The United Negros Drivers Operators Center, supported by business and  multi-sectoral groups, kicks off its two-day transport strike against the higher fuel prices in Negros Occidental starting today, but is not expected to totally paralyze public transportation.

The Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association and Ceres Liner are not joining the strike, but Jesse Ortega, UNDOC secretary general, said his group will be able to paralyze 90 percent of public transportation.

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, in a circular letter read in Catholic churches yesterday, called on the faithful to pray for a peaceful and fruitful two-day strike against the spiraling costs of fuel that has led to the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, and the fuel price disparity wherein Negros Occidental consumers pay P4 to 5 more per liter compared to   Metro Manila..

The infighting among members of the New People’s Army who came from Samar and those stationed in Negros  turned bloody in southern Negros, when another key political cadre was hacked to death on May 12 in Brgy. Camindangan, Sipalay City, Lt. Col. Rodrigo Sosmena, 47th Infantry Battalion commander, said yesterday.

Sosmena said  that alias Tonton, a political cadre from Samar, was hacked to death by a certain alias Iggy, a local NPA leader in southern Negros, after a heated altercation over principles and pride.

Sosmena said this almost led to a shoot-out among NPA cadres from Samar, who were sent to southern Negros, to help in the recruitment and training of new members, and the group of Ka Iggy, who are Negros-based.

The banks should have verified if the quedans, or sugar warehouse receipts, submitted to them as collateral for loans were authentic or not, Raymund Montinola, chairman of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association of the Philippines Negros-Panay chapter, said yesterday.

Montinola, reacting to reports that banks had discovered P270M in fake quedans submitted to them as collaterals for loans, said they should have checked with the sugar mills and the Sugar Regulatory Administration to avoid such a situation.

The discovery of fake quedans for more than 300,000 Lkg of “D” or world market sugar is now being investigated, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Ma. Regina Bautista-Martin told the DAILY STAR Friday.