title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Whilst at Seskoad, Yudhoyono also took the opportunity to further his own military education. He went to the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. While in the United States, he took the opportunity to obtain an MA degree in business management from Webster University in 1991.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In 1992, Yudhoyono was transferred to the Army Information Department and worked as a speechwriter for General Edi Sudrajat, the Army chief of staff. In 1993, when Edi became commander of the Military of Indonesia (ABRI), Yudhoyono joined Edi's personal staff. Edi did not last long as ABRI commander and Yudhoyono was then transferred back to Kostrad where he became a brigade commander. A year later, Yudhoyono was the operations assistant at Jaya (Jakarta) Military Area Command before taking command IV/Diponegoro Military Area Command in Central Java. Yudhoyono had one more stint overseas when he became Indonesia's chief military observer of the United Nation Peacekeeping Force in Bosnia in 1995–96.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: When Yudhoyono returned to Indonesia, he was made KODAM Jaya chief of staff before being appointed as KODAM II/Sriwijaya commander. In this position, Yudhoyono was responsible for military operations in southern Sumatra. He served in this position until 1997, when he was appointed chief of staff for social-political affairs. At the same time, he was also appointed chairman of the ABRI Faction in the People's Consultative Assembly General Session and participated in Suharto's election to a seventh term as president.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: During the days which would lead to Suharto's resignation in May 1998, Yudhoyono and pro-reform ABRI officers conducted meetings and discussions with Nurcholish Madjid, a secular pro-reform Muslim leader. From his discussions, Yudhoyono accepted the fact that Suharto should resign but like the ABRI officers who went to the meeting with him, was reluctant to withdraw their support of Suharto publicly, much less ask for Suharto's resignation. Nevertheless, the pressure would eventually become too much for Suharto, who resigned on 21 May 1998.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: As Indonesia entered the reform era, ABRI's popularity, because of its association with Suharto, was at an all-time low. To de-emphasise ABRI's political role, Yudhoyono's chief of staff for social-political affairs was renamed chief of staff for territorial affairs and in 1999, ABRI was renamed TNI and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) was split off. At this time, Yudhoyono's popularity began to increase as he offered ideas and concepts to reform the military and nation. He did this by combining the strong reformist sentiment of the time with TNI's concern for security and stability. Because of his high education (finishing his doctorate during the course of the presidential elections) and his well planned manoeuvres, Yudhoyono came to be known as "the thinking general".


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono was appointed mining and energy minister in the cabinet of President Abdurrahman Wahid in 1999. According to General Wiranto, who assisted Wahid in the formation of the Cabinet, he had recommended to the president that Yudhoyono would do better as Army chief of staff. However, Wahid rejected the idea and Yudhoyono became the minister of mining and energy instead. At the same time, Yudhoyono ended his military career with the rank of lieutenant general, although he would be made honorary general in 2000.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono's popularity grew, even as minister of mining and energy. In June 2000, there were rumours that Wahid, because of his lack of skill as an administrator was going to appoint a first minister to look after the day-to-day running of the government. Yudhoyono's name appeared as a potential candidate for the position, although eventually Wahid appointed Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri as the day to day administrator.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In August 2000, after a Cabinet reshuffle, Yudhoyono became the coordinating minister for politic and security affairs. One of his tasks was to separate the army from politics. This was in line with his reformist ideas on the future of Indonesian military, and is a view he has held since his days in an army policy center. He said at that time:


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Another task that Yudhoyono was given was as an intermediary between Wahid and the Suharto family. At the time, Wahid was trying to make Suharto hand back all the money which he had allegedly obtained through corruption when he was president. Yudhoyono was sent by Wahid to convey this wish and to negotiate with the former first family. However, Yudhoyono was not successful in this venture.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: At the beginning of 2001, with political pressure increasing on him, Wahid ordered Yudhoyono to form a crisis centre with Yudhoyono as chairman The purpose of this crisis centre was to assist the president in giving policy advice and was headquartered at Yudhoyono's office. It seemed as if because of this appointment, Yudhoyono could be considered one of Wahid's men, however Yudhoyono would break ranks from Wahid in July 2001 when the latter was facing impeachment. In desperation, Wahid issued a decree freezing the People's Representative Council (DPR) and then asked Yudhoyono to declare a state of emergency to further strengthen his position. Yudhoyono refused to accept this, and Wahid dismissed him.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: On 23 July 2001, in a special session, the MPR impeached Wahid and replaced him with Megawati as president. A few days later when the MPR assembled to elect a new vice-president, Yudhoyono threw his name in the hat and competed against Golkar's Akbar Tanjung and United Development Party's (PPP) Hamzah Haz. Yudhoyono and Akbar lost out to Hamzah who became the vice-president.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono was appointed to his old position of coordinating minister of political and security affairs in Megawati's new cabinet. After the October 2002 Bali bombing, he oversaw the hunt for and arrest of those responsible, and gained a reputation both in Indonesia and abroad as one of the few Indonesian politicians serious about the War on Terrorism. His speech during the one-year anniversary of the Bali bombing (in which many Australians were killed) was praised by the Australian media and public.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono also dealt with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), a separatist movement wanting to separate the Province of Aceh from Indonesia. On his advice, Megawati declared martial law in Aceh on 19 May 2003. This martial law was then extended in November 2003.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono's supporters saw Yudhoyono's participation in the vice-presidential election as a sign of his popularity and recognised Yudhoyono's potential as a possible leader for Indonesia. One of these supporters, Vence Rumangkang approached Yudhoyono with the idea of forming a political party to help shore up support for the 2004 presidential elections. Yudhoyono approved of the idea and after going through the basic concepts, left Rumangkang in charge of forming the Party.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: From 12–19 August 2001, Rumangkang began holding a series of meetings to discuss the formation of the party while holding consultations with Yudhoyono. Yudhoyono personally led the meetings on 19 and 20 August 2001, and the basic outline of the Democratic Party was finalised.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: On 9 September 2001, the formation of the party was officially declared and on 10 September it was registered at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The organizers behind Democratic Party's formation went to extreme lengths to make sure that PD was Yudhoyono's personal political party. The declaration of its formation was 9 September 2001, which was Yudhoyono's birthday and to start off with, the Party had 99 members.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The United Democratic Nationhood Party (PPDK) was the first to bring up the subject of nomination. In September 2003, Yudhoyono's own party began to make preparations in case Yudhoyono was willing to accept a presidential nomination. The Democratic Party then initiated a publicity campaign to promote Yudhoyono as a candidate. For his part, Yudhoyono was not responsive both to PPDK or the Democratic Party's manoeuvrings to nominate him and continued his duties as minister. PPDK was disappointed in Yudhoyono's reaction and the Democratic Party continued to wait for Yudhoyono to resign his position as was expected of all presidential candidates apart from the incumbent president and vice-president.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The turning point came on 1 March 2004, when Yudhoyono's secretary, Sudi Silalahi announced to the media that for the last six months, Yudhoyono had been excluded from policy decision-making in the field of politics and security. On 2 March 2004, Megawati responded that she had never excluded Yudhoyono, while her husband, Taufiq Kiemas called Yudhoyono childish for complaining to the media instead of the president herself. On 8 March 2004, Yudhoyono sent a letter asking for permission to meet the president about his ministerial authority. Megawati did not respond when she received the letter, although she invited Yudhoyono along to a cabinet meeting on 11 March 2004. Yudhoyono did not attend the cabinet meeting and instead held a press conference at his office and announced his resignation from the position of coordinating minister of political and security affairs. He also announced that he was ready to be nominated as a presidential candidate.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono's popularity skyrocketed after his falling out with Megawati as he was seen by the people as the underdog. However this popularity did not translate to a victory for the Democratic Party at the 2004 legislative elections. The party won 7.5% of the votes, which was still enough to nominate Yudhoyono as a presidential candidate. Yudhoyono accepted the nomination and picked Golkar's Jusuf Kalla as his running mate. Aside from the Democratic Party, their presidential and vice-presidential candidacy was supported by the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Reform Star Party (PBR) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI).


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono's manifesto for the future of Indonesia, summarised in a book titled "Vision For Change" written by him and distributed for free during the campaign, was built on four pillars: prosperity, peace, justice and democracy. At the top of his agenda was a plan for increasing economic prosperity, aiming for economic growth of at least 7% and a revival of small and medium-sized enterprises. He also put forward policies to offer better credit lines, to cut red tape, improve labour laws and to root out corruption from the top down. He told an interviewer:


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono's perceived communication skills made him the front-runner throughout the election campaign, according to many opinion polls and the opinions of election commentators, ahead of the other candidates (Megawati, Wiranto, Amien Rais, and Hamzah). On 5 July 2004, Yudhoyono participated in the first round of the presidential election, coming first with 33% of the votes. However, 50% of votes were required for a new president and vice-president to be elected, and this meant Yudhoyono going into a run-off against Megawati.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In the run-off, Yudhoyono faced a challenge from Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), forming a national coalition with Golkar, the PPP, Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and the Indonesian National Party (PNI). Yudhoyono then declared that his coalition, which now received political support from the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), would be the people's coalition. On 20 September 2004, Yudhoyono participated in the run-off election, winning it with 60.87% of the vote. Yudhoyono was inaugurated as president on 20 October 2004. In February 2010, SBY was named as the political figure who had achieved by the influential Public Affairs Asia network and magazine.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Presidential elections were held in Indonesia on 8 July 2004. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won more than 60% (60.08%) of the vote in the first round, which enabled him to secure re-election without a run-off. Yudhoyono was officially declared the victor of the election on 23 July 2009, by the General Election Commission. Other candidates are Megawati Sukarnoputri PDI-P Party 26.79%, Jusuf Kalla Golkar Party 12.41%.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The day of his inauguration in 2004, Yudhoyono announced his new cabinet, which would be known as the United Indonesia Cabinet ("Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu"). Consisting of 36 ministers, it included members of the Democratic Party, Golkar and the PPP, PBB, PKB, PAN, PKP, and PKS. Professionals were also named in the cabinet, most of them taking on ministries in the economic field. The military were also included, with five former members appointed to the cabinet. As Yudhoyono's promised during the election, four of the cabinet appointees were female. Yudhoyono's Second United Indonesia Cabinet was announced in October 2009 after he was re-elected as president earlier in the year. The vice-president in Yudhoyono's second cabinet was Dr. Boediono. Boediono replaced Jusuf Kalla who was vice-president in the first Yudhoyono cabinet.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Although he had won the presidency, Yudhoyono was still weak in the Indonesian parliament, the People's Representative Council (DPR). The Democratic Party, even combined with all of its coalition partners, had far fewer representatives than Golkar and the PDI-P, which played the role of opposition.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: With a national congress to be held in December 2004, Yudhoyono and Kalla had originally backed Agung Laksono speaker to become Golkar chairman. When Agung was perceived to be too weak to run against Akbar Tanjung, Yudhoyono and Kalla threw their weight behind Surya Paloh. Finally, when Paloh was perceived to be too weak to run against Akbar, Yudhoyono gave the green light for Kalla to run for the Golkar Chairmanship. On 19 December 2004, Kalla was elected as the new chairman of Golkar.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Kalla's victory posed a dilemma for Yudhoyono. Although it now enabled Yudhoyono to pass legislation, Kalla's new position meant that he was now more powerful than Yudhoyono in terms of influence in parliament.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami Kalla, apparently on his own initiative, assembled Ministers and signed a vice-presidential decree ordering work to begin on rehabilitating Aceh. The legality of his vice-presidential decree was questioned although Yudhoyono maintained that it was he who gave the orders for Kalla to proceed.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In September 2005, when Yudhoyono went to New York City to attend the annual United Nations Summit, he left Vice-President Kalla in charge. Yudhoyono held a video conference from New York to receive reports from ministers. Critics suggest that this was an expression of distrust by Yudhoyono. The suggestion seemed to gain momentum when Kalla only showed up for one video conference and then spent the rest of the time taking care of Golkar matters.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: To defuse political tensions in the country with the increase in fuel prices, a number of national figures met including former presidents Abdurahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri to defuse the atmosphere. President Yudhoyono sent Vice President Jusuf Kalla to meet with these national figures. After previously keeping in touch with former President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Vice President M Jusuf Kalla also held a meeting with former President KH Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur). The arrival of Vice President Jusuf Kalla at Gus Dur's residence Jl. Warung Silah Ciganjur, Jakarta, Saturday night was greeted directly by Yenny Wahid on the terrace of the house. Jusuf Kalla, wearing a long-sleeved batik shirt, immediately entered the living room where Gus Dur had been sitting waiting. After shaking hands and hugging each other, Vice President Jusuf Kalla sat on the left side of Gus Dur in a long chair with Mrs. Mufidah. Meanwhile, Mrs. Sinta Nuriyah sat beside Yenny Wahid. The conversation was immediately warm, punctuated by Gus Dur's typical jokes.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Previously, Vice President Jusuf Kalla also kept in touch with former President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the residence on Jl Teuku Umar Jakarta, Saturday. "Leaders must remain friendly both when they are in office and after they are no longer in office," said the Vice President when meeting Megawati. According to the Vice President, his visit to Mrs. Megawati's residence aside from keeping in touch, in the context of Halal bi Halal Eid 1428 H, also provided education to the Indonesian people in order to eliminate mutual grudges. So far, he added, it seems as if there is a habit among officials that if they are no longer in power, they are no longer willing to communicate. The arrival of Vice President Jusuf Kalla to the residence of former President Megawati Soekarnoputri was the first time. Jusuf Kalla in particular came to the residence of Former President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Jl Teuku Umar Jakarta, Saturday for a friendly and halal bi halal 1428 H. The arrival of Vice President M Jusuf Kalla was welcomed by former President Megawati Soekarnoputri along with Taufiq Kiemas and his daughter Puan Maharani. After shaking hands with Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Megawati a few moments later went inside. For a few minutes, it turned out that Megawati came back into the living room and met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Mufidah's mother, who were sitting side by side with Puan Maharani. On that occasion the two leaders had a casual chat. Megawati had time to talk about food. Meanwhile, the Vice President responded intimately, resulting in very warm communication. The gathering of about 15 minutes gave the impression that there was never any difference between the two leaders.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: On 6 May 2005, Yudhoyono visited Suharto at hospital when the latter suffered from intestinal bleeding. On 5 January 2007, Yudhoyono and his wife visited Suharto, who was again hospitalised due to anaemia as well as heart and kidney problems. After the visit, Yudhoyono made an appeal to all Indonesians to pray for Suharto's recovery.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Responding to some public requests for Suharto to be granted a pardon for possible past mistakes in governing Indonesia, presidential spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng said, "A visit from an incumbent president to a hospitalized former president is something normal. However, this show of humanity and legal steps are two different things."


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In the foreign policy carried out by President Yudhoyono, there are several policies that can change or produce new breakthroughs for the strategic development of Indonesia's defense, namely ending the US military embargo. The Bush administration claims that ending the arms embargo and modernizing the Indonesian Defence Force will help Jakarta address mutual security concerns such as terrorism, maritime piracy, narcotics trafficking, pandemic disease, and disaster relief. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, "Indonesia the world's largest Muslim state and its third-largest democracy, is a voice of moderation in the Islamic world and plays a unique strategic role in Southeast Asia"


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In February 2005, Washington reinstated Indonesia's eligibility for the International Military Education and Training program in order to upgrade the quality of its officer corps. In May 2005, the United States removed restrictions on nonlethal defense equipment such as communications and transport systems. The latest decision lifts the last remaining barrier, a ban on sale of lethal weaponry and related equipment. Still recovering from the Asian financial crisis, the Indonesian government lacks the funds to purchase new armaments but intends to take advantage of the new rules initially to purchase spare parts for its aging fleet of 10 U.S.-supplied F-16 fighters.Invoking these accomplishments at the APEC conference, Yudhoyono argued that Indonesia has proven itself worthy of resumed military engagement with the United States. While there, he also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about further defense cooperation with Moscow following Indonesia's 2003 purchase of four Sukhoi warplanes and two MI-35 assault helicopters. In addition to its dealings with the United States and Russia, Yudhoyono is considering purchasing weapons from other potential suppliers, which might include several European Union countries, South Korea, India, and China.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In managing the Indonesian economy, President Yudhoyono has made several achievements economic conditions, when he started his first term in 2004, were still marked by low Gross domestic product and a significant shortage of infrastructure. Process of economic consolidation then began and social and security conditions became more stable after peaceful and democratic elections, he alleged. The salaries of state employees were still low while the budget for health was still limited, he added. Until this year, he indicated that the GDP and foreign exchange reserves have been increased significantly and the debt ratio to the Gross domestic product could be lowered from 56 percent to 23 percent.President SBY added that the 23 percent debt ratio to GDP was far below recorded in developed countries such as Germany (86.1 percent), United States (104.1 percent), and Great Britain (107 percent). He stated that during the period 2004-2014, the country's domestic and foreign debts could also be reduced while the national budget had increased four folds. In 2004, the country's income per capita was recorded at US$1188 but ten years later it rose to US$3490. Indonesia has also been recorded as a country with the second highest economic growth rate since 2009 after China with the country's exports increasing three folds. In the energy sector, President SBY admitted that although electricity capacity has been increased twice during his government it is still short. President Yudhoyono pointed out that the Master Plan for the Acceleration of Indonesian Economic Development (MP3EI) is a big plan and from 2011 to 2013, its projects have reached Rp828.7 trillion in value.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The second achievement was disbanding the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) because he wanted Indonesia to be more independent and less dependent on many parties. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on the 24th that Indonesia would no longer seek financial aid through the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI), as there was no longer any need for it. He said that Indonesia no longer needed the special assistance of the CGI because the country was now able to overcome its foreign debt problems acting alone. Established in 1992, the CGI is a consortium of countries and institutions providing loans to Indonesia, set up by the Indonesian government and the World Bank. CGI membership is made up of 30 bilateral and multilateral creditors, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and industrialized countries such as Japan and the United States, as well as many other smaller countries and many other world financial and aid institutions. In 2006 the Consultative Group on Indonesia pledged $5.4 billion in fresh loans and grants for Indonesia. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) was no longer needed as the country's primary creditors were only the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan, and that Indonesia now preferred one-on-one negotiations rather than round table, multilateral ones. She said the dissolution of the CGI was also of benefit to Indonesia as it freed the government of the need to explain its intentions and plans to many different parties. Iman Sugema, director of the International Center for Applied Finance and Economics (Inter-CAFE) at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), applauded the president's plan to dissolve the CGI and said the CGI had not benefited Indonesia because the donor countries often put too many demands on the nation.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Social protection is an important part that is needed by many people, therefore the Yudhoyono government is trying to implement it seriously by enacting Law Number 24 of 2011 concerning the Social Security Administering Body. The law is a government initiative to improve people's welfare through the health and employment insurance system. According to the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Agung Laksono, private insurance companies need not worry about the implementation of Law Number 24 of 2011 concerning the Social Security Administering Body (BPJS),"There will still be middle to upper income groups who need their services," said Agung. The minister said the law calls for the establishment of a Social Security System which will be operated by an institution that will be formed by combining two state-owned companies, namely PT Jamsostek which provides workers' social security and PT Askes which is engaged in health insurance. The merger of the two companies is subject to a deadline set on 1 January 2014. Meanwhile, according to Suryo Bambang Sulisto, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Indonesian entrepreneurs have accepted the law as something positive and Kadin members are ready to apply it in their companies.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: In July 2005, Yudhoyono launched the Schools Operational Assistance (BOS) program. Under this arrangement, the government gives money to principals to financially assist in the running of schools. Should BOS be able to provide significant financial assistance to the school then the school is expected to lower fees or, if they are able to, to abolish fees altogether. In June 2006, Yudhoyono launched Books BOS which provides funds for the purchase of textbooks.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: On 17 August 2007, Indonesia by initiative of Yudhoyono in Jakarta, proposed that eight nations, homes to some 80% of the world's tropical rainforests join diplomatic ranks amid increasing concern over global warming. Indonesia led the summit of eight countries (on 24 September in New York) – Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Costa Rica, Gabon, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. On 3–15 December 2007, Indonesia hosted the 13th Conferences of the Parties (COP-13) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bali.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: During the Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy, Yudhoyono stated that the Pope's comments were "unwise and inappropriate," but also that "Indonesian Muslims should have wisdom, patience, and self-restraint to address this sensitive issue...We need them so that harmony among people is not at stake."


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: During an official visit to Australia, 9–11 March 2010, he was appointed an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) and addressed Australian Parliament, the first Indonesian head of state to do so.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Indonesian security forces claim to have uncovered a plot to murder Yudhoyono. A purported strike was to occur 17 August 2010, on Indonesian Independence Day.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Yudhoyono was made an honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 30 October 2012.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: During his presidency, Yudhoyono further consolidated his position within the Democratic Party. In May 2005, at PD's first National Congress, Yudhoyono was elected Chairman of the Executive Board ("Ketua Dewan Pembina)". In this position, Yudhoyono has the highest authority, superseding that of chairman.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: On 27 December 2012, the daily edition of "The Jakarta Post" hinted at a possible collaboration in Indonesia's 2014 general election between the families of Yudhoyono and former Indonesian President Megawati and their political parties, the Democratic Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle respectively. The Constitution of Indonesia limits presidents to two terms of office, making Yudhoyono ineligible to run for a third term.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: After his terms as president ended, Yudhoyono remained active in politics, being reelected as leader of his party in 2015. In the 2019 presidential election, he supported Prabowo Subianto's second bid for presidency. Yudhoyono was replaced by his son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as the leader of the Democratic Party on 15 March 2020.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: After 10 years of his presidency ended on 20 October 2014, SBY was elected as President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute for the period September 2014 to December 2016. SBY succeeded Danish prime minister (from 2009 to 2011 and since June 2015) Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the previous GGGI Council chair


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: He continued to live with his wife Ani until her death on 1 June 2019. In November 2021, it was announced Yudhoyono was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The name "Yudhoyono" is not an inherited surname; most Javanese do not have surnames. Rather, he chose it for his military name-tag, and it is how he is referred to abroad. His children and grandchildren go by the name "Yudhoyono", and in formal meetings and functions he is addressed as Dr. Yudhoyono. In Indonesia, he is referred to in some media as "Susilo" and is widely known as "SBY".


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: During his presidency, Yudhoyono lived both in the presidential Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and at his family residence in Cikeas, Bogor with his wife, Ani Bambang Yudhoyono. First Lady Ani Yudhoyono holds a political science degree from "Merdeka University", and was the first vice-chairman of her husband's Democratic Party. She is the eldest child of General (Ret.) Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, one of Indonesia's high-profile generals.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The family's eldest son, Major Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (born 1978), graduated from Taruna Nusantara High School in 1997 and the Indonesian Military Academy in 2000 and is a holder of the "Adhi Makayasa Medal" like his father, continuing family tradition as the best graduate of the Military Academy. In July 2006, Agus graduated from the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, Singapore with a master's degree in strategic studies, and is currently studying at Harvard University. Yudhoyono gave a speech at Harvard Kennedy School in September 2009 and joked that his son became "another Harvard student working for" him – some of Yudhoyono's ministers and military generals also went to Harvard. He is married to Annisa Pohan , a fashion model and the daughter of a former Bank Indonesia vice-president. The couple's daughter, Almira Tunggadewi Yudhoyono, was born on 17 August 2008. He is currently assigned as Operations Officer of 17th Airborne Infantry Battalion.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: The family's younger son, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono (born 1980), received his bachelor's degree in economics from the Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Western Australia and his master's degree from the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, Singapore. In the 2009 general election, Edhie was elected as a member of parliament from the Democratic Party and currently sits as a member of Parliament's Commission 1 dealing with international affairs. He is married to Siti Aliya Radjasa, daughter of Hatta Rajasa, one of his father's prominent Cabinet ministers. They have two sons, Airlangga Satriadhi Yudhoyono and Pancasakti Maharajasa Yudhoyono, and a daughter, Gayatari Idalia Yudhoyono.


title: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

text: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a musician and in his younger days was part of a band called "Gaya Teruna". In the 2000s, he has come back to his early love of music by authoring and co-authoring three pop albums.


title: Manoj Bajpayee filmography

text: Manoj Bajpayee (born 23 April 1969), also credited as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi and has also appeared in Telugu and Tamil language films. He is the recipient of three National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, and two Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2019, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, for his contributions to art.


title: Manoj Bajpayee filmography

text: Born in Belwa, a small village near the city Bettiah in West Champaran district Bihar, Bajpayee aspired to become an actor since childhood. He relocated to Delhi at the age of seventeen, and applied for the National School of Drama, only to be rejected four times. He continued to do theatre while studying in college. Bajpayee made his feature film debut with a one-minute role in "Drohkaal" (1994), and a minor role of a dacoit in Shekhar Kapur's "Bandit Queen" (1994). After a few unnoticed roles, he played the gangster Bhiku Mhatre in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 crime drama "Satya", which proved to be a breakthrough. Bajpayee received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the film. He then acted in films such as "Kaun" (1999) and "Shool" (1999). For the latter, he won his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.


title: Manoj Bajpayee filmography

text: Bajpayee won the Special Jury National Award for "Pinjar" (2003). This was followed by a series of brief, unnoticed roles in films that failed to propel his career forward. He then played a greedy politician in the political thriller "Raajneeti" (2010), which was well received. In 2012, Bajpayee played Sardar Khan in "Gangs of Wasseypur". His next roles were of a naxalite in "Chakravyuh" (2012), and a CBI officer in "Special 26" (2013). In 2016, he portrayed professor Ramchandra Siras, in Hansal Mehta's biographical drama "Aligarh", for which he won his third Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and the Best Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2016. He won the National Film Award for Best Actor at the 67th National Film Awards for his performance in the film "Bhonsle".


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental (; ) is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Bacolod. It occupies the northwestern half of the large island of Negros, and borders Negros Oriental, which comprises the southeastern half. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's sugar output.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental faces the island-province of Guimaras and the province of Iloilo on Panay Island to the northwest across the Panay Gulf and the Guimaras Strait. The primary spoken language is Hiligaynon and the predominant religious denomination is Roman Catholicism. Bacolod is the capital, seat of government and the most populous city of the province, but is governed independently as a highly urbanized city. With a population of 2,623,172 inhabitants, it is the most populated province in Western Visayas, the second most-populous province in the Visayas after Cebu and the 8th most-populous province of the Philippines. The province also has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines with a total of 12, excluding Bacolod.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros was originally known to the natives as "Buglas", meaning "cut off" in old Hiligaynon. When the Spaniards arrived in April 1565, they named it "Negros" because of the dark-skinned natives they found. Two of the earliest native settlements were Binalbagan and Ilog which later became towns in 1572 and 1584, respectively. Other settlements were Hinigaran, Bago, Marayo (now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan) and Candaguit (now a sitio of San Enrique).


title: Negros Occidental

text: Ilog was made the first capital of the province in 1743. This was later transferred to Himamaylan. Bacolod finally became the capital in 1849. The island was divided into Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental in 1890. The two provinces were briefly unified as the independent Cantonal Republic of Negros, with Bacolod as the capital on November 27, 1898. It became a protectorate of the United States until 1901, when the republic was dissolved, with the two provinces annexed back to the Philippines.


title: Negros Occidental

text: During the succeeding decades between 1901 and the 1930s, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental were both under Insular Government of the United States of America as with the rest of the nation and later under the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Economic growth continued especially with Philippine sugar having a part of the US market. The socio-economic lives of the island of Negros, from the 1950s up to the late 1980s, depended as before, mainly on the sugar industry.


title: Negros Occidental

text: From 1914 to 1927, parts of Western Negros hosted several newly established settlements which became cities connected by railroads constructed to flow towards several "sugar centrals" which were processing the extremely sweet raw sugar canes grown in Negros' volcanic soil and farmed by several "Haciendas". These haciendas littered the countryside as the central sugar mills eventually grew to become full pledged towns and cities: chief among which were Ilog, Hinigaran, La Carlota, Silay, Pulupandan, Bacolod, San Carlos and Bais Western Negros also saw massive immigration from Panay as the Spanish, Chinese, and French mestizos who administered the Haciendas imported laborers from Panay island to foster the farming of Negros' sugar plantations and thereby displacing the Cebuano speaking natives.


title: Negros Occidental

text: During World War II, both Negros provinces were invaded by Imperial Japanese forces, resorting many residents to flee to the inland mountains. Negros Island was liberated by combined Philippine & American troops with the local Negrense guerillas attacking the Japanese on August 6, 1945. The 7th, 73rd, 74th and 75th Infantry Divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army were established from January 3, 1942, to June 30, 1946, and the 7th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was active from October 28, 1944, to June 30, 1946, at the Military General Headquarters in Negros Occidental. They started the engagements of the Anti-Japanese Imperial Military Operations in Negros from 1942 to 1945 against the Japanese Imperial forces.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Global sugar prices dropped during the 1970s and 1980s, which negatively impacted the production of sugar in the island. Quality of life and sugar production were intertwined, so lower production meant lower quality of life for thousands that relied on the industry for sustenance and financial stability. The province saw a dangerous spike in the percentage of malnourished infants which was as high as 78%. Negros Occidental's problem on malnourished infants gained global prominence among the press in 1985, as they ran covers on both, local and international newspapers. During the 1970s and 1980s, atrocities against peasants were committed, with one such harrowing example being the Escalante Massacre.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Province has a history of problems with mine pollution, one of the worst episodes being the tailings dam failure and spill of 28 million tonnes of copper mine tailings from a mine of the Maricalum company on November 8, 1982


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros del Norte was created from Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986, but its creation was declared unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and was immediately abolished on August 18, 1986.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Towards the end of 1987, after the successful overthrow of the Marcos regime, the overall economic situation started to show a positive upturn. The campaign for agricultural diversification had been gaining momentum, paving the way for more landowners to invest in prawn and fish farming, seafood catching, raising of livestock and high-value organic produce such as fruits and vegetables, as well as other cash crops. Investments' upswing became apparent by 1988. The participation of the industrial sector accelerated the consumer-led economic growth and development manifested with the increase in sales of consumer goods and by-products. Today, Negros Occidental remains one of the most progressive and largely developed Philippine provinces, in large due to the profits from the sugar industry, but also due to economic diversification in other fields. Due to the vast population of Negros Occidental, it became the province with the most number of cities outside of the National Capital Region.


title: Negros Occidental

text: On May 29, 2015, the Negros Island Region was formed when Negros Occidental and its capital was separated from Western Visayas and transferred to the new region along with Negros Oriental, when President Benigno Aquino III signed "Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015". But it was abolished on August 9, 2017, when President Rodrigo Duterte revoked "Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015" through the signage of "Executive Order No. 38", citing the reason of the lack of funds to fully establish the NIR according to Benjamin Diokno, the Secretary of Budget and Management, reverting Negros Occidental and its capital back into Western Visayas. However, with the Philippines' current presidential administration promoting federalism, the idea of the twin provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental reunified into one federal state/region is already in the talks of local provincial politicians, with additional support from the native Negrenses. There is also a suggestion, jointly approved by the provincial governors, that Negros Occidental along with Negros Oriental, be renamed with their pre-colonial names as ""Buglas Nakatundan"" and ""Buglas Sidlakan"" respectively, with Negros, as a federal state, be named as ""Negrosanon Federated Region"", due to the negative racial connotation associated with the name ""Negros"".


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental is located in the western side of Negros Island, the fourth largest island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . If Bacolod is included for geographical purposes, the province has an area of . The province is approximately long from north to south. It is bounded by the Visayan Sea in the north, Panay Gulf on the west, Negros Oriental province and Tañon Strait on the east and Sulu Sea on the south. Negros is basically volcanic, making its soil ideal for agriculture. Eighty percent of all arable land in the island region is cultivated.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The north and western parts of the province are largely composed of plains and gentle slopes. A mountain range lines the eastern part of the province, forming the basis of the border with Negros Oriental. Kanlaon Volcano, which is partially located in Negros Oriental, rises to a height of and is the highest peak in the Visayas.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental comprises 19 municipalities and 13 cities, further subdivided into 662 barangays. It has the most chartered cities among all the provinces in the Philippines excepting the Capital. Although Bacolod serves as the capital, it is governed independently from the province as a highly urbanized city.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The population of Negros Occidental in the 2020 census was 2,623,172 people, with a density of . If Bacolod is included for geographical and statistical purposes, the total population is 3,223,955 people, with a density of .


title: Negros Occidental

text: Residents of Negros are called "Negrenses" (and less often "Negrosanons") and many are of either pure/mixed Austronesian heritage, with foreign ancestry (i.e. Chinese and/or Spanish) as minorities. Negros Occidental is predominantly a Hiligaynon-speaking province with 84% of residents speaking it as a first language, because of its linguistic ties with Iloilo. Cebuano is spoken by the remaining 16%, especially in the cities and towns facing the Tañon Strait, due to their proximity to the island-province of Cebu. A mixture of Hiligaynon and Cebuano is spoken in Sagay and surrounding places, which both face Iloilo and Cebu. Filipino and English are widely spoken and used on both sides of the island for educational, literary and official purposes.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental is the second most-populous province in the Visayas after Cebu, having the second largest number of congressional districts and the 7th most-populous (4th if highly urbanized cities and independent component cities are included in the population of corresponding provinces) in the Philippines based on the 2015 Census. As of 2010, the population of registered voters are 1,478,260.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Catholicism is the predominant religion, with over 2 million adherents. Negros Occidental falls under the jurisdictions of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Bacolod, San Carlos & Kabankalan. Other major Christian denominations include Baptist churches, Aglipayan Church, Iglesia ni Cristo, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Evangelicalism. Islam is practised by a minority, with 1,842 claiming it as their religion.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", the sugar industry is the lifeblood of the economy of Negros Occidental, producing more than half of the country's sugar. There are 15 sugar centrals located throughout the lowland areas the north and west of the island, stretching from northwest along the coasts of the Visayan Sea and Guimaras Strait. Among the larger mills are in San Carlos, La Carlota, Bago, Binalbagan, Kabankalan, Sagay, Silay, Murcia and Victorias. Victorias Mill in Victorias City is the largest sugar mill in the country, and the world's largest integrated sugar mill and refinery. Sugar is transported from plantations to refineries by large trucks that use the national highway.


title: Negros Occidental

text: A fishing industry is found in Cadiz City, and other fishponds that dot the province. One of the country's largest copper mines is located in Sipalay City. There also exists a cottage industry which produced handicrafts made from indigenous materials.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The province is rich in mineral deposits. Minerals that abound in the province are primary copper with estimated reserve of 591 million metric tons and gold ore with estimated reserve of 25 million tons. Silver and molybdenum deposits are also abundant, as well as non-metallic minerals suitable for agricultural and industrial uses. Notwithstanding its great potential, the mining industry in Negros Occidental has remained virtually dormant since the biggest copper mine in Sipalay suspended its operation in 2000.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod is the center of commerce and finance in Negros Occidental. It has oil companies, factories, bottling plants, allied industrial businesses, steel fabrication, power generation, agri-businesses, prawn culture and other aqua-culture ventures.


title: Negros Occidental

text: It is also the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) hub of the Negros Island Region of the Philippines. Bacolod has an estimated 35,000 workforce in the IT-BPO industry working in 20 major companies. Among the notable BPO companies operating in the city are Convergys, Teleperformance, TTEC, Focus Direct International, Inc. – Bacolod, Panasiatic Solutions, Ubiquity Global Services, Transcom Asia and iQor. As of 2019, Negros Occidental has a total of 13 operating PEZA-registered IT Parks and Centers.


title: Negros Occidental

text: In 2012, a two-hectare portion of the four-hectare Paglaum Sports Complex was partitioned for the construction of the provincial government-owned Negros First CyberCentre (NFCC) as an IT-BPO Outsourcing Hub with a budget of P674-million. It is located at Lacson corner Hernaez Streets in Bacolod and offers up to 22,000 square meters of mixed IT-BPO and commercial spaces. Its facilities are divided into three sections — Information Technology, Commercial Support Facilities, and Common IT Facilities. It was inaugurated in April 2015 in rites led by President Benigno S. Aquino III. The area was initially a residential zone and has been reclassified as a commercial zone as approved by the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.


title: Negros Occidental

text: By 2014, Negros Occidental is the province with the highest income in all of the Philippines, earning an average of P3.332 billion.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental's output of more than 1 million metric tons for crop year 2002–2003 accounts for nearly half of the country's sugar production in an industry that generates an estimated annual revenue of more than . There are 12 sugar mills in the province, of which only 10 are presently operational. Victorias Milling Company has the highest rated capacity with 15,000 tonnes cane per day.


title: Negros Occidental

text: However, the volatility of the sugar industry forced the province to shift, albeit slowly, to other high-value crops and alternative industries. The diversification has proven to be highly successful. Production of rice, the basic commodity for food security, has been increasing. By 2003, annual output of 437 thousand metric tons of palay was 33% better than two years ago. This allowed the province to significantly raise its sufficiency level from 65% to more than 84%. The improvement could be attributed to the introduction and promotion of hybrid rice, which increased rice yields to 3.8 metric tons per hectare. Because of the success of the program, area planted to hybrid rice has increased nearly fivefold. The highest hybrid yield was recorded at 10.3 tons per hectare.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Corn also registered increasing gains. Production for 2003 of 42 thousand metric tons outperformed 2001 output by 18%. Average yield per hectare has also grown by 18%. Other fruit and vegetable crops, except for banana and cassava, likewise improved their harvest. Harvested coconut was placed at 139 million nuts, while production of banana; fruit and vegetable crops totaled 110 million kilograms. Livestock and poultry are industries where Negros Occidental has strongly diversified.


title: Negros Occidental

text: With the province successfully quarantined from the foot and mouth disease and bird flu, as well as with other endemic diseases under control, total production of livestock and poultry in 2003 of 49 thousand metric tons exceeded estimated local demand by 18%. Fishing is likewise an industry where the province has remained focused. After all, 9 of its cities and 16 of its municipalities are located along the coastline and a great portion of the population depends on fishing for their livelihood.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The area for exploitation by this industry is huge, covering most of the coastal areas and the rich fishing grounds of the Visayan Sea on the north, Sulu Sea on the south, Tañon Strait on the east and Guimaras Strait and Panay Gulf at the west. These rich coastal areas and fishing grounds continue to be generous to the people of Negros Occidental. In 2003, products from deep-sea fishing, municipal marine and inland waters, and aquaculture reached 87 thousand metric tons, 30% better than 2001 production.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental has long been a center of culture and arts; the wealth brought about by the sugar industry made sure that the Negrense principalía enjoyed an above-average standard of living.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Silay City, to the north of the capital of Bacolod, nicknamed the "Paris of Negros", is the cultural and artistic center of Negros Island Region. It has 30 heritage houses declared by the national historical institute, most notable of which is Balay Negrense; it is also the hometown of National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture Leandro Locsin and international mezzo-soprano Conchita Gaston.


title: Negros Occidental

text: This blossoming in art was due to the economical importance of the area during the Spanish era, Negros became probably the most hispanized and pro-Spanish area, due to the enormous investments of Spain in the sugar business.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Another famous treasure of Negrense art heritage can be found in Victorias City, within the confines of the Victorias Milling Company in its chapel is the world-famous mural of the Angry Christ, painted by artist Alfonso Ossorio, a scion of the Ossorio family who owned the mill.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Negrenses' joie de vivre is manifest in the various festivals all over the province, foremost being the famous MassKara Festival of Bacolod, Pasalamat Festival of La Carlota, Bailes de Luces of La Castellana and Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos. These and other local festivals are featured during the Pana-ad sa Negros Festival staged every April at the tree-lined Panaad Stadium in Bacolod. Dubbed as the "Festival of Festivals", Pana-ad brings together the 13 cities and 19 towns in a showcase of history, arts and culture, tourism, trade, commerce and industry, beauty and talent as well as games and sports.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental is rich in structures and buildings that are remnants of a once affluent lifestyle. The Palacio Episcopal (1930), San Sebastian Cathedral (1876), and the Capitol Building (1931) are popular landmarks. In most towns, steam locomotives that used to cart sugarcane from the fields to refineries attract steam-engine enthusiasts from all over the world. There are also impressive churches all over the province, both built recently and during the Spanish era.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Panaad sa Negros Festival, also called simply as the Panaad Festival (sometimes spelled as Pana-ad), is a festival held annually during the month of April in Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental province in the Philippines. Panaad is the Hiligaynon word for "vow" or "promise"; the festival is a form of thanksgiving to Divine Providence and commemoration of a vow in exchange for a good life. The celebration is held at the Panaad Park, which also houses the Panaad Stadium, and is participated in by the 13 cities and 19 towns of the province. For this reason, the province dubs it the "mother" of all its festivals.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The first Panaad sa Negros Festival was held at Capitol Park and Lagoon in a three-day affair in 1993 that started April 30. The festival was held at the lagoon fronting the Provincial Capitol for the first four years. As the festival grew each year, it became necessary to locate a more spacious venue. In 1997, the festival was held at the reclaimed area near where the Bredco Port is located today. The construction of the Panaad Stadium and sports complex paved the way for the establishment of the Panaad Park as the permanent home of the festival.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Island is considered as the Organic Capital of the Philippines since it hosts the longest running organic festival in the Philippines. On August 4, 2005, the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental signed a Memorandum of Agreement to promote Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in the Island. Starting 2006, a Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival is held to showcase products of Negros Island and to promote organic agriculture.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental has produced a large number of athletes that have achieved success in both national and international circuits. The province is also well known for hosting national and international athletic events, which has given it a reputation as the sports capital of the Philippines.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental has a long, entrenched history when it comes to football. The first ever Filipino to play in the European football circuit was Bacolod-born Manuel Amechazurra, who joined FC Barcelona from 1905 to 1915.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Panaad Stadium in Bacolod has been a venue for national and international athletic events; such as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games men's football and the 2006 ASEAN football qualifiers. On February 9, 2011, the stadium hosted a match between the Philippines national football team and Mongolia in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification with an attendance of 20,000 people.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod has been christened as a Philippine "football city" for its patronage of the sport in the country. A few members of the Philippine football team are from Negros: most notable is goalkeeper Eduard Sacapaño, a native of Bago; Tating Pasilan and Jinggoy Valmayor of San Carlos City; and ace striker Joshua Beloya of Bacolod.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental has its own football association: Negros Occidental F.A. It works under the Philippine Football Federation as provincial football association for the Negros Occidental area. The Negros Occidental FA sends a team to represent the region in the yearly PFF National Men's Open Championship and PFF National Women's Open Championship. In the 2011 season of the PFF Suzuki Cup U-23 National Championship, the Negros team were crowned as champions where they defeated their fierce football rival Iloilo (IFA) in the finals.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental is also home of the 2013 PFF National Men's Club Champions, 2017 Philippines Football League Champions, Ceres-Negros, who represented the province in the said tournament. They battled UFL Cup Champions Stallion in the Round of 16 and won 1–0. They battled 2012 UFL Champions Global in the quarterfinals and also won 1–0. In the semifinals, Ceres FC topped Kaya with 3–1 scoreline to enter finals of 2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship. Ceres FC eventually won the 2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship trophy after they beat the other finalist PSG with 1–0 score.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Aside from hosting sporting events Negros Occidental has produced many of the nation's finest athletes, particularly in boxing. The likes of 1923 World Flyweight boxing champion, Francisco Guilledo a.k.a. Pancho Villa, current WBO minimum weight champion Donnie Nietes, 1970's WBA world junior lightweight champion Ben Villaflor, all hail from Negros Occidental.


title: Negros Occidental

text: It is also notable for producing Olympiads, Silver Medalist Mansueto Velasco in the 1996 Summer Olympics, his brother Roel Velasco who in turn won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod has two major golf courses. These are the Bacolod Golf and Country Club and the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club. The city hosted the 61st Philippine Airlines Inter-club Golf Tournament and the 2008 Philippine Amateur Golf Championship.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod hosted two major karatedo championships, the 1996 Philippine Karatedo Federation National Championship and the 2007 20th PKF National Open. Both tournaments were held at the La Salle Coliseum of USLS. The tournaments were contested by hundreds of karatedo practitioners all over the country.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod hosted the 2008 PBA All-Star Weekend. The city is also a regular venue for the Philippine Basketball Association out-of-town games. Another major sports team in the past is the Negros Slashers, arguably the most successful team of the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod and its neighboring cities and towns are home to many mixed martial arts competitions including quarterly fights hosted by the Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC).


title: Negros Occidental

text: Ceres–Negros F.C., commonly referred to as Ceres–Negros or just Ceres, is a Filipino football club based in the city of Bacolod, Negros Occidental that plays in the Philippines Football League. The club is a member of the Negros Occidental Football Association. It was previously known as the Ceres–La Salle Football Club.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Through its capital, Bacolod, Negros Occidental is only 50 minutes from Manila and 30 minutes from Cebu by air. By sea, it is an 18-hour cruise from Manila and an hour by fast ferries from Iloilo. It is also accessible by sea and land trip from Cebu via Escalante City, San Carlos City and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. Travel from Bacolod to Dumaguete is only 5 to 6 hours by land. Seven airline companies, including Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines, serve the province. Four inter-island shipping lines call on nine seaports of Negros Occidental


title: Negros Occidental

text: On January 18, 2008, the new airport was inaugurated in Silay City, 16 kilometers north of Bacolod. The new airport replaced the old Bacolod City Domestic Airport. The new airport runway is of international standards and was constructed to facilitate future landings of international flights to serve the growing number of tourists visiting Negros Occidental each year.


title: Negros Occidental

text: A new airport designed to serve the general area of Kabankalan City. The airport would be the second airport in Negros Occidental, after the Bacolod-Silay International Airport and the third airport on Negros Island Region. It is located four kilometers northeast of Kabankalan City proper on a site in Barangay Hilamonan. Completion of the airport is still undergoing.


title: Negros Occidental

text: On August 3, 2017, Air Juan started to open flights to Sipalay City from Cebu and Iloilo. Flights from Cebu to Sipalay will be every Wednesday while Sipalay to Cebu on Sundays; Iloilo to Sipalay on Mondays and return on Thursdays. Sipalay Mayor Oscar C. Montilla, Jr. had been looking forward to having an airline company operate in the city to boost tourism. The small Sipalay airport with a 1,400-meter runway is located in a property of the local government. Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr. has committed to support the planned concreting of the runway.


title: Negros Occidental

text: All cities and municipalities are linked by an extensive road and bridge network stretching more than 1,500 kilometers crisscrossing the province with seven alternative scenic routes to the nearby province of Negros Oriental. Within the province, travel is also easy, comfortable and even enjoyable with air-conditioned and non-aircon buses or metered taxis. Car rental services are also available. However, the jeepney is still the most common means of transport among the towns and cities. For accommodations, visitors may choose from a wide range of about 67 hotels, pension and lodging houses and tourist inns. The better known hotels are L’ Fisher, Bacolod Convention Plaza (Luxur Place), Pagcor Hotel, Business Inn, Metro Inn, Planta Centro Bacolod Hotel and Residences, and Sugarland Hotel, all in Bacolod.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The province has adequate power and water supplies. It is currently interconnected to the Visayas Power Grid whose main sources of power are geothermal. Aside from its existing 170 megawatts capacity, Negros Island by 2006 has an additional 105 megawatts of locally produced power from geothermal plants in Bago and in barangay Palinpinon, Valencia, Negros Oriental, and from bagasse co-generation facility of First Farmers Sugar Mill. Ample water supply for household, commercial, industrial and agricultural uses is assured by 73 thousand hectares of proclaimed and protected major watersheds, regular rainfall and six major river systems.


title: Negros Occidental

text: San Carlos City is going to play a major role in renewable energy as it will be the site of San Carlos Solar Energy INC. It is a solar farm with an initial capacity of 13 MW in Phase 1, and a provision for an addition of 7 MW in Phase 2. It is intended to provide power to the grid throughout the year, at pre-determined Feed-In-Tariff rates set by the ERC. It is a DOE approved stand-alone solar power plant consisting of approximately 52,000 modules.


title: Negros Occidental

text: International direct dialing, fiber optic data lines and internet services are accessible in most areas of the province. Also, GSM, digital and analog cellular networks provide good coverage in Bacolod and other areas, including international roaming. The medical and health care needs of the people of Negros Occidental and its guests are presently being met by 20 government hospitals (which include the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod and the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay) and 10 private hospitals, as well as several city and municipal health centers, barangay health stations and day-care centers.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Banking and finance is likewise a thriving industry in Negros Occidental. According to the latest count, there are 389 financial institutions competing for businesses in the province. 149 of these are banks. Negros Occidental offers several advantages for those who are doing business in the province. It is strategically located near Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, all major international gateways with maximum travel time of only about 4 hours between the Philippines and its neighbors in Southeast Asia. It is equipped with major infrastructure facilities for easy travel and shipment of goods within and outside of Negros.


title: Negros Occidental

text: It has information and communication facilities with connection capabilities necessary for, among others, call center operations for business communication and transmission of data. The province has abundant water supply and dependable power supply. Modern health care facilities with medical services are available, as well as academic institutions.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Panaad Park and Sports Complex houses the Panaad Stadium which is a multi-purpose stadium in the province. It is currently used mostly for football matches, and was used for the 2005 South East Asian Games. It was the venue of the pre-qualifiers of the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship or ASEAN Cup, in which the Philippines, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Brunei and Laos participated. The stadium has a seating capacity of 15,500, but holds around 20,000 people with standing areas. It is unofficially designated as the home stadium of the Philippines national football team. Aside from the association football field, it also has a rubberized track oval, an Olympic-size swimming pool and other sports facilities.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The stadium is also the home of Panaad sa Negros Festival, a week-long celebration participated in by all cities and municipalities in the province held annually every summer. The festival is highlighted by merry-making and field demonstrations at the stadium. The stadium itself features replicas of the landmarks of the 13 cities and municipalities of Negros Occidental.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Capitol Park and Lagoon is a provincial park located right in the heart of Bacolod, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. One of the landmarks of the park is the statue of a carabao (water buffalo) being pulled by a woman. This statue is located at the northern end of the lagoon. On the other end, there is also another carabao sculpture but the figure is being pulled by a man.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Local everyday activities in the park include jogging, aerobics, school dance rehearsals, promenaders, arnisadors, and martial arts practitioners.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Fountain of Justice is a historic landmark in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It marks the location where the house of Jose Ruiz de Luzurriaga used to stand. It was in this house that the surrender of Bacolod by Spanish authorities to the Filipino forces of General Aniceto Lacson took place on November 6, 1898, during the Negros Revolution.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Bacolod Public Plaza is one of the notable landmarks of Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental, Philippines. It is located in the heart of the downtown area, near the city hall and across from the San Sebastian Cathedral. The plaza is a trapezoidal park with a belt of trees around the periphery and a gazebo at the center. Scattered within the trees are four circular fountains.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The plaza was constructed in 1927 as a place for recreation, political, spiritual and cultural activities. It is quite a popular site for outdoor picnics and concerts. The gazebo is often used to house a bandstand.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Balay Negrense was originally the ancestral house of Victor F. Gaston, a son of Yves Leopold Germain Gaston and Prudencia Fernandez. The elder Gaston is credited as one of the pioneers of sugarcane cultivation in this portion of the Philippine archipelago. A native of Normandy in France, he married a Filipina from Batangas where he initially began experimenting with sugar production before relocating to Negros.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Built in 1897, the structure housed Victor Gaston and his twelve children from 1901 until his death in 1927. Left unused by the family, the structure was abandoned in the mid-1970s and fell into disrepair until a group of concerned Negrenses formed what would later become the Negros Cultural Foundation and managed to acquire the house from the heirs of Gaston through a donation. With donations from prominent individuals and later the Department of Tourism, the structure was repaired and furnished with period furniture and fixtures. The museum was officially inaugurated on October 6, 1990.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Mariano Ramos Ancestral House is the home of the late Don Mariano V. Ramos, the son of Agaton Ramos and Dolores Varela, was the first appointed Presidente Municipal of Bacolod, Philippines. It was built in the 1930s and its architecture is a combination of Castilian and Tuscan and has three storeys, including the tower room, known as the torre.


title: Negros Occidental

text: During World War II, Don Mariano's Ancestral house was the most prominent structure with a view over the whole city. The commanding Japanese general was disguised as a family gardener. As the war broke, the Japanese seized the Mariano Ramos Ancestral house in order to use it as a watchtower and as a headquarters.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The San Diego Pro-cathedral, formerly known as the San Diego Parish Church or the St. Didacus Parish Church before its declaration as a pro-cathedral in 1994, is an early 20th-century church in Silay City, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. It is the only pro-cathedral outside of the national capital of Manila, and is unique in Negros Occidental for being the only church in the province featuring a cupola or dome.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The mansion dates back to the 1900s when it was built by sugar baron Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson for his first wife, Maria Braga, a Portuguese from Macau whom he met in his vacations in Hong Kong. The mansion's structure is of Italianate architecture enhanced by a belvedere complete with renaissance-type balustrading typical of the homes of English ship captains. It was burned down in World War II to prevent the Japanese from using it. It was opened to the public by descendants of the original owner and is listed as among the World's 12 most fascinating ruins.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Paglaum Sports Complex is a provincial-owned sports venue adjacent to the Negros Occidental High School established during the 1970s that hosted various football events, such as the 1991 Philippines International Cup and the football event of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. It also hosted three editions of the Palarong Pambansa (1971, 1974, 1979). However, the stadium became unfit to host football matches following the erection of business establishments around the area. In 2012, a two-hectare portion of the four-hectare complex was partitioned for the construction of the Capitol-owned Negros First CyberCentre (NFCC) as an IT-BPO Outsourcing Hub. As of 2013, the provincial government has been proposing for a renovation of the stadium to serve as alternative venue to Panaad Park and Sports Complex, particularly for football competition. Recently, the Paglaum Sports Complex also serves as an alternative venue to the Bacolod Public Plaza for the MassKara Festival celebration.


title: Negros Occidental

text: The Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center (NOMPAC) is a provincial-owned multi-use gym located in Bacolod, adjacent to the Capitol Park and Lagoon. It is currently used mostly for basketball, karatedo and boxing matches. Aside from the gym, it also serves as evacuation site of the city and province during disasters and likewise also serves as cultural facilities in many events and celebrations.


title: Negros Occidental

text: There are 1,318 schools in the province; 53 are registered technical schools including the Technological University of the Philippines – Visayas and Carlos Hilado Memorial State University both in Talisay City. Of these, 158 are private schools, including University of Saint La Salle, STI West Negros University, Colegio San Agustin - Bacolod, La Consolacion College Bacolod, VMA Global College, University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos, Central Philippines State University, Philippine Normal University Visayas, Southland College and Central Philippine Adventist College.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Modern communication facilities, as well as radio, television and newspapers, are available in the province. Most are provided by dominant national players in the industry like PLDT, Globe Telecom and their subsidiaries. For television and radio, the major providers are network giants ABS-CBN, GMA Network, The 5 Network, CNN Philippines and IBC. Cable TV provides access to BBC, ESPN and other international programs. National and international newspapers are available on the same day of issue in Manila.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Bacolod is noted for being the home of the Negros Summer Workshops, founded by multi-award-winning filmmaker and Negrense Peque Gallaga. Founded in 1991, Workshops has long been training students from different parts of the country who wish to learn courses in film-making, acting, writing, and more. Some of its alumni include actors in mainstream Philippine show business.


title: Negros Occidental

text: Negros Occidental has also been used as a setting and location shoot for various films and television shows, most notable of which is the 1981 epic "Oro, Plata, Mata" where Hacienda Rosalia is the setting. Recent films that were set and filmed in Negros are "Ligaw Liham" (2007), "Namets!" (2008), and "Everyday I Love You" (2015).


title: Negros Occidental

text: There are two regional newscast programs in Bacolod: "TV Patrol Negros" (ABS-CBN Bacolod) and "One Western Visayas" (GMA Bacolod, simulcasting from GMA Iloilo).


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global that oversees the operations of many of its television channels and online brands. Its related international division is Paramount International Networks.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Warner Cable Communications was founded on December 1, 1977 by Warner Cable, itself a division of Warner Communications, to launch QUBE, an interactive cable television network. Seeing the potential in the creation of new cable networks, Warner Cable divested QUBE's biggest brands, Star Channel, Pinwheel and Sight on Sound, into nationwide outlets. Star Channel began by satellite in January 1979 and was renamed The Movie Channel by the end of the year. The original Channel C-3, by then known as Pinwheel, became Nickelodeon in April 1979. As a result of these actions, Warner Cable Communications would then be rebranded as Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, becoming a joint venture between Warner Cable and American Express.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 1980, Warner-Amex formed a joint venture with Cablevision's Rainbow Media division to launch Bravo, a cable network dedicated to arts and films, on December 1, 1980. Full control of the channel, however, was sold to Rainbow Media in 1984; NBC would acquire Bravo in 2003, and the channel is now currently owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 1983, concerned by the strategic and financial failure of its pay-TV venture The Movie Channel (started to reap the benefits Time Inc. was having with HBO and Cinemax), WASEC established a joint venture with Viacom, merging TMC with their premium movie network Showtime to form Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc.; WASEC, however, had no operational involvement in the joint venture.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: On June 25, 1984, Warner Communications made the decision to divest Nickelodeon, MTV, and VH-1 (launched in 1985; Warner acquired it from Turner) into a new public corporation called MTV Networks. A year later, Warner would acquire the 50% stake from American Express.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: On August 27, 1985, Warner sold 31% of MTV Networks to Viacom, with Warner also selling 19% of its Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. joint to Viacom as well.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In November 1985, Viacom bought the remaining 69% of MTV Networks from Warner for $326 million, The acquisition was completed on May 20, 1986, causing Viacom to instantly become a mass media company rather than simply a distributor.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In January 2006, the remnants of MTV Networks and Showtime Networks were separated following Viacom's split into two entities: CBS Corporation, which retained CBS, UPN, Simon & Schuster and Showtime Networks (Showtime, The Movie Channel, and Flix), and a spun-off company under the Viacom name, which took ownership of Paramount Pictures, BET Networks and MTV Networks (Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, and VH1). MTV Networks was renamed Viacom Media Networks in 2011.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In the fall of 2012, media analysts began to report that ratings among some of Viacom's leading brands in the U.S were experiencing declines in viewership. MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon were of most concern to investors as the three account for roughly 50% of Viacom's operating profit, estimated David Bank of RBC Capital Markets.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 2017, Viacom announced a five-point restructuring plan, in which the company would pour most of its resources behind six "flagship brands". These were MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., BET, and Paramount Pictures. In February 2017, cable channels CMT and TV Land were moved from the Kids and Family Group to the Global Entertainment Group under Kevin Kay, joining up with Spike TV. During the same month, it was announced that Spike would be relaunched as Paramount Network in 2018, aligning with the namesake film studio and being positioned as Viacom's main general entertainment outlet.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In October 2018, Kevin Kay was announced to be leaving his position as head of the Entertainment Group. CMT was transferred from the Entertainment Group to the Music Group under president Chris McCarthy, with his exit. Executive Kent Alterman would take charge of Paramount Network and TV Land to go with his current leadership of Comedy Central and Bellator MMA.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 2019, after acquiring the free streaming service Pluto TV, Viacom would launch several channels on the service branded after its Media Networks and company–owned IP.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In August 2019, Viacom announced that it would merge with CBS Corporation, reuniting the two entities under the new name ViacomCBS. The merger closed in early December 2019. Announced on November 11, 2019, as part of the re–merger, the Media Networks division was renamed ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, and reorganized. MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo were reorganized into the "Entertainment & Youth Group", with the addition of Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel, and TV Land. BET Networks was merged with Showtime Networks under CEO David Nevins, who also temporarily gained oversight of Pop TV (formerly co-owned with Lionsgate); Pop TV was transferred to the Entertainment & Youth Group on January 15, 2020. On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS was renamed as Paramount Global, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks was renamed Paramount Media Networks.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally launched under Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment and tested as Sight on Sound until 1981, when it officially launched as MTV.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel started as Ha!, merged with HBO's The Comedy Channel the following year, became entirely owned by Viacom in 2003.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Originally TNN from 1983 to 2003 (as The Nashville Network until 1997; as The National Network until 2003) and as Spike until January 2018.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally known as VH1 MegaHits before being discontinued in July 2005 to facilitate Logo launch.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was previously owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company, acquired in 1997 by the CBS Cable division of CBS Corporation, and became part of MTV Networks when CBS merged with Viacom.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally launched under Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment and tested as Pinwheel until 1979, then was officially launched as Nickelodeon.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel space was previously held by Noggin (a joint venture with Sesame Workshop) before being replaced with the Nick Jr. Channel in 2009.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally known as Nicktoons TV until 2003 when it was rebranded as Nicktoons which was rebranded again as Nicktoons Network in 2005 and finally rebranded yet again as Nicktoons (styled as “nicktoons”) once more in 2009.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel space was previously held by Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids from 1999 to 2007, and a 24-hour version of Noggin's The N brand from 2007 to 2009.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel originally owned by the first incarnation of Viacom, and earlier with former partner Warner-Amex, and later became part of CBS Corporation following Viacom's split in 2006. Showtime was established in 1976, and The Movie Channel was established in 1973 as Star Channel and relaunched under its current name in 1979.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally co-owned by CBS Corporation through Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution until November 7, 2019, when the Institution sold its equity interest to Showtime.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Previously owned by CBS Corporation, and before 2019, half of the share was owned by Lionsgate. Formerly known as TVGN, TV Guide Network, and TV Guide Channel.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Established by Viacom's Showtime Networks in 1992 and later became part of CBS Corporation following Viacom's split in 2006.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally known as "Star Channel" until it was bought by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment before becoming "The Movie Channel" in 1979.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally known as VH1 Smooth before being relaunched as VH1 Classic Rock on August 1, 1999. The channel was renamed VH1 Classic in 2000 and was later rebranded as MTV Classic on August 1, 2016.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally known as Music: High Definition (MHD) before being rebranded as Palladia on September 1, 2008. On February 1, 2016, the channel was rebranded as MTV Live.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel was originally a division of Warner Communications and the original owner of MTV, and launched on January 1, 1985, in the former space of Turner's short-lived Cable Music Channel.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Channel slot was originally VH1 Uno, until MTV Networks on Campus replaced VH1 Uno with a televised simulcast of MTVU. The college campus feed of MTVU no longer exists but the public feed is still on a limited amount of MSOs.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Through its Networks division, Paramount also owns internet properties, such as MTV News and AwesomenessTV. The company ran a virtual world system, Virtual MTV, in the late 2000s.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: The company has owned various other internet properties including virtual pets website Neopets; Flash game websites AddictingGames.com and Shockwave.com; online content production company Atom Entertainment; along with RateMyProfessors.com, GameTrailers, and iFilm, all of which have been shut down or sold off during 2000s and 2010s.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: During the first quarter of 2008, iFilm was merged into Spike with its website re–branded and re–purposed as Spike.com.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 2014, Viacom purchased a stake in multi-channel network Defy Media, while offloading GameTrailers, Addicting Games, and Shockwave to Defy.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 2006, Viacom acquired Harmonix, a video game studio oriented towards music video games and the original developer of the "Guitar Hero" franchise, for $175 million. The two subsequently collaborated on the creation of "Rock Band". That year, Viacom also acquired the gaming–oriented communications platform Xfire.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 2010, Harmonix was divested to an investment firm to become an independent studio, and Xfire was sold.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: In 2011, Viacom established a short–lived, in–house development studio known as 345 Games, which was dedicated primarily to developing games based on Comedy Central, MTV and Spike properties.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Paramount International Networks is the sibling division of Paramount Media Networks. Its headquarters are in New York, London, Warsaw, and Buenos Aires, and manages the following brands: MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, Channel 5, Network 10, Telefe, Chilevisión, TeleColombia and Colors.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: Former brands include TMF and VIVA which, along with digital properties Nitrome Limited, Shockwave, Addicting Games, Atom Films and Xfire, have either since merged with other networks, were shut down, or were sold off.


title: Paramount Media Networks

text: MTV Entertainment Group is a division of Paramount Media Networks and serves as the holdings company for MTV, Pop TV, CMT, Paramount Network, Comedy Central, TV Land, Logo TV, Smithsonian Channel, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix and its Studios.


title: Danny Pintauro

text: Danny Pintauro (born January 6, 1976) is an American actor and film producer. He starred in the sitcom "Who's the Boss?" and the 1983 horror film "Cujo".


title: Danny Pintauro

text: Pintauro was born in Milltown, New Jersey, the son of John J. Pintauro, a manager, and Margaret L. (née Sillcocks). In 1994 he took time off from professional acting and attended Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey, and later Stanford University to study English and theater; he graduated in 1998.


title: Danny Pintauro

text: Pintauro first appeared on the television soap opera "As the World Turns" as the original Paul Ryan. After this, he played Tad in the film "Cujo". He first came to prominence on the television series "Who's the Boss?". After the series ended, he was less frequently cast. Pintauro went on to act in stage productions like "The Velocity of Gary" and "Mommie Queerest".


title: Danny Pintauro

text: He appeared as a contestant on a special TV child stars episode of "The Weakest Link" in 2001 where he got voted off in round 4.


title: Danny Pintauro

text: Pintauro and his husband relocated to Austin, Texas, in 2016. As of May 2019, Pintauro is working as a vet tech at Austin Pets Alive.


title: Danny Pintauro

text: In 1997, the "National Enquirer" tabloid outed him as gay. In April 2013 he was engaged to his boyfriend, Wil Tabares, and they married in April 2014.


title: Danny Pintauro

text: Pintauro revealed in 2015 that he was HIV positive, having contracted the virus as the result of unsafe oral sex in 2003. He also disclosed that he had previously been addicted to methamphetamine.


title: W. Earl Brown

text: William Earl Brown (born September 7, 1963) is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, musician, and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kenneth "Kenny" Brown in the film "Scream" (1996), Warren in the film "There's Something About Mary" (1998), Dan Dority on the HBO series "Deadwood" (2004–2006), and the voice and motion capture of Bill in the video game "The Last of Us" (2013). He has appeared in films such as "Backdraft", "The Master", "Being John Malkovich", "The Sessions", "Vanilla Sky", "The Lone Ranger", and "Bloodworth" (which he also wrote and produced), as well as series such as "Seinfeld", "NYPD Blue", "", "", "The X-Files", "Six Feet Under", "Preacher", "Bates Motel", "True Detective", "American Horror Story", "Chicago Fire", and "The Mandalorian".


title: W. Earl Brown

text: William Earl Brown was born in Golden Pond, Kentucky, on September 7, 1963. He gained a bachelor's degree from Murray State University before moving to Chicago, where he received an MFA from DePaul University Theatre School in 1989.


title: W. Earl Brown

text: After his breakout performance in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's outreach staging of Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge", Brown began working in television and film. He appeared in films such as "Backdraft", "The Babe", "Excessive Force", and "Rookie of the Year". In 1993, he moved to Los Angeles and was cast in "Wes Craven's New Nightmare". He also had a minor role in Craven's "Vampire in Brooklyn", and a bigger one as a news cameraman working for Gale Weathers in Craven's "Scream". He played Warren in the 1998 comedy film "There's Something About Mary" and later took roles in "Being John Malkovich", "Vanilla Sky", "Dancing at the Blue Iguana", "The Alamo", and" The Big White".


title: W. Earl Brown

text: In 2009, Brown wrote, produced, and appeared in the film "Bloodworth". His 2010s film credits include "The Master", "The Sessions", "The Lone Ranger", "Brother's Keeper", and "Wild". On television, he is best known for his portrayal of Dan Dority on the HBO series "Deadwood" (2004–2006). He has also guest starred on "Bates Motel", "Rectify", "Luck", "American Horror Story", "Justified", "Six Feet Under", "NYPD Blue", "X-Files", "The Mentalist", "", "Ellen", "Seinfeld", "True Detective", and others. He also portrayed singer Meat Loaf in VH1's television film "Meat Loaf: To Hell and Back". In 2013, he performed the voice and motion capture of Bill in the critically acclaimed video game "The Last of Us".


title: W. Earl Brown

text: He is set to appear in the upcoming film "Shirley", which stars Regina King opposite Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, André Holland, Terrence Howard and newcomer Ethan Jones Romero.


title: Camilo (singer)

text: Camilo Echeverry (born 16 March 1994), known mononymously as Camilo, is a Colombian singer, musician and songwriter. He is known for his singles "Tutu", alongside Pedro Capó and Shakira, and "Desconocidos", with Mau y Ricky and Manuel Turizo. His music is generally categorized as Latin pop with a mix of urbano music and is noted for his romantic lyrics and soprano voice.


title: Camilo (singer)

text: Debuted in 2008, after winning the talent show "" in 2007. He is also known for writing and producing hits for other artists including Becky G and Natti Natasha's "Sin Pijama" and Bad Bunny's "Si Estuviésemos Juntos".


title: Camilo (singer)

text: Camilo Echeverry was born in Medellín, Antioquia but raised in Montería, Córdoba. His family home did not have a radio, but housed a collection of records by artists such as The Beatles, Shakira, Charly Garcia, Facundo Cabral, Mercedes Sosa, and Pink Floyd. He recalled, "That was my first seed, since I was little, my dream was to inherit that." He formed a musical duo with his sister, Manuela, and auditioned for "XS Factor" with her, but the pair did not reach the final round of the competition. After winning the show as a solo artist the following year in 2007, Camilo began his career with the release of the single, "Regálame Tu Corazón".


title: Camilo (singer)

text: In 2008, Camilo made appearances on Colombian telenovelas "Super Pá" and "En los tacones de Eva", as well as the children's program "Bichos". He released the 2010 mixtape "Tráfico de Sentimientos" and shortly after its release, Camilo decided to take a break from releasing his own music. In 2015, he moved to Miami, Florida, where he then furthered his career by writing songs for other artists, including "Sin Pijama" by Becky G and Natti Natasha’s, “Veneno” by Anitta, and "Ya No Tiene Novio" by Sebastian Yatra with Mau y Ricky. "Ya No Tiene Novio", released in August 2018, garnered over 517 million views on Youtube by March of the next year.


title: Camilo (singer)

text: Upon re-launching his solo career, Camilo made changes to his image. He eschewed his previously clean-cut style in favor of a more bohemian look, complete with a handlebar moustache. In 2018, he released the song "Desconocidos" with Manuel Turizo and Mau & Ricky. The ukulele-tinged reggaeton song peaked at number 23 on the "Billboard" Latin Pop Airplay chart. Following the success of "Desconocidos", Camilo revealed in February 2019 that he had signed with Sony Music Latin. On 22 February 2019, Camilo performed at the Venezuela Live Aid concert in Cúcuta, Colombia, a town located on the border with Venezuela. He reflected on the experience by explaining "It was a concert that moved me a lot. It was not easy, but so many people are suffering. I felt happy to be a part of raising global awareness to show what is happening in Venezuela is a tremendous injustice."


title: Camilo (singer)

text: He released the video and single for "No Te Vayas" as his mainstream debut on 28 March 2019, and by August of that year, the video had reached more than 59 million views on Youtube. His 2019 song "La Boca" with Mau & Ricky was certified triple-platinum. After the release of the song, he made his US television debut, performing "La Boca" and "No Te Vayas" at the 2019 Premios Juventud in Miami. He released the song "Tutu" in collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Pedro Capó, which reached the number two position on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. Describing the lyrical content of the song, Camilo explained, “This song is who I am, what I feel every time I get on a stage or when I see my girlfriend.” Camilo released his first studio album "Por Primera Vez" on 17 April 2020, which debuted at number one on the "Billboard" Latin Pop Albums chart and number five on the Top Latin Albums chart. The album contains the singles "Tutu" and "Favorito".


title: Camilo (singer)

text: In March 2021, he released his album "Mis Manos" which included some collaborations with artists such as Evaluna Montaner, Mau y Ricky, El Alfa, and Los Dos Carnales. His album is a candidate for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the Latin Grammy Awards.


title: Camilo (singer)

text: At the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards, Camilo received six nominations, winning the award for Best Pop Song for "Tutu".


title: Camilo (singer)

text: Camilo's music is generally characterized as Latin pop and reggaeton. Suzette Fernandez of "Billboard" labeled his music as "romantic pop songs fused with urban beats". His vocals have been described as "distinctly delicate". He cites Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler as a major influence on his work.


title: Camilo (singer)

text: In February 2020, he married Evaluna Montaner, daughter of the Argentine-Venezuelan singer and songwriter Ricardo Montaner and sister of the Venezuelan duo Mau y Ricky, after five years of dating. They have one daughter, Índigo, born on April 6, 2022.


title: Patricia Wettig

text: Patricia Anne Wettig (born December 4, 1951) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Nancy Weston in the television series "Thirtysomething" (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.


title: Patricia Wettig

text: After her breakthrough role in "Thirtysomething", Wettig has appeared in a number of films, including "Guilty by Suspicion" (1991), "City Slickers" (1991), "" (1994), and "The Langoliers" (1995). She returned to television playing a leading role in the 1995 short-lived drama "Courthouse" and later played Caroline Reynolds in the Fox drama "Prison Break" (2005–2007) and Holly Harper in the ABC family drama "Brothers & Sisters" (2006–2011).