Carla P. Gomez

PCG photoThe Philippine Coast Guard on Wednesday, September 29, ended attempts to retrieve the body of a Cadiz resident from a fishing boat that sank between Carles town in Iloilo province and Sicogon Island, and the search for the remains of his companion, Commander Jansen Benjamin, Philippine Coast Guard Western Visayas District chief of staff, said.The PCG has terminated its five-day search and retrieval operations, Benjamin said.The PCG has recommended that the owner of FB St. Peter the Fisherman II consider refloating the vessel that sank 43 meters deep in order to retrieve the body of the cook Julian Dungog intact, he said.Divers attempted twice to retrieve the body of Dungog, which was in a very advanced state of decomposition, from the vessel but the pathway was too...

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a resolution Tuesday, September 29, commending a La Carlota City resident for bringing pride and honor to Negros Occidental by topping the September 2021 Physician Licensure Examination.Maria Inez Sellado Benedicto, 26, topped the September 2021 Physician Licensure Examination with a rating of 87.83 percent, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced Friday, September 24.“Her hard work, determination, dedication to her profession and desire to serve her fellow Negrosanons, is an inspiration to all of us and to future doctors who seek to do the same,” the resolution said.She has been a consistent honor student and achiever since her elementary days, the resolution said.Benedicto graduated as class valedictorian at PAX Catholic Coll...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is ready to vaccinate minors against COVID-19, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Wednesday, September 29.President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved the vaccination of the general population and children aged 12-17 years old against COVID-19 by October, Malacañang announced Tuesday.If minors are fully vaccinated that will give enough confidence for them to resume face-to-face classes, which is happening in other countries, Diaz said.Meanwhile, Negros Occidental residents who have been fully vaccinated are being issued identification cards that can be validated and scanned at airports, he said.In fact Philippine Airlines is already suggesting flights where fully vaccinated travelers will no longer be required RT-PCR tests, he...

The provincial health officer and 70 employees of eight Negros Occidental hospitals have tested positive for COVID-19, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, September 28.The provincial health officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, tested positive for COVID-19 after he was exposed to his son who was hit by the virus, Diaz said.Tumimbang’s close contacts at the PHO tested negative and the office remains open, he added.The COVID-19 vaccination drive at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City has temporarily been suspended, but the vaccine rollout in the towns and cities of Negros Occidental will continue, Diaz said.The 14 who tested positive for COVID-19 at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City were medical technicians and encoders at its CO...

PCG photoPhilippine Coast Guard divers failed to retrieve the body of one of two missing crew members of FB St. Peter the Fisherman II on Tuesday, September 28, because of zero visibility in the sunken vessel, Commander Jansen Benjamin, PCG Western Visayas District chief of staff, said.The divers attempted to retrieve the bloated body that was in an advanced state of decomposition from the vessel that sank 43 meters deep between Carles town in Iloilo province and Sicogon Island on Friday, September 24, but aside from the visibility problem, the pathway was very narrow and there was a lot of debris, Benjamin added.Missing are Manuel Auditor – third engineer and Julian Dungog – the cook from Cadiz City in Negros Occidental.The bodies of seven of the boat’s crew members have b...

Cadiz LGU photoThe Cadiz Emergency Clinic‘s birthing section was temporarily closed starting Tuesday, September 28, after its employees were exposed to a COVID-19 positive pregnant woman, Mayor Salvador Escalante said.Only emergency cases will be accepted at the clinic, he said.The pregnant woman who was about to deliver was admitted at the birthing section and she presented a negative antigen result even if she knew that she had a positive RT-PCR result for COVID-19 on Monday evening, September 27, a Cadiz City advisory said.The CHO received her RT-PCR positive result from a private molecular laboratory Tuesday afternoon, it added.Escalante said the pregnant woman who had not given birth as of Tuesday afternoon would be transferred to the Cadiz District Hospital, which...

The Negros Occidental provincial government officials running under the Love Negros-United Negros Alliance (UNegA) coalition and some congressional bets will file their certificates of candidacy (COC) on Friday, October 1, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, September 28The filing of COCs starts Friday until October 8.The filing of COCs for provincial and congressional bets will be held at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City to ensure a bigger venue for social distancing, COMELEC provincial supervisor Ma. Fatima Aspan said.Lacson said they will assign specific hours for the Love Negros-UNegA bets to file their COC’s on Friday to prevent crowding in observance of COVID-19 health protocols.The governor and Rep. Gerardo Valmayor Jr. (Neg. Occ., 1st District) will...

The petition is exactly the same as the one filed before the Bacolod Election Registration Board so it should have the same result.That was the answer of former Rep. Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez after the hearing of the petition for his exclusion from the list of registered voters of Bacolod City at the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 4 Tuesday afternoon, September 28.Benitez said his lawyer presented counter-affidavits and he expects rejoinders will be filed.The MTCC could rule on the petition by next week, he added.The petition was filed by Grupo Progreso allies Hector Yula, Teodoro Abao and Jonah Tornea Abao against Benitez and the Bacolod ERB composed of Bacolod Elections Officer Kathrina Trinio-Caña, City Civil Registrar Hermilo Pa-oyon and Schools Superinte...

Now is not the time to consider face-to-face classes in Negros Occidental with the surge in COVID-19 cases in the province, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, September 28.Diaz was reacting to reports that 16 schools in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are being assessed by the Department of Education for limited face-to-face classes.The Department of Health has placed Negros Occidental and Bacolod City under Alert Level 4 and classified both areas as high risk for COVID-19.Negros Occidental had 3,963 active COVID-19 cases and seven deaths on Tuesday, the Provincial Incident Management Team reported.Bacolod City also had 2,026 active COVID-19 cases, the DOH reported on Tuesday.“Face-to-face class will unnecessarily expose children to danger and they...

Cadiz CDRRMO photoThe bodies of the captain and steersman of FB St. Peter the Fisherman II that sank in the waters between Iloilo province and Sicogon Island Friday were recovered Monday, September 27, Captain Ludovico Librilla, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Western Visayas deputy commander, said.Divers recovered the bodies of boat captain Frankie Chavez and Renante Forsuelo of Cadiz City from the vessel that sank 46 meters deep, he said.The bodies of seven members of the crew have been recovered so far, with two others still missing, Librilla said.Missing are Manuel Auditor – third engineer and Julian Dungog – the cook, who are both from Cadiz City, he said.The PCG has asked the survivors for a detailed description of the location of the cabins of the two missing crews ...