Heavy rains brought on by the northeast monsoon and the tail-end of the cold front triggered flooding in four cities and one town in Negros Occidental yesterday, stalling traffic in the north for hours, causing thousands to evacuate, and, in Bacolod City, the drowning of a 12-year-old girl.

The body of the girl, who was still unidentified as of press time, was  seen  floating in a river near the St. Scholastica’s Academy in Bacolod yesterday afternoon and was later retrieved by the city’s 117 rescue team  in Purok Puerto, Eroreco, in Barangay Mandalagan, at 4:55 p.m., Joemarie Vargas, action officer of the City Disaster Coordinating Council, said.

Rodrigo Tubilid, 49, was rescued by residents from the Lupit River in Barangay 27 yesterday, he added.

Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez yesterday said the release by the Department of Social Welfare and Development of P106,887,300 for 13,667 family beneficiaries  of the conditional cash transfer program in Negros Occidental this month will be a big boost to the recipients and the local economy.

The recipients of the Pantawid Pamilya funds should, however, spend the money wisely to sustain the needs of their families, Alvarez added.

The 12 towns with recipients of the fund  are Toboso – P4.2 million for 449 families, Candoni – P4.8 million for 520 families, Murcia – P4.5 million for 468 families, Cauayan – P22.8 million for 1,813 families, Moises Padilla – P11 million for 1,193 families;

Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez yesterday denied that he had been suspended from his post in connection with a criminal case filed against him for town funds spent for the repair of a vehicle donated to the Department of Education about five years ago.

Alvarez said he has been cleared of the administrative charges for graft in connection with the vehicle repair issue and his lawyer has appealed the Ombudsman’s ruling that the criminal case, which included him, be elevated to the Sandiganbayan.

About seven other Ilog government employees, including district supervisor Arcenia Juanero were ordered dismissed in the administrative case.