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Lt. Gen. Roberto Ancan, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command, led the wreath-laying ceremony and awarding of gold cross medals to four enlisted personnel of the 11th Infantry (Lapu-Lapu) Battalion, today, November 26, at the 11IB headquarters in Barangay Salag, Siaton town in Negros Oriental.Gold cross medals were awarded to Corporals Dennis Enalao, Raymundo Tanilon, Richard Rafols, and Private First Class Ramer Maceda for their gallantry in accomplishing the unit’s mission of protecting Negrenses and bringing peace and development in its area of operation, a press release from the Army said.Ancan also bestowed the Central Command streamer to the 11IB for its exemplary performance that significantly contributed to the attainment of the mission of the uni...

The Kabankalan City Hall reopened today, November 26, with 50 percent of its workforce, Mayor Pedro Zayco said.Zayco said out of 159 Kabankalan residents tested for COVID-19 Friday, November 20, initial results show that four are positive for the virus.Those who tested positive are a City Engineer’s Office employee, the wife of an engineer earlier hit by the virus, and two Locally Stranded Individuals who just arrived in Kabankalan, Zayco said.The Kabankalan City Hall was shut down Friday, November 20, for disinfection, after 23 employees of the city government tested positive for COVID-19.Zayco said the Kabankalan City Hall employees have been divided into Team A and B.Team A members will work at the city hall for a week, while those from Team B will be swabbed for COV...

The Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC-TF) is encouraging pregnant women to undergo prenatal checkups.EOC-TF One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) administrative officer, Dr. Claire Capiral, stressed today that prenatal checkups are important “to note if there are complications before delivery.”The OHCC monitors the daily healthcare capacity, which pertains to data regarding the Capacity Utilization Rate (CUR) and bed availability of the seven hospitals in Bacolod, a press release from the Bacolod Information Office said.The OHCC aims to facilitate hospital admission, to ensure that all moderate-to-severe patients won’t be refused admission to the health facilities, it added."Pregnant women can experience changes to their immune systems that can make them mor...

Benitez and PaduanoThe House of Representatives on Wednesday, November 25, named a 21-member contingent to the bicameral conference committee on the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021, which includes two representatives from Negros Occidental.The two are Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod).Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, in a House of Representatives press release, said the House contingent will make sure the 2021 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) will be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte before the year ends.“We have to make sure the GAB lands on President Duterte’s desk for his signature before the year ends to prevent a reenacted spending program that could slow economic growth ...

The annual Christmas party of the Negros Occidental provincial government employees at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City has been canceled as a precaution against COVID-19, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said today, November 25.But every provincial government department can have their respective celebrations provided they can follow health protocols, Lacson said.Meanwhile, Mayor Rex Jalando-on has issued an executive order prohibiting La Carlota City government employees from holding Christmas parties inside and outside their offices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.*

The House Committee on Health today, November 25, approved House Bill 4763 increasing the bed capacity of the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Negros Occidental, from 100 to 300 beds.The bill authored by Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) also seeks the upgrading of services and facilities and the increase of medical personnel at the hospital, and the allocation of funds for the purpose.Benitez, in his explanatory note to the bill, said the 1987 Constitution guarantees the protection and the promotion of the right to health of the people.“The delivery of timely, quality and affordable health services, however, is hampered by the lack of government healthcare facilities and human resources which may lead to a tragic loss of life,” Benitez sa...

The fish and vegetable section of the Food Terminal Market of Negros Occidental (FITMON) at the North Capitol Road in Bacolod City will reopen tomorrow, November 26, after those tagged as close contacts of a job order worker, who succumbed to COVID-19, tested negative for the virus, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, November 25.The fish and vegetable section was shutdown after a 45-year-old job order worker at the facility succumbed to COVID-19 Monday morning, November 23.All 19 security guards and employees at the facility tested negative, results released today showed, Diaz said.The facility has already been disinfected and is safe for reopening, he added.Lucille Gelvolea, head of the provincial government’s Economic Enterprise Development Department, sa...

The Bacolod City government will conduct COVID-19 surveillance tests for food delivery drivers Saturday and Sunday, Ernie Pineda, Bacolod City government sectoral concerns office head, said today, November 25.A meeting will be held tomorrow, November 26, to determine the volume of those to be tested so schedules can be set to prevent crowding at the Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient (BRO) Center at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports Center where they will be swabbed, he added.They have the capacity to swab 400 a day at the BRO, he said.They will be swabbed and allowed to return to work, only those who test positive will be quarantined, he added.Talks are also being finalized for the surveillance testing of public utility jeepney drivers, he said.*

Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay CityFlights from Cebu to the Bacolod Silay Airport will finally resume in December for humanitarian reasons, Negros Occidental provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, November 25.However, all flights to Negros Occidental will be suspended on December 24, 25, 31, and January 1 to give frontliners swabbing incoming passengers for COVID-19 tests, time to rest during the holidays, he added.The schedule of the Cebu flights to the Bacolod Silay Airport and vice versa in December are: Cebu Pacific - Tuesday, Air Asia – Wednesday and PAL – Friday, Diaz said.All incoming passengers from Cebu will also be swabbed for COVID-19 tests, he said.The one flight per day from Manila to the province will continue throughout December, he said....

Photo from Capiz Kabalaka Information CenterCardinal-designate Jose Advincula of Capiz, who is among the 13 new cardinals set to be appointed by Pope Francis on Saturday, will miss the ceremony due to COVID-19, the Vatican announced Monday, November 23,Advincula, 68, was the bishop of San Carlos in Negros Occidental before he was appointed archbishop of Capiz.Coronavirus will not stop the Consistory, a formal meeting of the College of Cardinals called by the pope, but it will change its modus operandi, the Vatican said.Advincula will not be able to attend the Consistory in the Vatican because of travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.He will attend the celebration, participating remotely from his diocese, through a digital platform that will allow them ...