimee Villaceran, 30 and Charly Magalona, 37.
Police recovered from them nine sachets of suspected shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), drug paraphernalia, and P200 marked money.
In Himamaylan City, driver Client Javelosa, 25 of Barangay Aguisan, who had an arrest warrant, voluntarily surrendered to police a sachet of shabu and drug paraphernalia on Monday.
In Bacolod City, personnel of Police Station 2 arrested Anthony Cuadra, 25 and his runner Prince Mhol Javier, 18, during a raid at Cuadra's house at Purok Sigay, Barangay 2 on Tuesday.
Cuarda sold a shabu to a police agent for P500. Recovered from him were four more sachets of shabu with an estimated value of P50,000.
Rosalinda Tolintino, 56 and Rohan Jude Young, 27, were collared by police in a buy-bust at Barangay Daro, Dumaguete City on Tuesday.
Police seized five sachets of shabu worth P23,000, and the P300 marked money.
In Bacong town, Josiemar Salatan, 36, of Dumaguete City yielded six sachets of shabu and P500 marked money in a drug bust at Barangay San Miguel on Tuesday.
In San Jose town, Narciso Alayon, 43, of Barangay Tampi, was arrested after police seized from him two sachets of shabu and the P300 marked money.
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tags: business, traders, business leader, normal, terror targets, terror threat, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Negros Island Region, Western Visayas, seaports, terminals, mallgoers, Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Frank Carbon, security measures
u2018Maintain confidence with caution,’ bizmen told
Erwin P. Nicavera
A LOCAL business leader said trading operations in Bacolod City have remained normal amid reports that the city along with nearby areas like Iloilo and Cebu would be the next terror targets.
Frank Carbon, regional governor of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Negros Island Region and Western Visayas, yesterday said they have not monitored any disturbance among local establishments.
Carbon said the number of passengers at major seaports and terminals as well as those of mall goers in the city for the past three days have remained steady.
The police dismissed reports that Bacolod is a target, but stressed the importance for the public to maintain alertness and vigilance.
Carbon, also the chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), said one of the purposes of terrorism, particularly through bombing, is to scare the public.
Terrorist groups will then succeed if movement of the people, including business operations are paralyzed, he said.
“Thus, we have to maintain our confidence in doing businesses in the province, especially in Bacolod City,” Carbon said.
Carbon, a fastcraft vessel operator in the city, said he has already tapped assistance from the local Maritime Command (Marcom) to train port personnel on spotting and reporting suspicious personalities and activities.
Aside from police personnel deployed at the port, additional security guards were also hired by vessel operators to augment in maintaining peace and order in the area.
He also urged other local businessmen to implement additional security measures in their respective establishments and help in maintaining vigilance and sharing of vital information.
“There is no need to be scared thus, we assure the consuming public that it’s business as usual,” he added.