Carla P. Gomez

Sep202021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Another Bacolod resident hit with Delta variant

A 22nd Delta variant case has been detected in Bacolod, City Administrator Em Ang said Sunday, September 19.The latest to be hit by the highly contagious variant is a 68-year-old female from Barangay Handumanan, she said.Ang said the COVID-19 deaths in Bacolod for September 2021 have hit 61. The highest number of deaths recorded in the city since the pandemic started were 76 in September 2020, she said.The city’s active COVID-19 cases also increased to 1,903 on Sunday from 1,775 on Saturday, the Department of Health reported.The DOH has placed Bacolod City under alert level four with high risk for COVID-19 transmission.Ang said the COVID-19 hospital occupancy rate reported in Bacolod is 87 percent but in reality it’s about 100 percent because the remaining rooms lack pe...

Sep202021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Pacquiao declares bid for presidency

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Former Bacolod mayor Monico Puentevella with Senator Manny Pacquiao (right) Sunday night, September 19, after he announced that he is running for president.*"I am a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring," Senator Manny Pacquiao said Sunday, September 19, as he officially declared his bid for the presidency in 2022.The boxing icon officially accepted the nomination of the PDP-Laban camp, which he and Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III lead, at their general assembly.“The die is cast. Against all odds, he has decided to take on the biggest fight of his life. We hope the public, especially the downtrodden and the less privileged will support him in his quest to topple this authoritarian regime,” former Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella, an ally of Pa...

Sep202021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

11 die of Covid in Toboso, all unvaccinated – mayor

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Mayor Richard Jaojoco warned Toboso residents on Sunday, September 19, against holding mass gatherings amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the town in September.Jaojoco said 11 Toboso residents died from COVID-19 from September 5 to 19 and all were unvaccinated.Toboso has had about 40 COVID-19 cases in September, he added.Jaojoco said foot patrol personnel have been tasked to ensure that people at the market go home immediately after they purchase their goods, and not linger in the area, to lessen their chances of being infected with COVID-19.He also appealed to the public to comply with minimum health protocols.They have received reports of basketball games and illegal cockfighting being conducted in the town and warned that those caught holding such...

Sep202021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Some offices in Binalbagan, Sagay close as Covid cases rise

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Some offices in Binalbagan and Sagay City will be closed starting Monday, September 20, as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Negros Occidental.Negros Occidental’s active COVID-19 cases Sunday, September 19, were 2,845 with six new deaths, the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT) reported.There have been 156 COVID-19 deaths in Negros Occidental from September 1 to 19, and 753 since the start of the pandemic, PIMT data showed.The province was under COVID-19 alert level 3 on Saturday, the Department of Health said.In order to intensify COVID-19 contact tracing in the main building of the Binalbagan municipal hall, the offices of the local civil registrar, accountant and treasurer will remain closed to the public until further notice, an advisory from the town said Sund...

Sep192021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Former Cabinet secretary with roots in Negros dies

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Photo from officialgazette.gov.phFormer Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman, who had roots in Cauayan, Negros Occidental, passed away Sunday, September 19.Soliman, who served as DSWD secretary under President Benigno Aquino III, was 68.She had roots in Cauayan being related to the Juliano family, Rafael Coscolluela, former Negros Occidental governor, said.“She was one of the most decent, hard-working and effective Cabinet secretaries…Dinky wasn’t flashy nor ambitious, just driven by her servant leader values and civil society organization involvement. We lost another good public servant today,” he said.In August, Soliman, her husband Hector and thirteen other family members contracted COVID-19 and recovered. Howe...

Sep192021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Love Negros officials join unity fellowship

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Contributed photosLove Negros officials led by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and former Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez held a unity fellowship at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City on Saturday, September 8.Board Member Agustin Ernesto “Tinto” Bascon, who is planning to run for mayor of Himamaylan City, said Julian Gatuslao may be fielded by Love Negros to run for board member of the fifth district.The other fifth district board member is Rita Gatuslao who is seeking re-election under the United Negros Alliance.Other Love Negros officials at the fellowship were Rep. Francisco Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District), Rep. Stephen Pauduano (Abang Lingkod Partylist) and Board Members Rommel Debulgado, Aracelli Somosa, Frederick Ko, Andrew Montelibano, Bas...

Sep182021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Ten lawmakers push for power rate inquiry, mayor seeks ERC help

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Ten lawmakers are pushing for a congressional inquiry on the increases in electricity rates in Negros Occidental and Iloilo, while Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia is appealing to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to act on the matter that has been exacerbated by a damaged National Grid Corporation of the Philippines submarine cable.Seven Negros Occidental and three Iloilo lawmakers are calling for an inquiry on the increase of the power rates of the electric cooperatives in their areas, Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District) said Friday, September 17."We want to determine what is causing the increase in electricity rates and what we can do to minimize the cost on consumers. We want to ease the financial burden of our constituents at a time when business...

Sep182021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Ceneco September rates down by 11 cents per kWh

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Central Negros Electric Cooperative announced on Friday that its average residential rate for the billing month of September is P12.2602/kWh, a decrease of P0.1122/kWh, from last month’s rate of P12.3724/kWh.The P0.1122/kWh rate decrease can be attributed to the reduction in generation, transmission, system loss charges and other pass through charges such as Lifeline and Senior Citizens Discount, GRAM ICERA adjustment and VAT, Danny Pondevilla, CENECO acting general manager, said in a press release.The pass-through charges equivalent to P11.0736/kWh of the total power rate include the Generation and Transmission charges, ERC-approved adjustments, government subsidies and taxes. Only P1.1866/kWh of the power rate goes to CENECO through Distribution, Supply, Metering (DSM) Charges an...

Sep182021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

September Covid deaths in Negros Occidental hit 140

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Negros Occidental had 26 new COVID-19 deaths on Friday bringing the total to 140 from September 1 to 17, the Provincial Incident Management Team reported.The COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental also continued to surge by triple digits daily.Negros Occidental had 2,473 active COVID-19 cases on Friday from 2,298 on Thursday, and 85 new recoveries, the PIMT added.The province has had 25,549 COVID-19 cases since March last year, with 22,339 recoveries and 737 deaths.Meanwhile, Bacolod City had 147 new COVID-19 cases and one death on Friday for a total of 1,734 active cases, the Department of Health reported.Bacolod has had 18,349 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic with 16,191 recoveries and 421 deaths, the DOH added.*

Sep182021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

11 Bacolod Comelec employees test negative for COVID-19

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Eleven employees of the Commission on Elections in Bacolod City have tested negative for COVID-19, Elections Officer Kathrina Trinio Caña said Friday, September 17.They have been given clearance through a Comelec medical online consultation to return to work on September 27, Caña said.They were told to complete their 14-day quarantine from last exposure to a COVID-19 positive co-worker on September 11, she said.The Bacolod Comelec closed on September 13 after one of its staff tested positive for COVID-19 but resumed voters registration on September 14.Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Ma. Fatima Aspan was designated acting election officer of Bacolod City in a concurrent capacity.Aspan and her staff have been manning the Bacolod Comelec office that has b...