Whirlwind destruction
to houses rises to
INJURES 5, LIFTS BABY ALONG WITH ROOF
BY CARLA GOMEZ

In a matter of seconds, the whirlwind that hit Pontevedra and Hinigaran towns in Negros Occidental on Tuesday afternoon damaged and destroyed 234 houses and injured five persons, including a one-year-old boy lying in his hammock that flew up along with the roof of his house.

In Pontevedra 89 houses were damaged and 27 were destroyed, while 78 houses were damaged and 40 were destroyed in Hinigaran, a Provincial Social Welfare Office updated report as of 5:30 p.m. yesterday showed.

Destroyed houses in Pontevedra were in barangays San Isidro - 21, Don Salvador Benedicto – 1, MH del Pilar – 1, Miranda – 2 and Buenavista Gibong – 2, Pontevedra Mayor Jose Maria Alonso said.

The past year was another robust one for Bacolod City in the areas of governance, infrastructure, social services, and in many other fields, especially the economy in general, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said yesterday in his 11th State of the City Address.

In his report delivered at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Hall of the Bacolod Government Center, Leonardia said that among the major factors why Bacolod has continued to surge ahead is the generally peaceful and harmonious relationship between its executive and legislative branches.

“The only way we can move fast forward is when we can work together as a team,” he said. He also thanked Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, the city councilors, barangay officials and department heads for all the major programs and projects they have undertaken and achieved.

A 64-year-old teacher slated to retire from government service was killed, while his daughter survived, although injured, when they were shot by two men Tuesday night in Hacienda Minoro, Brgy. 10, Victorias City.

Romeo Valle, a teacher of the Estado Elementary School, succumbed to a gunshot wound in the back that exited through his heart. He was declared dead on arrival at the Ika-ayong Lawas Foundation Hospital in Victorias City, police records show.

His daughter, Joy Mar, 24, also sustained a gunshot wound in the back, with the bullet exiting from the left side of her breast, investigations of the Victorias police showed.