The drum and bugle competition of the nine-day Panaad sa Negros Festival on the theme "Tatak Negros (Truly Negros-Made)" will be held at 2 p.m. on April 25, at the Panaad Park and Stadium, in Brgy. Mansilingan, Bacolod City, a Capitol press release said.

A total of P140,000 in cash prizes await the winners.

The champion will receive P50,000, and the second and fourth placers P40,000, P30,000 and P20,000, it also said.

The contest, known as the "Banda Diri, Banda Didto", will be participated in by local governments in Negros Occidental. It is also open to all drum and bugle corps from both public and private secondary schools in the province, the press release added.*

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CENRO holds orientation

A two-day orientation on forest protection and law enforcement was held recently by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Office- Bacolod City, in cooperation with the Don Salvador Benedicto local government, in Negros Occidental, at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the town, a CENRO press said.

Provincial environment and natural resources officer Livino Duran gave a message at the opening rites, it said.

The orientation took up forestry laws, rules and regulations as well as to familiarize them on the different procedures and methodologies needed in the effective implementation and enforcement of the law, Bacolod environment officer Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, said in the press release.

Topics discussed were features of various environmental laws, inventory and scaling, fire prevention and control, surveying and mapping, and procedures in filing cases, the press release added.*

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PHO conducts bloodletting

A bloodletting activity called "Padugo 2006" was conducted by the Negros Occidental Health Office, in coordination with the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Thursday, at the Negros Occidental Mutli-Purpose Gym, in Bacolod City, a capitol press release said.

Of the 50 persons screened, 43 qualified as blood donors, with 24 of them repeat donors, it also said.

Leading the activity was Gov. Joseph Marañon and the donors were Talisay City Mayor Eric Saratan, members of the Kabalikat Civicom and Capitol employees.

Also supporting the event were members of the Lions Club.

The activity was held in line with the governor's birthday tomorrow, provincial health officer Luisa Efren said in the press release.*

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La Sallians visit Belgium

Six college students and one staff member of the University of St. La Salle recently arrived from a 10-day exchange visit to Belgium as part of the partnership program between USLS in Bacolod City and the Facultes Universitaires Notre Dame de La Paix - Namur, in Belgium, a USLS press release said.

The students were Student Government president and Outstanding Student awardee Dedric Yulo, SPECTRUM school publication editor Krysl Santiago and student leaders Malou Eudela, Frances Cong, Jireh Jamelo, and Mary Rachelle Sy.

They were accompanied by Balayan Community Development and Volunteer Formation Office staff Ann Gladys Ponteras, the press release said.

The 3rd Exchange Program held March 3 to 13, was funded by the FUNDP and came after the January 2006 visit to USLS and Bacolod City of six Belgian university students --- Clotilde de Montpellier, Maite le Polain, Marie Dispa, Pauline Jenne, Anne Dalemans, Julien Camus.

They were accompanied by Felix Vanderstricht, staff of FUCID, the campus - based NGO which provided the grant for the exchange program, the press release said.

During their stay in Belgium, the Bacolod participants visited the FUNDP, experienced Belgian culture, visited Brussels and heritage sights, and shared the Filipino culture as well through a lecture and fellowship activities, it also said.

Similar exchange programs were organized in 2001 and 2003 through the assistance of Dr. Francoise Orban of FUNDP, Dr. M. Therese Jochico and Cesar Villanueva of USLS and the FUCID staff.

Another group of Belgian students will visit Bacolod and USLS in August for a Community Immersion Program to be organized by Terai Barcoma, Ann Gladys Ponteras and the Balayan staff, the press release added.*

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