Carla P. Gomez

Capitol file photoGovernor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he is holding Zoom meetings with the local chief executives and the business sector on the transfer of the Negros Occidental provincial government offices to Talisay City.“I think with these two sectors we will be able to make a decision,” the governor said, on the proposal to move the provincial government offices from Bacolod City to a 25-hectare property along the Bacolod-Silay Airport Access Road in Talisay City.This is a serious matter, the governor is meeting with the mayors to get their opinions on the matter, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said.Ferrer said he has no objection to the move.They will also discuss if Talisay City will then become the capital of Negros occidental and not Bacolod City with the move, he...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is processing the release of the gratuity pay for its 600 plus job order workers, but will not grant the Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) to its regular employees since the amount it can allocate is too small, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, January 5.The gratuity pay of JOs will range from P1,000 to P3,000 each depending on their length of service, he said.The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan has approved P2 million for the gratuity pay of the JO workers, Diaz said.He said they did not process the release of the SRI of the regular provincial government employees since they would be able to give about P1,700 each instead of P10,000.President Rodrigo Duterte in separate in orders December allowed th...

Former Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said today, January 4, that he expects COVID-19 vaccines to be available in Negros Occidental by February.Benitez is coordinating with Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., the country’s vaccine czar, and COVID-19 response chief implementer, for the purchase of the vaccines for Negros Occidental to augment those to be allocated by the national government.The purchase is open to individuals and private companies in Negros, who would like vaccines for their employees, he said.The vaccines are almost here in the Philippines, Sinovac from China and Sputnik V from Russia are among the first vaccines expected to be available in the Philippines, Benitez said.The Chinese and Russian firms have applied for Food and Drug Administration approval and probably wi...

Rep. Francisco Benitez distributes food assistance to flood victims in EB Magalona with town officials led by Mayor Marvin MalaconFlood-hit cities of the third district of Negros Occidental are set to be placed under states of calamity.Mayor Francis Palanca said the Emergency Operations Center and City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council today, January 4, passed resolutions recommending that Victorias City be placed under a state of calamity.The Victorias Sangguniang Panlungsod is set to act on the recommendation tomorrow, he said.The floods that hit Victorias City on New Year’s day affected 8,976 residents, destroyed 38 houses, and damaged 111 others, the mayor said.The floods also caused P7.6 million in losses to crops, animals, and fishing vessels in Victorias...

Capitol photoGovernor Eugenio Jose Lacson challenged the Negros Occidental provincial government employees today, January 4, to try to outdo the good they have done in the past, in 2021.Lacson, who delivered his new year’s message at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City in the presence of Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, said the things they did well should move them to do better.He said they should try to release grants to partner Non-Government Organizations as soon as they can so that the causes they support will be able to progress.They should also seek to pay the obligations of the provincial government in good time, including the salaries of new hires, he said.Lacson also urged all departments to promptly implemen...

The number of local government units in Negros Occidental that are COVID-free have increased to six, a Provincial Incident Management Team report said.As of Sunday, January 3, Sipalay City joined the LGUs in the province with no active COVID-19 cases, the report said.The other COVID-free areas are Candoni, Salvador Benedicto, EB Magalona, Ilog and Pulupandan.The report also said there are 152 COVID-19 active cases in Negros Occidental with San Carlos City having the most at 27.The Department of Health reported six new COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental and none in Bacolod City today, January 4.*

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson was unfazed today, January 4, by talk that a former Bacolod City politician was going around Negros Occidental and telling people that he will run for governor in 2022.One cannot pick one's opponents, it is up to that person to make public this early that he or she will run in 2022, we will just continue to do our work, the governor said.Lacson said he believes that the coalition of Love Negros and the United Negros Alliance led by Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer will hold in the 2022 elections.The governor, who belongs to Love Negros, pointed out that he was even invited to induct the UNegA officers recently.*

Rep. Francisco Benitez and Mayor Francis Palanca (2nd and 3rd from right) discuss the flood problem in Victorias City at a meeting Monday, January 4.*The Department of Public Works and Highways is sending dredgers to Victorias City this week to help clear waterways and mitigate flooding.Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Negros Occidental 3rd District) said he is meeting with DPWH officials on Thursday, January 7, to discuss the flooding problem in his district.Floods hit Talisay, Silay and Victorias cities, and EB Magalona town on January 1 affecting thousands of residents and destroying and damaging hundreds of houses.“We have requested for dredging from the DPWH since last year,” Benitez said.“The rivers and the deltas have already been identified, but more details shoul...