Carla P. Gomez

The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City has temporarily closed its designated COVID-19 areas for obstetrics-gynecology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit patients for infrastructure repairs.They will be closed until June 18, a CLMMRH public advisory said Tuesday, June 15.Meanwhile, the hospital opened 22 more COVID-19 beds Tuesday for a total of 115, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said.He said they are freeing up more beds to bring the total number for COVID patients to 130.Three more COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit beds have also been added for a total of 10, he said.He said they have 17 COVID-19 patients wait listed for admission.The opening of more beds depends on the number of staff available to serve the needs of the patients, Dri...

Negros Occidental Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino will retire July 1 after 39 years in government service.Masculino, 62, said wants to go back to his private practice as a lawyer and continue teaching law.“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve under your administration and the people of our province, especially our farmers and fisherfolk,” Masculino said in his letter to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson informing him of his decision to retire.Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the governor has approved the request of Masculino to retire.An officer-in-charge will be named to head the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Diaz said.A recommendation will be submitted to the governor for his approval, he added.*

President Rodrigo Duterte announced Monday night, June 14, that Bacolod City and Negros Occidental will remain under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) from June 16 to 30, even as COVID-19 cases continued to rise in both areas.Iloilo City, Iloilo province and Negros Oriental will be under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), Duterte added.The Department of Health on Monday classified Western Visayas as a high risk area for COVID-19 with the average daily attack rate of the virus having increased from 5.67 percent from May 16 to 29, to 7.12 percent from May 30 to June 12.Bacolod City remains a high risk area for COVID-19, the DOH also said.The COVID-19 daily attack rate of Bacolod City increased from 13.95 percent from May 16 to 29, to 20.16 percent from ...

Capitol photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson signed Executive Order 21-30 Monday, June 14, imposing stringent measures to curb the surge in COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental starting Tuesday.Negros Occidental had 152 new COVID-19 cases for a total of 2,379 active cases on Monday, the Department of Health reported.The COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental increased from 15,108 on March 31 to 16,784 on June 13, Lacson said in his EO.The EO sets stricter border controls with Negros Oriental from June 15 to 30. All non-essential travel of persons originating from Negros Oriental will not be allowed into Negros Occidental during that period, the EO said.Regulated entry of Mabinay residents into Kabankalan City, Basay residents into Hinoba-an, and Canlaon City and ...

Dionilo Bogtae photoThe Bago City and Sipalay City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices have been closed for disinfection starting Monday, June 14, after their personnel tested positive for COVID-19.Fourteen Sipalay City DRRMO rescuers tested positive for COVID-19, but 17 others have not been hit by the virus and are still working, Sipalay Mayor Maria Gina Lizares said.The Sipalay DDRMO office has been closed for disinfection for two days.Two DDRMO workers in Bago City also tested positive for COVID-19, Mayor Nicholas Yulo said.The Bago DRRMO will be closed for disinfection until Wednesday, June 16.The Ma-ao Volunteer Rescue Unit will take over the DRRMO responsibilities for emergencies only.The Department of the Interior and Local Government Negros Occide...

LTFRB Regional Director Richard Osmeña (right) tries the VTI tap card as Martin Delgra III, LTFRB chairman (left), and Leo Rey Yanson, VTI president and CEO, look on.*CPG photoThe Automated Fare Collection System (AFCS) of Valllacar Transit Inc. will not only improve the convenience of the riding public, it will also help address public health safety, Chairman Martin Delgra III of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, said Monday, June 14.Delgra, who joined Leo Rey Yanson, VTI president and CEO, at the launching of AFCS at the Ceres Liner North Terminal in Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City, said it will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 because there will be no passing of money on the buses.The VTI pilot route for the AFCS on an initial 10 buses will be from Baco...

The Bacolod Casino Filipino has been temporarily closed for disinfection and sanitation after 79 of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 since May, its branch manager Jose Marciano Bautista said Sunday, June 13.The Casino, located at L ‘Fisher Hotel at Lacson Street, stopped operations Saturday and may hopefully reopen by mid-week, he said.The Casino is doing everything it can to help its employees, Bautista said.All of the about 360 organic and non organic employees of the Casino have already been tested for COVID-19, he said.“Rest assured that we are doing everything to contain this, it’s more on community acquired. If ever there is a transmission here we are stopping it,” he said.“Rest assured that the Casino is very, very safe because we follow all the protoco...

There is a possibility that Bacolod City will be placed under the more stringent Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine by June 16 because of the surge in its COVID-19 cases, City Administrator Em Ang said Sunday, June 13.Ang, Bacolod Emergency Operations Center executive director, said the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) is set to deliberate on the quarantine status of Bacolod, Negros Occidental and other areas of the country Monday, June 14.Ang said it is possible that Bacolod City could be placed under MECQ but they really do not know yet, IATF has yet to deliberate on it.A lot of the rules set under MECQ are already being enforced by the city government, including limiting public gatherings to 30 percent of a venue’s capacity, she said.Bacolod did not request fo...

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonarda amended Saturday, June 12, Executive Order No. 28 that sets the guidelines for hospital-supervised home quarantine (HSHQ) for asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City.Leonardia pointed out that Bacolod has been experiencing a spike and rebound in COVID-19 infection for the past 14 days of May that has continued in June prompting the Department of Health to classify the city as a “high-risk” area.The amended guidelines state that those who are qualified to apply for hospital-supervised home isolation/quarantine must have all of the following current conditions:*The patient is a confirmed asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 case only (meaning that he does not manifest moderate, severe, or critical symptoms of COVID-19, which would require facili...