Carla P. Gomez

Leisure travel between Panay Island and Bacolod City will remain banned until August 15, and Authorized Persons Outside their Residences entering the city must present negative RT-PCR results to protect Bacolodnons from the deadly effect of the COVID-19 Delta variant.This was stressed by Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia in Executive Order No. 42 Series of 2021 extending the General Community Quarantine with Heightened Restrictions (GCQ-HR) in Bacolod City from August 1 to 15, in compliance with the decision of the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.He pointed out that national health authorities have warned about the entry into the Philippines of the COVID-19 Delta variant, which is more contagious and more virulent than the original s...

CAAP-Bacolod photoNegros Occidental and Bacolod City are set to rollout 78,510 doses of COVID-19 vaccines that arrived Saturday, July 31.The Capitol received 50,000 more Sinovac vaccines, which rollout in the 31 Negros Occidental towns and cities will begin this week, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.The provincial government will also administer second dose AstraZeneca vaccines in August, he added.Bacolod City received 25,000 doses of Sinovac and 3,510 doses of Pfizer vaccines that were immediately brought to its Cold Room facility at the Bacolod City Government Center.Bacolod has received 193,850 combined doses of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer vaccines from the national government so far.On top of this allocation, the city has...

Fr. Agustin Hinayan officiates at the mass to mark the 12th death anniversary of former President Corazon Aquino and the 40th day since the passing of her son former president Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III at the USLS chapel in Bacolod City, Sunday.*Contributed photoFilipinos should exercise their rights as the bosses of the country’s officials by electing leaders in the May 2022 polls who will serve the nation well.Fr. Agustin Hinayan issued the call at a mass to mark the 12th death anniversary of former President Corazon Aquino and the 40th day since the passing of her son, former president Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III, at the University of Saint La Salle Chapel in Bacolod City, Sunday afternoon, August 1.If one loves Jesus one should do what is right and not be swayed by vote buyer...

Photo from PAL websitePhilippine Airlines has cancelled some Bacolod to Manila flights because of the newly imposed non-essential travel in and out of Manila during the heightened General Community Quarantine and Enhanced Community Quarantine periods, Bacolod PAL Manager Rene Aviles said Sunday, August 1.However, its Manila to Bacolod and Cebu-Bacolod-Cebu flights have not been cancelled, he said.Cancelled are PR 2130 Bacolod-Manila every Monday and Friday from August 9 to 16, and PR 2132 Bacolod-Manila – August 15, a PAL advisory said.Also cancelled are PR 2543/2544 Manila-Dumaguete-Manila – every Sunday, August 8 to 29, and PR 2545/2546 Manila-Dumaguete-Manila every Saturday, August 1 to 29, it added.Affected passengers may opt to rebook their flights to a later date,...

pixabay photoRep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District) said Saturday that the passage of House Bill 9147 is "a critical, concrete step towards a sustainable economy. A big win for the environment and for future generations."House Bill (HB) 9147 or the proposed “Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act,” was unanimously approved on third and final reading during Wednesday’s session, July 28.Benitez, who headed the Technical Working Group which drafted House Bill No. 9147, said it regulates the manufacture, sale and use of single-use plastic products.Rep. Greg Gasataya (Bacolod), one of the principal authors of the bill, said it is the solution to the plastic pollution in the country.House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said “the time is ripe” for the coun...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has named the permanent heads of three key posts in the provincial government, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Sunday, August 1.Lawyer Julie Ann Bedrio has been appointed as the permanent head of the Provincial Environment Management Office.Dr. Mary Ann Maestral has been promoted from officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City to chief of hospital II.Renelo Lastierre has been promoted to permanent Security and Safety Division head.No head of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist has been named yet.*

Two COVID-19 variants of concern cases have been detected in Negros Occidental, DOH regional epidemiologist Glen Alonsabe said Friday, July 30.The two local cases involved a patient from La Carlota City found to be infected with the Alpha variant and a Cadiz resident who was hit by the Beta variant, he said.The samples of the two local cases were sent to the Philippine Genome Center by the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital molecular laboratory in Bacolod City, he said, adding that the results were released last week.The Alpha and Beta variants are four times more contagious that the original SARS-CoV-2, he said.The Delta Variant is eight times for contagious, he added.The Alpha variant was first detected in the United Kingdom and the Beta variant in Sout...

San Carlos PIO photoEight job order (JO) workers of the San Carlos City government in Negros Occidental tested positive for the use of illegal drugs this week, Mayor Renato Gustilo said Friday, July 30.The eight JOs will be dismissed from their jobs, he said.“Our standard policy is if you are a JO and are found positive for the use of illegal drugs you will be out rightly dismissed from the service,” he said.Those found positive after surprise drug tests were Bantay Dagat, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and City Environment Management Office JO workers, Gustilo said.More surprise drug tests of San Carlos City employees were conducted Friday and the results are expected to be out next week, he said.San Carlos City conducts surprise drug tests on it em...

Contributed photoThe Department of Health is sending Negros Occidental and Bacolod City 78,510 doses of Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines on Saturday, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, DOH-6 Infectious Disease Unit head, said Friday, July 30.Negros Occidental will receive 50,000 doses and Bacolod City 25,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines, she said.Bacolod City will also receive 3,510 doses of Pfizer vaccines, she added. The Pfizer vaccines will be administered as second doses, Juanico said.This week, Bacolod City rolled out 51,040 doses of vaccines - 30,000 doses were Johnson & Johnson, 2,340 - Pfizer, and 18,700 - AstraZeneca.In Negros Occidental, 70,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccines were also rolled out this week with priority given to senior citizens, as wel...