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Capiz Archbishop Jose Advincula, former bishop of San Carlos in Negros Occidental, said Monday, October 26, that his appointment as cardinal by Pope Francis came as a surprise.Advincula said was informed of his appointment as cardinal by two priests at 7:30 p.m. Sunday because he did have his cellular phone with him.He was surprised as it never occurred to him that he would be named a cardinal, and there was no information that he was even being considered for the post, Advincula said.At first he thought there could have been a mistake as there are four other bishops in Panay with Jose as their first names.But soon he was receiving text messages and posts were appearing on social media that he was indeed appointed cardinal, he said.Advincula thanked God and the pope for...

The damaged Talacagay Bridge in Hinoba-an (left). Flooding about 150 meters from the Hinoba-an municipal hall Sunday. Contributed photosHeavy rain brought on by Typhoon Quinta caused water from three rivers in Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental to overflow, destroying crops, killing farm animals and submerging houses starting 2 p.m. Sunday, town mayor Ernesto Estrao said today, October 26.He said they were still assessing the extent of the damage.Killed were carabaos, cows, pigs and chickens, while destroyed were corn and rice crops, and banana trees, Estrao added.A portion of the Talacagay bridge was also damaged and only one lane was passable yesterday, he said.The heavily silted rivers of Talacagay, Bacuyangan and Bulwangan triggered the flooding, Estrao said.The Provi...

Bacolod City only has two new coronavirus cases today, October 27, the lowest number since July, City Administrator Em Ang said.Ang, executive director of the city’s Emergency Operations Center, said that one of the new cases was a repeat or the result of a confirmatory swab test.“This is the lowest daily record since July 16. We are definitely on track to significantly reducing the case count versus last month,” she said.“I am hoping and praying to God that this continues,” Ang added.She reminded Bacolod residents to continue wearing masks, washing hands, practicing physical distancing, and avoiding crowds.Earlier, the national government sent top officials, including Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, and E...

EDC Negros Oriental facility head, Debonaire Mamhot (left), recently turned over the RT-PCR machines to Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo (right) and the Negros Oriental IATF group. Raffy Cabristante photoNegros Oriental now has a much needed molecular laboratory that will soon be conducting 500 COVID-19 tests a day.Negros Oriental provincial government, Energy Development Corp. (EDC), and Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) officials inaugurated the province’s first molecular testing center today, October 28The testing facility will enable more timely reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of COVID-19 swab samples from local residents once it completes all accreditation requirements and gets the green light from the Department of Health, Richard...

Around 46 families in Moises Padilla were evacuated to the town’s auditorium after a flash flood hit the stockyard of Barangay 1 around 10 pm Sunday, October 25.The evacuation and relief operations were led by Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo, and other local officials, along with the Disaster Response Office, the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.As of this writing, the local government is still conducting damage assessment. (Photos from Moises Padilla LGU)

Persons who need to secure medical certificates in order to be issued with a “Travel Authority” document will be required to register in the Bacolod Contact Tracing (BaCTrac) System starting October 26, in accordance with a new order from the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC- TF).This new health protocol was recommended by the EOC-TF, the central body in Bacolod that collects and harmonizes relevant data that are transformed into policies against COVID-19, a press release from the city government said.In line with this new order from the EOC, City Health Office (CHO) officer-in-charge Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr. issued Memo Order No. 102320-01.The said CHO memo discourages chest X-ray as a requirement for the medical certificate, as it “does not detect COVID...

BGen. Noel Baluyan (center) hands over the flag to MGen. Eric Vinoya (right) for the turnover of comannd to the new commander of 302nd Infantry Brigade, Col. Leonardo Peña (left). PIA photoThe Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division has installed Col. Leonardo Peña as the new command head of 302nd Infantry Brigade (IB).Peña officially installed on Oct. 22 in a change of command ceremony held at the headquarters of the 302nd Brigade, Camp Leon Kilat, Tanjay City.Peña succeeded BGen. Noel Baluyan who was promoted as the new Assistant Division Commander of the 3ID at Camp Peralta, Jamindan, Capiz.Peña is a former chief of Unified Command Staff (CUCS) of the Western Mindanao Command, while Baluyan has served as the 302nd IB commander for one year and two months.In his messa...

Fastcraft trips between Bacolod and Iloilo cities will resume at the end of the month but those headed for towns and cities of Negros Occidental will be swabbed for COVID-19 tests, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today.They will be swabbed and quarantined, anyway their test results will be out in three days, he said.The provincial government is also willing to swab those headed for Bacolod City if they cooperate for the good of everybody, Diaz added.However, he said mandatory COVID-19 testing of those headed for Bacolod is up to the city government. Bacolod is a highly urbanized city that is not under Negros Occidental.Travel between Bacolod and Iloilo cities had earlier been halted because of the spike in COVID-19 cases.Jose Venancio Vero, Maritime Industr...

Pope Francis announced today the elevation of Capiz Archbishop Jose Advincula, former bishop of San Carlos in Negros Occidental, to cardinal at a consistory on November 28.The pope announced the appointment of 13 new cardinals, including Advincula, during his Sunday Angelus.Advincula is the ninth Filipino cardinal, following cardinals Orlando Quevedo, Luis Antonio Tagle, Gaudencio Rosales, Jose Sanchez, Ricardo Vidal, Jaime Sin, Julio Rosales and Rufino Santos.Advincula was ordained priest of Capiz on April 14, 1976, appointed Bishop of San Carlos on July 25, 2001 and was consecrated on September 8 of the same year.On Nov. 9, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI elevated Advincula to Archbishop of Capiz.Advincula is 68 and is among the nine new cardinals eligible to vote in a concla...

Photos from Moises Padilla LGUThe P1.7-million prime mover of Moises Padilla municipal government was swallowed by the flash flood that hit the town on Sunday night, October 25.The heavy equipment, which was purchased in 2008, was found downstream at the Binalbagan river the following day, approximately 50 meters from where it was parked, near the Livestock Auction Market at Barangay 1.The prime mover was the only heavy equipment of the local government that was being used to transport other heavy equipment during project implementation.*