BACOLOD CITY – A top official of the STI Education Systems Holdings Inc. has confirmed that they have acquired West Negros University (WNU) in Bacolod.

Monico Jacob, STI president and chief executive officer, said in a press briefing Friday said the acquisition of the 65-year-old educational institution is part of STI’s expansion in the Visayas.

Jacob said the name of WNU will be retained as the school has already a legacy in Negros Occidental, adding that its management will also not be changed.

He said there will be no retrenchments but non-performing people will have no place in the institution.

STI is looking forward to working with WNU and to share their expertise in operations, finance and marketing, Jacob added.

He said they considered the Learning Centered Approach being implemented by the WNU and courses it offers when they decided to partner with the Bacolod-based school.

WNU president Suzette Agustin said the partnership with STI is expected to increase enrollment that has been dropping in recent years.

She said they want to attract as many students as they can and offer additional courses based on the need of the industries.

WNU vice president for academic affairs Lloyd Bautista said they will also offer night classes and e-learning modes on higher education for part-time and working students.

With the partnership between STI and WNU, there will be emphasis on research and development in the fields of engineering, education and maritime, Bautista said.

He added that the Integrated School facilities will also undergo rehabilitation in preparation for the implementation of the K to 12 program.

Last month, STI Education Systems Holdings Inc. disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange that it has signed an agreement with the Agustin family to acquire controlling shares in the WNU Corporation.

STI had also acquired a substantial stake in the Benitez family-owned Philippine Women’s University in Manila.

WNU, formerly West Negros College, was granted university status in 2008. It is one of the largest universities in Bacolod and Negros Occidental, with an enrollment record of 9,000 students in the present school year.*

BACOLOD CITY – An ally of Don Salvador Benedicto mayor-elect Jose Max Ortiz and a municipal employee were killed in a shooting incident Wednesday afternoon in the aftermath of a hotly-contested election in Negros Occidental’s mountain town.

Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, provincial police director, identified the fatalities as Roland  Apellido, a defeated candidate for councilor, and Gotelio “Jack” Sabay.

Three others were wounded, including Alfredo Edem, Julie Toledano and Isagani Sagno.

Ortiz said Apellido, who was hit in the head, and his companion, Sagno, were allegedly shot by supporters of his opponent during a confrontation at Spur 16, Barangay Bunga.

The defeated candidate is the cousin of Roger Apellido, who was elected number one councilor.

Ortiz said he believes that politics is behind the incident although De la Paz said the police is still investigating the cause of the shooting.

Witnesses said that Sabay and his companions were having coffee when the group of Apellido arrived and occupied a table nearby. The two groups were heard having a heated argument then gunshots followed.

Mayor Marxlen de la Cruz, who lost to Ortiz in his reelection bid, appealed to the supporters of opposing political parties to remain sober amid the political developments in their town.

“Our family has accepted our defeat. We have accepted that they won,” he said.

De la Cruz’s mother, Cynthia, also lost in the vice mayor race while his father, First District  Board Member Nehemias de la Cruz Sr.,  failed to unseat  Rep. Julio Ledesma IV.*

BACOLOD CITY – The influence of business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. in   Negros Occidental politics may have dimmed with the defeat of his protégé Vice Gov. Genaro Alvarez Jr. in the gubernatorial race, but old political families in the province still dominated the May 13 elections.

Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., 77, standard bearer of the United Negros Alliance, was reelected with an overwhelming 528,895 votes over Alvarez’s 357,809 to win a second term at the Capitol in his five-decade political career. 

The Marañon family also emerged victorious in their hometown, Sagay City, where the governor’s son, Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, was elected mayor and nephew Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva is succeeding the younger Marañon in Congress.

Despite the loss of the vice governor, his children posted a winning streak in the Sixth District where his daughter Rep. Mercedes Alvarez won a second term and his sons Genaro Rafael and John Paul were elected mayor and vice mayor of Ilog town, respectively.    

Former San Carlos City Mayor Eugenio Jose Lacson, runningmate of Alvarez under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, was elected vice governor after defeating Fifth District Board Member Melvin Ibañez. Others winners in the Lacson clan are reelectionist Third District Board Member Patrick Lacson, son of former governor and now Government Service Insurance System chairman Daniel Lacson, and his first cousins reelectionists E.B. Magalona Mayor David Albert Lacson and Murcia Mayor Andrew Montelibano.

In the Fourth District, Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer booked a third and last term while his wife La Carlota City Mayor Juliet Ferrer, granddaughter of the late Ambassador Roberto Salas Benedicto, was reelected for a second term.   

Old political names also dominate the Provincial Board, including Sixth District’s Pedro Zayco, brother of former governor and now Kabankalan City Mayor Isidro Zayco; Fourth District’s Jose Benito Alonso, twin brother of Pontevedra Mayor Jose Maria Alonso; and Second District’s Salvador Escalante, brother of Cadiz City Mayor Patrick Escalante and cousin-in-law of Manapla Mayor Lourdes Escalante. 

Also reelected for Congress were First District Rep. Julio Ledesma IV, Third District Rep. Alfredo Benitez and Fifth District Rep. Alejandro Mirasol.*

Fifty beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program in Murcia, Negros Occidental availed of the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) farmers training program of  

the SM Foundation Inc.

Municipal Link Grace Barsabal said the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are part of the 124 total farmers and agriculture students who underwent some three  

months of training on farming at the Lux Mundi Farm School in Hacienda Binitin in Murcia since January of this year.

“The Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) program of SM Foundation Inc. has been going on since 2006 but this is the first time that they partnered with the Department  

of Social Welfare and Development to involve and allocate 50 slots for Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in the training program,” Barsabal said.

Jenny Espares, 46, of Brgy. Blumentritt, Murcia is one of the Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries who completed the training program. A mother of four, Espares  

received top honors during the graduation ceremony held recently at the Activity Center of SM City-Bacolod for her bountiful produce from her vegetable garden  

and for maintaining a perfect attendance during the training.

“I’m proud to say that I was able to graduate, that I posted perfect attendance during the entire training even though we are hard up financially… This is my first  

time to join a training on farming. Yes, I know how to plant but during the training, I was able to learn a lot more and I hope to be able to share what I have learned  

to my neighbors also,” Espares said in the dialect.

‘KABALIKAT SA KABUHAYAN’

SM Foundation Inc.’s Assistant Vice President Cristie Angeles said the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan farmers training program was conceived by SM Group founder Henry  

Sy Sr. who thought of a sustainable project that will uplift the living standards of small Filipino farmers. 

The program’s main objective is to develop small farmers into self-sustaining families, earning a living from the vegetables and fruits they produce. A number of  

trained farmers in the past have indirectly become regular suppliers of SM, although majority are earning from the local markets they serve.

The program is supported by Harbest Agri Corp. which provided the students with the seedlings; the Department of Agriculture (DA) which trained them on the  

propagation of high value  vegetables and commercial crops; and the DSWD whose Project Development Officers under the Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran  

(SEA-K) provided entrepreneurial workshops.

During the graduation program, the graduates sold their vegetable produce such as lettuce, squash, eggplant and bottle gourds.

BECOMING SELF-SUFFICIENT

The DSWD has been collaborating with other government and non-governmental organizations for the provision of complementary social services for Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries. Under DSWD’s convergence strategy, beneficiaries are prioritized for gainful employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities.* DSWD/Alma Jornadal-Estember