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Jan212021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Capitol preparing vaccine cold storage facilities: guv

The provincial government is preparing cold storage facilities for the COVID-19 vaccines that are expected to arrive in Negros Occidental by the second quarter or early third quarter of this year, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said today, January 21.“We are buying additional equipment that can store vaccines up to negative 70 degrees,” Lacson said.The storage facilities will be placed in vaccination centers to be set up in strategic areas in the province, he said.The Negros Occidental provincial government has signed an advance purchase agreement for 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines for 50,000 people. The priority of the provincial government will be COVID-19 frontliners, he saidSecretary Carlito Galvez has assured that the national government will also provide free CO...

Jan212021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Trip allowance reduction not a violation, VTI says

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Some drivers and conductors of Ceres Liner buses staged a picket in Victorias City this morning, January 21, against management’s reduction of their trip allowances by half.Vallacar Transit Inc. that operates the Ceres Liner buses, gave the trip allowance as an added incentive to the drivers and conductors, it is not part of salaries or their Collective Bargaining Agreement, Jade Seballos, VTI media relations officer, said.VTI President Leo Rey Yanson had given the tripping allowance out of his own generosity, she said.However, management has had to adopt cost-cutting measures since the bus firm has been operating at reduced passenger capacity in compliance with the COVID-19 social distancing rule, which has put a huge financial strain on its operations, she said.She a...

Jan212021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Puyat: DOT to help boost NegOcc tourism recovery

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Capitol photoTourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat ended her three-day visit to Negros Occidental today, January 21, saying her department hopes to help bring about the timely recovery of tourism and related industries in the province, while keeping everyone safe and healthy.The Department of Tourism through its Tourism Promotions Board will fund projects for the Negros Occidental similar to the Visitors Information and Tourist Assistance app it provided to Baguio City and subsidize RT-PCR testing of tourism workers, she said.They will also promote Negros Occidental on the Travel Philippines app, which the DOT regularly updates with the latest travel advisories and guidelines in destinations that have reopened, she said.“We will also offer funding for the re-branding o...

Jan212021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv stresses need for police visibility amid COVID pandemic

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Capitol photoNegros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson stressed the need for police visibility in all towns and cities of Negros Occidental in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.“The presence of policemen in the community creates trust and connection to our people, especially in this time when our people need more reassurance,” Lacson said, in his speech during the New Year courtesy call of the Negros Occidental police officials at the Social Hall of the Capitol in Bacolod City today, January 21.Col. Romy Palgue, Negros Occidental police director, was joined by the chiefs of police of the towns and cities of Negros Occidental during the New Year’s call.Lacson said that while it is true that Negros Occidental is considerably peaceful compared to most provinces,...

Jan212021 by Marchel P. EspinaNo Comments

Foam party in Bacolod probed

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Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said that the foam party at a beach resort at Barangay Pahanocoy last week is being investigated.He already talked with Barangay Pahanocoy Captain Yolanda Noble who confirmed that the incident happened in her area, Familiaran said.Familiaran said that the people inside the resort were violating the minimum health protocols such as not wearing face masks and no social distancing.Videos of the event are making rounds on social media.Familiaran said that the people seen in the video don’t look like partygoers, but still, he stressed that the minimum health protocols were violated.He said the incident is still being looked into.*

Jan212021 by Marchel P. EspinaNo Comments

Task force intensifies measures vs. ASF

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PVO photoThe Negros Occidental Provincial African Swine Fever Task Force continues to intensify its measures against the dreaded virus which could affect the province’s P6 billion hog industry.Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena, co-chair of the ASF task force, said today, January 21, they “relentlessly enforced the Provincial ASF Prevention Ordinance by continuous enforcement and conduct of checkpoints and inspection of incoming vehicles and refrigerated container vans at the different ports of entry in the province as well as the monitoring of supermarkets, grocery stores, online sellers of frozen meat products” so the province will remain free from ASF.The serious campaign of keeping the status of Negros Occidental an ASF-free is through the resolute imposition of the go...

Jan212021 by Marchel P. EspinaNo Comments

‘Don’t withhold information from contact tracing team’

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The Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) reminded persons identified as having come in contact with COVID-19 positive patients to disclose all necessary information to the City’s Contact Tracing Team.The EOC reiterated its call after it discovered that some individuals have withheld relevant information from the Contact Tracing Team, a press release from the Bacolod City Public Information Officer today, January 21, said.“Early detection, identification, isolation and containment of the virus prevent dreaded effects which may lead to death,” Dr. Rosalie Deocampo, contact tracing cluster head, said.The information to be provided during contact tracing must be “truthful and accurate” to effectively curb the spread of the viral disease, Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC medical d...

Jan212021 by Digicast Negros StaffNo Comments

Photo of the Day (January 21, 2021)

Photo of the Day

The 79th Infantry (Masaligan) Battalion of the Philippine Army distributed relief goods to affected families in flood-hit areas in Negros Occidental Wednesday, January 20.*79th IB photo

Jan202021 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Lacson: Pontevedra couple being tested for UK variant | BACOLOD AWAITS RESULTS OF THREE OTHERS

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Bacolod DRRMO file photoGovernor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government is determining if a couple from London who arrived in Negros Occidental on January 16 and tested positive for COVID–19 have the highly contagious United Kingdom variant.The Bacolod City government is also waiting for the COVID-19 test results of three persons who were on the Emirates flight from Dubai that arrived in Manila on January 7 with the first Filipino found positive for the UK variant on board, City Administrator Em Ang said.Meanwhile, Lacson said the couple who came from London arrived in the Philippines on December 30 and in Negros Occidental on January 16, and are now under home quarantine in Pontevedra town.The couple and their son attempted to board an Air Asia flight on Janua...