A 36-year-old Spanish national facing charges of sexual abuse of a minor is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday. “A commitment order was issued against accused Franco Sanchez on 01 October 2021. The arraignment is set for 15 October 2021. There is a pending motion to dismiss filed by the accused on the basis of an affidavit of desistance. The prosecution will oppose the said motion,” DOJ spokesperson, Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar said in a message to reporters. Villar, however, added that the accused was allowed to post bail “He

Micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) participating in the weeklong trade fair organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) here are encouraged to continue developing their products to remain competitive. The MSME Week Trade Fair that will run until October 17 kicked off at the Megaworld’s Festive Walk Mall in this city’s Mandurriao district on Wednesday with 58 participating exhibitors from the six provinces of Western Visayas. “We continue to encourage our MSMEs to go on product development. This is the only to be competitive. Every time a buyer sees a product whether online or physical, they will

Top officials of Negros Occidental and this provincial capital discussed possible collaborations in various areas with German Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel during her visit here on Wednesday. At the Provincial Capitol, Reiffenstuel was welcomed by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson while at the Bacolod City Government Center, she met with Mayor Evelio Leonardia. “It is important, as an ambassador to this country, to know the country. This is my first trip (I am doing) after the pandemic, after such a long time. Negros is an important place to go because it has an important role to play in the country, with the

A leader of the House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure that the ballot design would be fair for party-list contenders in the 2022 national and local elections. Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera said the Comelec should not repeat its mistake of printing the party-lists at the back of the ballot in the previous elections, since several voters were not able to vote for the sector because it was printed at the back. “There must not be a repeat of the ballot design that was detrimental to the party-lists in the last elections. The party-lists

Former Vice President and broadcast journalist Noli de Castro has withdrawn his bid for a Senate seat in next year’s elections, saying he has a change of plans. In an official statement posted on the Facebook page of his daughter, PTV4 General Manager Kat de Castro on Wednesday, he said he can continue to help giving voice to ordinary Filipinos through broadcast journalism, in which his career spanned decades. “Nagkaroon ng pagbabago ang aking plano. Nais kong iparating sa lahat ng aking mga kaibigan at supporters na naghahanda na sanang tumulong sa akin, na nagpasiya akong hindi na ituloy ang

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said he is “well-decided” to run for vice president in the 2022 elections, denying speculations that he is paving the way for the candidacy of another person through substitution. “I can’t speak for the other candidates. Hindi po ako makapagsalita kung ano po ang magiging desisyon ng partido… As far as I am concerned, sa aking tinakbuhang posisyon, desidido na po ako (I can’t say what would be decision of the party. As far as I am concerned, I am well-decided to run for the position I filed),” Go said in an interview during the launch