BY CARLA GOMEZ  (www.visayandailystar.com)
Smuggled sugar seized  at the Manila and Subic ports has dramatically increased by about 400 percent this year, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Rafael Coscolluela said yesterday.
The Bureau of Customs  in a report furnished Coscolluela  said P36 million in sugar had been seized from the Manila and Subic ports from January to December  12, [...]

Bacolod Traffic Authority Chief Levy Pangue yesterday appealed for understanding from the public as to the heavy traffic being experienced by both motorists and commuters during the holiday season, a City Hall press release said.
Pangue said that the heavy traffic experienced is normal during the holiday season and the BTAO is doing its best to [...]

BY GILBERT BAYORAN (www.visayandailystar.com)
All guns issued to the 1,400 policemen in Negros Occidental will be silent starting today, in a move by their superiors to discourage them from indiscriminate firing of their arms during the Christmas and New Year’s eve celebrations.
Senior Supt. Manuel Felix, provincial police director, yesterday supervised the taping of gun muzzles at [...]

Bacolod Traffic Authority Chief Levy Pangue yesterday appealed for understanding from the public as to the heavy traffic being experienced by both motorists and commuters during the holiday season, a City Hall press release said.
Pangue said that the heavy traffic experienced is normal during the holiday season and the BTAO is doing its best to [...]

BY RENE GENOVE (www.visayandailystar.com)
Negros Oriental Gov. Emilio Macias II yesterday reported on his accomplishment during his one-and-a-half years in office in his year-end report on his half-way term at the Governor’s Office, in the Provincial Capitol, Dumaguete City.
The report include the completion of the construction of 15 two-classroom school buildings under “Basta NegOr-Education 104.” He [...]

Art exhibit opens tomorrow
A group art exhibit of the Art Association of Bacolod-Negros called “Art Gift” will open tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Namitnamit Pagkaon and Taliambong at Nolan Apartment, B.S. Aquino Drive, Bacolod City, across the Riverside Medical Center.
The exhibit is being presented by SYANO ARTLINK and will run until Jan. 31, [...]

 BY PATRICK PANGILINAN (www.visayandailystar.com)
An official of the Diocese of Bacolod yesterday said that the church will continue to operate the educational facility left by the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
Brethen Rye Gamala, chancellor-secretary of the diocese, said in a telephone interview that they are now finalizing the [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)

The New People’s Army is going on a five-day unilateral ceasefire December 24 to 26 and December 31 to January 1 in “unity with the Filipino people’s holiday traditions”, the Communist Party of the Philippines Central Committee announced yesterday.
“We welcome the CPP ceasefire so that everyone can observe the holidays in peace,” [...]

(www.visayandailystar.com)
Pope Benedict XVI has honored six lay persons of the Diocese of Bacolod with Papal Awards, Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra said yesterday.
The information was relayed to Navarra in a letter from Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, a press release from the Bishop’s House said.
Invested with the Knighthood of the Order of [...]

BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO (www.visayandailystar.com)
Bacolod City topped six other cities in Region 6 in the Economic Development category during the Pagdayaw and Excell Awards 2008, sponsored by the Department of Interior and Local Government. 
The Pagdayaw/Excell Awards are given in recognition of the best performing Local Government Units and Local Government Operations Officers for their efforts [...]

The provincial government of Negros Occidental received four major awards during the Pagdayaw ’08 awarding ceremonies of the Department of Interior and Local Government in Western Visayas in Iloilo City Wednesday, Gov. Isidro Zayco said yesterday.
Adjudged as the “Best Performing Province in Western Visayas”, Negros Occidental also received three awards out of four categories – [...]

BY JUANCHO GALLARDE (www.visayandailystar.com
The contingent from Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental,   is this year’s champion in the Sayawit competition held Saturday.
The municipality received a trophy and P60,000 as cash prize by besting four other local government units. It also bagged the best in production design.
Runner-up Bayawan City received P50,000 in cash and was best [...]

BY NIDA BUENAFE (www.visayandailystar.com)
Bacolod Tay Tung High School and University of St. La Salle Green face an acid test this weekend as both teams hope to improve its record in the Panasoni Cup 10 Under games at the BTTHS Po Hang gym in Bacolod City.
After a frustrating weekend for Mike Lim Basketball Clinic-Stallions and High [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
Congress yesterday voted to pass Joint Resolution No. 19 extending the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law for another six months, without compulsory acquisition.
Fourteen senators voted for the passage of the resolution that will extend the CARL until June 30, with Senators Mar Roxas and Benigno Aquino III, both of landed clans, inhibiting themselves [...]

(www.visayandailystar.com)
MANILA – The Philippines is planning more spending, including a P300-billion stimulus, for 2009 to steer the country from recession, presidential aides said yesterday.
The government plans to execute the plan in the first half of the year to prevent the economy from contracting, which could force many Filipinos out of work, they added.
“We need fast-moving [...]

BY NIDA BUENAFE  (www.visayandailystar.com)
Hauling big points from the pool and cornering the championship in boys and girls archery, secondary girls badminton, and elementary basketball, NOPSSCEA athletes are piling up points to fortify its bid for overall honors in the 2008 Palarong Panlalawigan in Bacolod City.
Led by its swimmers, who bagged 21 golds and 16 silver [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
Leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday came up with a joint resolution that would extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program for another six months, but Negros Occidental congressmen opposing the inclusion of the compulsory acquisition provision, said they would vote against the move.
The House of Representatives adjourned [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
Gov. Isidro Zayco has ordered the implementation of precautionary measures to prevent the entry of the Ebola-Reston virus in Negros Occidental and protect the province’s half a million swine population, provincial veterinarian, Dr. Renante Decena, said yesterday.
Negros is free of the foot-and-mouth disease and the Ebola-Reston virus that has hit Luzon, [...]

BY CHRYSEE SAMILLANO (www.visayandailystar.com)
The resumption of the system of continuing registration of voters this year will be held until Friday and will resume on Jan. 5, 2009, Bacolod Election Officer IV Mavil Majarucon yesterday said.
Majarucon said the total number of new registrants is 1,100 out of the total 1,400 who have registered from [...]

 BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
The Bureau of Customs Enforcement and Security Service at the  Port of Cebu has seized fourteen  container vans declared as imported rice, but found to be mixed with imported sugar from Thailand, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Rafael Coscolluela said yesterday.
The SRA was informed that the seized goods were part of a shipment [...]

BY GILBERT BAYORAN (www.visayandailystar.com)
Another Globe Telecom cellsite was bombed and destroyed by about 10 suspected New People’s Army rebels Saturday night in Brgy. Mabini, Escalante City, Negros Occidental.
Chief Inspector Santiago Rapiz, Escalante police chief, yesterday said the suspects gained entry by destroying the cyclone fence of the unmanned and isolated Globe Telecom cellsite, and placed [...]

 (www.visayandailystar.com)
Kabankalan City and three towns in Negros Occidental recently launched their Farmers’ Information and Technology Services Centers under the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium, a press release from the group said.
WESVARRDEC Director Joseph Edward Idemne said the “mega launching” has brought the number of FITS Center in Negros Occidental Province to [...]

 (www.visayandailystar.com)
The SM Supermalls’ Environment Committee and SM City Bacolod, in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the province of Negros Occidental and the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod, planted about  1,000 seedlings of Benguet Pine Trees on the Translink Eco Hi-way of Brgy. Bunga in Don Salvador Benedicto town, recently.
Dubbed “Adopt A [...]

MANILA – Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao has refused to be drawn on whether he would take on Ricky “Hitman” Hatton next after demolishing Oscar De La Hoya at the weekend.
Pacquiao pounded De La Hoya into likely retirement in Las Vegas on Sunday, setting up what could be a mega-bucks payday with Hatton – who [...]

 (www.visayandailystar.com)
Bacolod City, now a top Information and Communications Technology hub outside Metro Manila and Cebu, is stepping up efforts to attract locators for non-voice ICT services after establishing itself as premier call center site, Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, chairperson of Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for ICT, said.
Work outsourced to the Philippines under this area are animation and [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
 “The only way to stop Charter change now is for the people to unite and tell the President enough is enough, we will not allow it.”
If the people do not unite, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may succeed at remaining in power beyond 2010, Jimmy Regalario, Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya chairperson, warned at a [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
Thousands of Negrenses are set to march to the  Bacolod public plaza for  a prayer rally against Charter change  that starts at 2 p.m. today.
“We are  hoping public participation will snowball, we need to stand up and show that we are opposed to Charter change because it could be very dangerous for [...]

BY JUDY F. PARTLOW (www.visayandailystar.com)
The Bais City government in Negros Oriental has embarked on a sea-farming project aimed at helping ease the pressure on its fisheries resources.
Mayor Hector Villanueva said the project involves the culture of seashells and some fish species in fish pens during spawning season, after which the young get to leave the [...]

BY CARLA GOMEZ (www.visayandailystar.com)
Members of the  Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board  yesterday signed Wage Order No. 17 that will give workers in Western Visayas a P15 daily wage increase by Dec. 25, Labor Regional Director Aida Estabillo said.
She said the members of the board  signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the new [...]

(www.visayandailystar.com)
MANILA – President Gloria Arroyo said the government is working to provide “temporary relief” to expatriate Filipinos forced to return home by the global downturn.
She made the announcement as several hundred Filipinos have lost their jobs abroad amid the economic slowdown.
They include 200 ship builders, as well as more than 100 factory [...]