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Negros Oriental recorded the first case of the highly contagious Omicron BA.4 variant in the Philippines.This was confirmed by Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion, who said that a resident of Dauin in the province tested positive for the Omicron subvariant BA.4.But she stressed the patient has already recovered.She said the patient came from the Middle East and was quarantined in a hotel in Manila for 14 days, and has since recovered.They only found out later that the patient was positive for the BA.4 subvariant, which is considered as a variant of concern because it can infect even those who have been vaccinated.The patient's family is currently in quarantine and has been subjected to swab testing.Negros Oriental currently has five COVID-19 acti...

BCPO photoMayor Evelio Leonardia lifted the curfew in Bacolod City starting Tuesday, May 24, to accelerate economic recovery.Executive Oder No. 25, Series of 2022, lifted the midnight to 4 a.m. curfew in the city.“In its desire to accelerate moves towards economic recovery, the city government is now taking steps to revitalize business activities and promote business spending,” Leonardia said in the EO.“In line with its recovery plan, the city finds it imperative that movement of people during the new normal should be eased and be made less constricted,” he said.Curfew had been imposed in Bacolod as a deterrent against the spread of COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.Bacolod City is one of the 39 LGUs that belong to the first batch of cities, towns and provinces...

Four doctors and two staff of Negros Occidental provincial government hospitals are under investigation, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Wednesday, May 25.They are under investigation following complaints lodged by private complainants with the Department of Health, Diaz said.The complaints are not all patient and malpractice related, there are some involving corrupt practices such as selling of medicines in hospitals, he said.Diaz said the One Hospital Command Center will remain even with the drop of COVID-19 cases for the efficient admission of patients at the government-run hospitals, and to address problems of overcrowding.Under the system, guidance is provided on which hospitals patients should be brought to, he said.The One Hospital Command Center is ...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has dropped Negros Occidental Provincial Planning and Development Office head Ma. Lina Sanogal from the roster of provincial government employees.She has been terminated for being absent without leave, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz.Lacson, in a letter to Sanogal dated May 19, said it has come to his attention that she has not reported for work since March 18 without an approved leave of absence and with no official communication on her whereabouts despite numerous attempts to contact her.Dropping from the roll is non-disciplinary in nature and is appealable before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) within 15 days from receipt of notice, he said.Diaz said an agreement had been reached for the transfer of Sanogal, while she was processing he...

The provincial government is buying an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) machine to help the multi-billion peso gamefowl industry of Negros Occidental.The Department of Agriculture (DA) now requires that 10 percent of every shipment of gamefowls from the province to other areas in the country must undergo tests for avian influenza, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Wednesday, May 25.Since no machine is available in the province gamefowl breeders have to wait for test results from Manila, which has been delaying shipments, he said.The ELISA, which cost P900,000, is worth investing in to help the province’s multi-billion peso industry, he said.The Negros Occidental provincial government laboratory for gamefowl tests is located at the Panaad Park in Barangay...

The Negros Occidental provincial government will resume its five-day workweek schedule starting June, Provincial Administrator Rayfrado Diaz said Wednesday, May 25.A four-day workweek had been adopted by the Negros Occidental provincial government starting at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where employees worked from home on Fridays.The return to five days is being done to expedite work with the province and the country facing a lot of difficulties amid the rising prices in commodities, fuel, fertilizer and labor, Diaz said.“We have so much to address and we need everybody on deck five days a week or even more,” he said.They are also complying with the Commission on Audit Circular 2020-006 requiring the conduct of a one-time cleansing of properties and equipment owned...

The security office of the provincial government-owned Negros First CyberCentre assured the public and its tenants that there is no cause for alarm following the holdup incident at its premises last week.Renelo Lastierre, head of the Capitol security office, said Wednesday, May 25, that based on their investigation, there were no security personnel lapses when the liaison officer and two other employees of the Negros Occidental Teachers Federation were holdup at the CyberCentre parking lot on May 19.The riding-in-tandem suspects carted away more than P600,000 from the victims who had just withdrawn the money from a nearby bank.Lastierre stressed that the security of the facility remains tight and it has been a “very safe place” for the public. The venue recently hosted a gather...

A Russian national who is facing charges for Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) was arrested in Valencia, Negros Oriental, Tuesday, May 24.The suspect, whose name was withheld by the police, was picked up by virtue of an arrest warrant after he was charged with three counts of violation of the VAWC law.He allegedly abused his wife and child.The suspect is currently in the custody of the Valencia police.*