Play Studio, Bacolod’s first and premiere photography studio for kids and families, opened its second branch at the East Bridgeway of SM City Bacolod last November 11, 2011. For owners Margot Lopez, Gretchen Varela, Katrina Varela, Bianca Limjap and Gia Garcia-Dupont, it was a special day filled with thanksgiving as they opened a second store in Bacolod City after establishing Play Studio 5 years ago.

The grand opening ceremonies began with a prayer and thanksgiving, followed by the ribbon cutting by Councilor Carlo Lopez. SM Mall Manager George Jardiolin, Assistant Mall Manager Julia Javellana and Tenant Relations Officer Nicelle Vistar attended the opening as well as guests Celing Lopez, Melinda Garcia, Ed and Nora Varela, Jas Valderama and Tisoy and Pop Henares.

An alleged commander of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental who was arrested in November last year, was released from prison yesterday after posting bail of P100,000.

Romeo Nanta, 54, whom the military tagged as the head of the NPA’s Regional Operations Command, was given temporary liberty after he posted P100,000 for the robbery-in-band charges yesterday, Supt. Felixberto Jagorin, warden of the Negros Occidental District Jail where Nanta was jailed, said.

Businessman Vladi Gonzales and Samson Yap with their spouses cut the ceremonial ribbon during the soft opening of Total Fuel Station at Crossing Alijis last Saturday February 18.* (Gil Severino photo)

What used to be a sprawling area of grassland will soon be completed as another growth area known to every Bacolodnon as “Crossing Alijis.”

This was disclosed over the weekend by land developer and businessman Vladimir Gonzales in an interview with Negros Daily Bulletin after the soft launching of Total Fuel Station which he owned.

Gonzales’ Total Fuel Station is right the tip of the Circumferential Road “Bangga Cory” which crosses the Alijis Highway where schools, businesses, churches and housing subdivisions were developed up to the old airport areas.

At least 26 houses were damaged after a tornado hit Barangay Bantayan in Kabankalan City Monday afternoon, reports yesterday said.

Brgy. Bantayan officials said last night that 26 houses, along with several structures, were damaged.

Team Merci & Team NGP giving out breads to evacuees on the Red Cross tent grounds in Guihulngan City.*

Merci Bakeshop and Negros Grace Pharmacy took a day off from work to do relief operations for the victims of the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in Negros Oriental. Team Merci led by Jonathan Lo and the Negros Grace Pharmacy team led by Bea Lo Yao gave out canned goods, rice, noodles, breads, gallons of purified drinking water, and vitamins for the residents of Barangay Manghulyawon and Barangay Talayong in the municipality of La Libertad.

There is an ancient Sufi tale from Iraq or Iran, called “One and a Half Followers”: “Once upon a time, there was a man who became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was the leader of a vast and rich domain, a desert, hard to live in, but full of resources, beauty and strength for those who know how to live there and learn to appreciate it. As soon as he was made sultan he was warned about one man, a caliph (a master teacher, like a rabbi) who, it was said, had thousands of followers. If he turned against the sultan, his followers could overthrow him, and the caliph would become sultan himself. Or if the caliph sided with enemies outside the empire, the sultan wouldn’t have a chance against the combined forces. But the sultan ignored all warnings. The years went by and there were plots to overthrow the government, assassination attempts, coups that failed and always the name of that one caliph was mentioned as being behind them all.

SHE IS A RARE KIND OF BIRD. Justice Secretary Leila De Lima is, indeed, a kind of bird, so to speak, who is after the people’s heart.

Insofar as we are concerned, we consider her the most effective serving official in the Aquino government. We do not wish to guess what her intentions are, serving in the government, but from her actuations, we can analyze that indeed she is after exemplary government service to the people.

Two transport groups in Bacolod City, the Federation of Bacolod City Divers Association (FEBACDA) and ACTION, INC. led by its presidents, Elizabeth Katalbas and Teddy Macainan, respectively, are urging the city officials to provide office space for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), at the city hall or any space that the city could provide.

More than 20,000 members of urban poor families, in several subvillages in Bacolod City, are awaiting the support and assistance of incumbent and even prospective officials in the city and when and if they do so, they will surely get the votes of this neglected sector of Philippine and Bacolod society.

Thus spoke urban poor Kaisahan leader, Berlita Ante during an interview with the radio program “Tungkaron ta Ini” hosted by journalists Edgar Cadagat and Jeffrey Gelangre.