Neg. Occ. gets P416M
to ease IRA cut by 50%
Only Escalante not covered
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Department of Interior and Local Government recently released P416,900,000 to the Negros Occidental provincial government, its 12 cities and 19 towns, except Escalante, to reduce their expected 2012 Internal Revenue Allotment cuts by almost one half, DILG provincial head Ma. Joy Maredith Madayag said yesterday.

Last year the Department of Budget and Management announced nationwide IRA cuts this year, with the Negros Occidental provincial government, and its 13 cities and 19 towns to face a reduction of P940,585,592, saying it was due to poor tax collections during the Arroyo administration.

But President Benigno Aquino later announced that the national government had savings to reduce the P13 billion expected cut in the 2012 IRA to P6.5 billion.

A Kagawad sustained burns while trying to save the goods from the burning store of his wife in Purok Seaside in Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City at about 1 p.m. yesterday.

City fire marshal Chief Insp. Pamela Rojane Candido identified the victim as Kagawad Jose Montaño.

Montaño told the DAILY STAR that he was home when he was informed that the store of his wife, Amelia, and two other residences were on fire so he rushed there to help put out the fire and save their goods.

The second chartered ZestAir flight from Korea will land at the Bacolod SilayAirport with  an expected 127 tourists on board 11:30 a.m. today, ZestAir Director Arturo Alejandrino said yesterday.

However, there could be more depending on last-minute bookings, he told the DAILY STAR.

The first chartered plane from Korea arrived at the Bacolod Silay Airport with 120 passengers on Saturday, and more are expected to arrive until the end of March.