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The medical community aired its dismay Tuesday, June 15, at the failure of the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) to place Bacolod City and Negros Occidental under a “stricter quarantine status” amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases. President Rodrigo Duterte announced Monday night, that Bacolod City and Negros Occidental will remain under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ), while Iloilo City, Iloilo province and Negros Oriental will be under the more stringent Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ). The Philippine College of Physicians-Negros Occidental Chapter (PCP-NOC) headed by Dr. Ronel Sario in a statement issued Tuesday said “We are saddened by the decision of the NIATF with regards to the quarantine status assigned to us, while our neighboring p...

City PIO file photo The health care system is about to collapse amid the continuing surge in COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City, Dr. Julius Drilon, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital chief, said Tuesday, June 15. He said with Bacolod City remaining under Modified General Community Quarantine, drastic bold decisions need to be made now because the primary defense against COVID-19 in the communities have bogged down. “The numbers are out, the cases are rising,” Drilon said. There has been poor enforcement of public health protocols, which needs to be aggressively acted on to arrest the spread of the virus, Drilon said. “The primary defense is prevention,” he said. There is need to continue to educate, test, isolate and vaccinate, he stressed. Drilon also ...

PIMT photoThe vaccine allocations for the 31 LGUs in Negros Occidental.* Negros Occidental received more Sinovac vaccines Tuesday, June 15, and will conduct a simultaneous mass vaccination drive in all 31 towns and cities of the province on Thursday and Friday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said. The province received an additional 6,400 doses of Sinovac vaccines Tuesday morning bringing the total available doses in Negros to 13,000, he said. The aim is to inoculate 13,000 Negrense in two to three days, he said. If there are local governments units that fail to use up their allocations, the vaccines will be diverted to areas that need them, Diaz said. In the past they allowed the LGUs to take their time in their vaccination drives, but with the national governmen...

A total of 2,761 individuals have been apprehended for violating COVID-19 health protocols in Bacolod City from June 1 to 13. P/Lt. Col. Lester Leada, head of Operations Management Unit of the Bacolod City Police Ofice (BCPO), said that 1,044 were caught not wearing face masks, and 737 for not wearing face shields. A total of 427 individuals were apprehended for violating the curfew ordinance, and 340 for violating the liquor ban. Also apprehended were 213 individuals for failing to comply with the one-meter requirement for physical distancing. From January 1 to June 13, 2021, the BCPO has already apprehended a total of 22,169 protocol violators in Bacolod. Personnel of Police Stations 1 to 10, along with the operatives of Mobile Patrol Unit (MPU), Bacolod City Mobile F...

Bago PNP photo A tricycle driver was gunned down by his passenger late Monday afternoon, June 14, at Barangay Ma-ao, Bago City, Negros Occidental. Killed was Rex Palma, 40, of Barangay Ma-ao. The unidentified passenger, who wore a yellow jacket and maong pants, shot the victim when he was about to disembark from the tricycle, a police report said. The suspect then fled on a black motorcycle driven by an unidentified driver who was already waiting at the scene. The victim, who sustained gunshot wounds to his head, was brought to Bago City Hospital and was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Joey Dela Torre of Brgy. San Isidro, EB Magalona, was shot to death by unidentified suspects at the barangay on Monday night, June 14. Police...

Kabankalan PNP photo A suspected drug personality was found dead on the side of the road in Barangay Tampalon, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Monday night, June 14. Police identified the victim as Sunny Tapdasan, 44. The victim was discovered by a passersby lying on the side of the road with his black motorcycle, a police report said. The victim sustained gunshot wounds on his forehead. Recovered from the crime scene were two fired cartridges and two deformed slugs of .45 caliber pistols, five sachets of suspected shabu, drug paraphernalia, several Identification cards, including a CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) confidential informant ID. The victim was brought to the Kabankalan City District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attend...

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...

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.*