Carla P. Gomez

Capitol photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government is set to start issuing vaccination cards with QR codes to Barangay Kapitolyo fully vaccinated individuals, with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson to be the first recipient, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Monday, July 12.The QR codes are needed to ensure the authenticity of the vaccination cards, he said.The Negros Occidental provincial government no longer requires negative RT-PCR test results for travelers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Diaz added.The first to be issued vaccination cards with QR codes will be Barangay Kapitolyo vaccinees, who are mostly provincial government employees, who had received their second doses at the Negros Residences in Bacolod City, he said.They are asking loc...

Five employees of the Negros Occidental Comprehensive Health Program (NOCHP) office have tested positive for COVID-19, one of whom was hospitalized, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Monday, July 12.He said two employees tested positive on Saturday and on Sunday one was transferred to the Valladolid District Hospital because of difficulty in breathing but has since improved.On Monday, three more members of the NOCHP staff tested positive for COVID-19 and were brought to the Mambukal Resort in Murcia town for isolation, he said.The rest of the NOCHP employees tested negative, and the office has reopened, he said.Negros Occidental had 1,840 active COVID-19 cases and four new deaths for a total of 495 on Monday, the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT)reported...

Photo from Rep. Francisco BenitezNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson cited businessman Simplicio “Sammy” Palanca and his brother Dr. Ernesto Palanca, who are set to be buried in Victorias City on Sunday, for having helped so many Negrenses.Simplicio Palanca, 98, founder and chairman of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (BREDCO), passed away after suffering from a cardiac arrest at the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center in Bacolod City on July 10.His brother Dr. Ernesto Palanca, 86, who founded the Negros Occidental Drug Rehabilitation Center in Victorias City, suffered a massive stroke and died in Metro Manila on July 6.Lacson said Simplicio Palanca, who was the architect of the BREDCO port and reclamation area, was a visionary who created a lot of economic act...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is likely to adopt the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) resolution allowing children who are five years old and above to go to outdoor areas provided they are supervised by adults in places under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Monday, July 12.Lacson said he was meeting Provincial Incident Management Team to discuss if the minors will be allowed out and in which areas.Diaz said the meeting took place and the decision of the governor will be disclosed on Tuesday, July 13.The IATF-EID Resolution 125 Series of 2021 issued Thursday, July 8, said the local government units concerned may increase the age restriction of children allowed out ...

The Liberal Party Visayas, including its chapters in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, marked the fifth anniversary of the Philippines' landmark win of its West Philippine Sea claim over China, which the LP called the greatest legacy of former president Benigno Aquino III, on Monday, July 12.Aquino passed away on June 24.The Hague’s Arbitral Tribunal ruling stated the People's Republic of China has no lawful claim to the area determined by the Arbitral Tribunal to be part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. The PRC and the Philippines, pursuant to their treaty obligations under the Law of the Sea Convention, are legally bound to comply with this decision.“Indeed, the greatest legacy PNoy left for the Filipinos was the landmark win of our country...

Visionary businessman Simplicio “Sammy” Palanca, founder and chairman of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (BREDCO), passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center in Bacolod City 11:39 p.m. Saturday, July 10.He was 98.He died four days after his youngest brother, Dr. Ernesto Palanca, 86, suffered a massive stroke and died in Metro Manila on July 6.Their grandson, former Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, Negros Occidental consultant on economic affairs, said his Lolo Sammy was a visionary.“He devoted his time, resources and efforts in building the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. He never faltered from his vision of reclaiming the 250-hectare shoreline of Bacolod and establishing a seaport, even when others thought it was impos...

Mayor Evelio Leonardia’s order requiring persons below 18 years old in Bacolod City to remain in their residences at all times has not been repealed, Dr. Chris Sorongon, Emergency Operations Center deputy for medical data and analysis, said Sunday, July 11.“The status quo holds for now,” he said.This is contained in Executive Order No. 35 that placed Bacolod under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) until July 31, he said.The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has issued a resolution allowing children who are five years old and above to go to outdoor areas provided they are supervised by adults in places under GCQ.Sorongon pointed out that IATF-EID Resolution 125 Series of 2021 issued Thursday, July 8, said the local governm...

Photo from Bishop AlminazaThe Diocese of San Carlos has started a drive to raise funds for the repair of the historical pilgrimage Shrine and Parish Church of St Vincent Ferrer in Barangay Vito, Sagay City in Negros Occidental that was hit by fire at 11 p.m. Friday, July 9.The left side of the altar was hit by the fire and the estimated cost of the damage is from P50,000 to P100,000, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said Sunday, July 11.“A spark coming from an unplugged overheated amplifier used in all three masses on Fridays as part of the popular devotion of the faithful and pilgrims to this very historical shrine and center of faith and devotion to St Vincent Ferrer may have caused this fire that partially damaged the left side of the altar when one is facing it,” he said....

Sinovac vaccines purchased by three chapters of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) in Negros Occidental arrived in Bacolod City Sunday, July 11.Mark Gomez, vice president of the Bacolod Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (BFCCII), said 2,108 Sinovac vaccines arrived for 1,054 members of the three chambers and their A4 workers.Their vaccination drive will be held at the St. John’s Institute from Monday to Friday. Their hospital partner is the Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, Gomez said.The purchase of the vaccine was facilitated by FFCCCII Board Member for Negros Island Yip, Ying Wun (John Yap) for the BFCCCII headed by Edgar Sy, Southern Negros Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. whose presi...

San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, who recently recovered from COVID-19, presided over a thanksgiving mass at the San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral Sunday, July 11.He was discharged from the San Carlos Doctor’s Hospital on June 25 after a 6-day confinement and completed the 21-day quarantine.However, he was advised to be conscientiously guarded in receiving engagements as he resumes his ministry due to his pre-existing medical conditions.Alminaza said, “God showed me who is in control and how free and peaceful I can be if I learn ‘To let go and let God!’ — which includes letting go of entitlements.”*