Carla P. Gomez

Radyo Alagad photoThe flood damage brought on by Tropical Storm “Dante” to crops, farm animals and infrastructure in Negros Occidental increased to P15 million Tuesday, June 8.Damage to crops in six cities and six towns rose to P13.9 million, Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said.Affected were 893 farmers and 861.68 hectares, he said.Rice crop damage in Cadiz City was P881,491.88, Victorias City – P458, 025, La Carlota City - P410,800, Bago City – P1,160,850, Himamaylan City – P2,759,093 Pontevedra – P391,185, Moises Padilla - P1,701,301, Binalbagan – P601,640, Isabela –P270, 375, Hinoba-an – P2,321,240 and San Enrique – 2,950,740.Damage to high value crops in Cadiz City remained at P52,775, Masculino added.Damage to infrastructure in Hinoba-an was P518,500...

Bacolod City and Iloilo City remain high risk areas for COVID-19, a Department of Health (DOH) official reported Monday, June 7.Negros Occidental, on the other hand, is the lone province in Western Visayas classified as a low risk area, Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, DOH-6 medical officer IV, said in a virtual presser.No request will be made to raise the quarantine status of Negros Occidental, which is under Modified General Community Quarantine this June, since its classification remains at low risk, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson Jr. said,However, public gatherings in Negros Occidental should remain at 30 percent of a venue’s capacity, he said.Natalaray said the COVID-19 daily attack rate in Bacolod City was 11.61 percent from May 9 to 22, and increased to 13.43 percent from May 23...

Bacolod PIO photoThere are 23,800 more Sinovac vaccines arriving in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City Tuesday, June 8, to help curb the rise in COVID-19 cases.Negros Occidental will receive 16,800 Sinovac vaccines, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.Bacolod City that received 10,000 vaccines on Saturday will get 7,000 more on Tuesday, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.Diaz said an order will be issued for local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental that have failed to use vaccines earlier allocated to them to return them to the Capitol.“We will transfer the vaccines to LGUs where the vaccines are welcome,” he said.The LGUs that have not consumed their vaccines will not be given new supply, Diaz added.The Department of Health is requiring the province...

CLMMRH will observe stricter implementation of the existing hospital policies against COVID-19, Dr, Julius Drilon said.*CLMMRH photoIn-patient admissions at the Department of Obstetrics and Genecology and Department of Pediatrics at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City will be limited to extreme emergency cases until further notice, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said.The wards of these departments have reached maximum capacity and will undergo temporary closure due to lack of personnel as they had COVID-19 exposure and are currently quarantined, he said.Drilon said 36 CLMMRH personnel who tested positive for COVID-19 were in quarantine as of Monday, June 7.“The coronavirus disease has taken its toll not only in the local communitie...

The Philippine College of Physicians-Negros Occidental Chapter is appealing to Bacolod and Negros Occidental residents to strictly observe health protocols to stem the spread of COVID-19.“We have been facing the COVID-19 battle for more than year and still our cases continue to surge in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental. With the exponential rise of our daily census, our hospitals and the whole health care system are currently overwhelmed,” the PCP statement said.The PCP called for the observance of APAT: A - Air circulation and Ventilation, P – Physical distancing of one meter or more, A – Always use face mask and face shield, and T – Time of interaction, if needed, should be less that 30 minutes.“We need you to cooperate and follow the rules implemented to stop the spread of...

Radyo Alagad photoThe damage brought on by Tropical Storm “Dante” to crops, farm animals and infrastructure in Negros Occidental rose to P8.8 million Monday, June 7.Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said crop damage in four cities and five towns was P7,7540,433 affecting 502.25 hectares and 540 farmers.Rice crop damage in Cadiz City was P881,491.88, Victorias City – P113,775, La Carlota City - P410,800, Bago City – P1,160,850, Pontevedra - P257, 535, Moises Padilla - P1,701,301, Binalbagan – P601,640, Isabela –P249,025 and Hinoba-an – P2,321,240.Damage to high value crops in Cadiz City was P52,775, he added.Damage to infrastructure in Hinoba-an was placed at P518,500.Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena said farm animalloss was at P564, 868.*

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued an executive order Sunday, June 6, imposing “strict precautionary measures to curb the recent spike and rebound of COVID-19 infections.”Executive Order No. 31 Series of 2021 sets curfew in Bacolod City from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and totally bans consumption of liquor in public places.There is a need for more vigilance and caution with Bacolod experiencing a spike in COVID-19 infections, and the Department of Health-6 having classified it as a “high-risk” area for coronavirus, Leonardia said.He strongly appealed to Bacolod residents to observe all basic health protocols, and to voluntarily home quarantine themselves as much as possible.ON MASS GATHERINGSThe mayor reiterated in the EO that any form of mass gathering or business activity i...

There were 764 new COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas on Sunday, June 6, which was the highest the region has had in a single day, the Department of Health reported.Bacolod City had 178 new cases on Saturday and 128 on Sunday, bringing its current active cases to 1,473, the DOH report said.Negros Occidental had 149 new cases on Saturday and 137 cases on Sunday bringing its current active cases to 2,068, the DOH report added.The DOH reported four deaths in Bacolod City and three in Negros Occidental during the weekend.Western Visayas has had 50,948 COVID-19 cases, 8,941 of which are active.Iloilo province had the most number of active COVID-19 cases Sunday at 211 , while Iloilo City had 116, Aklan -70, Capiz -66, Antique – 33 and Guimaras - 3.Negros Occidental had the...

Bacolod City received 10,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines Saturday.*City PIO photoFirst and second dose mass vaccination against COVID-19 will resume at two Bacolod malls and in barangays this week, City Administrator Em Ang said Sunday, June 6.The mass vaccination will resume at the SMX Convention Center, Ayala Malls Capitol Central and barangays to be identified with the arrival of 10,000 additional doses of Sinovac vaccines in Bacolod City on Saturday, Ang said.It will cover residents belonging to the A1 to 3 categories - health care workers, senior citizens and persons with co-morbidities.As of June 4, the Emergency Operations Center and the COVID-19 Vacccination Council of Bacolod have administered 37, 150 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.Of the number, 15, 432 were Sinovac...