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Doctors at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City performed their second pacemaker surgery on May 7.*CLMMRH photoDoctors at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City performed their second pacemaker surgery on May 7, a week after their historic first, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said Sunday, May 16.Next month they will also conduct pediatric cardiovascular surgery on three patients, he said.He said the second pacemaker surgery at the hospital on May 7 was attended to by doctors Calvin Fernandez, Jorge Edward Masa and Kris Laura Crucero-Manuel.The patient who is a 48-year-old male surgeon had a complete heart block. He needed a pacemaker due to symptoms resulting from a very slow heart rate, Drilon said...

Binalbagan PIO photoMayor Alejandro Mirasol has issued an executive order directing a two-day temporary closure of the Binalbagan Boulevard and all beaches and resorts in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, until Monday, May 17.Binalbagan is experiencing a sudden surge of COVID-19 cases suspected to be caused by a new variant, Mirasol said in Executive Order 24 Series of 2021.Binalbagan had 43 active COVID-19 cases on Saturday, May 15, he said.Binalbagan has had 432 residents hit with COVID-19 of which 370 have recovered, 15 died, and four were transferred to other LGUs, Mirasol added.Wearing face masks, social distancing, frequent hand washing and avoiding crowds is strongly encouraged, Mirasol said.All establishments and offices in Binalbagan should follow Executive Or...

The League of Cities of the Philippines thanked President Rodrigo Duterte and the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF- EID) Saturday for including local chief executives under the Priority Group A1.5 in the on-going National Vaccination Program.The LCP, in a statement issued Saturday, said “such a move recognizes the important roles of LCEs in the success of the country’s vaccination program.”“We commit to reciprocate the trust and confidence of the IATF to city mayors with more active and responsive vaccination efforts in our respective localities,” it added.Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, LCP national president, on March 29 wrote to IATF Chairman and DOH Secretary Francisco Duque requesting the reclassification of LCEs...

Bacolod PIO photoThere were 1,818 Bacolodnons who were vaccinated against COVID-19 Friday, May 14, which was the highest number in Bacolod City in a single day, City Administrator Em Ang said.Vaccinated were frontline healthcare workers (A1), senior citizens (A2), and persons with comorbidities (A3).There were 51 who were vaccinated with Sinovac vaccines while the rest had AstraZeneca jabs, Ang, who is also the executive director of the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center, saidVaccinated in the Barangay 39 cluster were 41, Alijis - 92, Mansilingan – 130, Punta Taytay - 100, Villamonte - 392 Andres Bonifacio Elementary School - 120, Mandalagan - 92, SMX Convention Center - 367 and Ayala Malls Capitol Central – 484, she said.Ang said there was a low turnout at the Baranga...

Four persons were killed inside their residence at Brgy. Trinidad, Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental 5 a.m. Friday, May 14.“The victims were killed inside the sanctity of their own homes and were quite possibly, victimized on suspicion of being informants during the encounter in the same place last March 23, when the communist rebels suffered a major loss,” Guihulngan Mayor Carlo Reyes said in a statement.The Army said the four civilians killed Friday, allegedly by the New People’s Army, were Ronelo Quirante, 56, Roger Fat, 46, and the couple Rodrigo Lubay, 46, and Celerina Lubay, 44.Meanwhile, Reyes said the police are already conducting an investigation “to secure the safety of the masses and to bring the perpetrators to justice.”“This is simply too much hardship and p...

Ceneco photoThe five electric cooperatives in Negros Island joined their counterparts nationwide in a Black Friday protest on May 14 against takeover and privatization attempts.The protest was in response to the call of the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PHILRECA), Danny Pondevilla, project supervisor and acting general manager of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (CENECO), said.The five cooperatives are CENECO, Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative, Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO) and Negros Oriental Electric Cooperatives I and II.Pondevilla, who is also NONECO general manager, said they staged the protest in a show of support against takeover attempts at the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) and the Northern Davao Electric Coo...

Negros Island and Bacolod City will remain under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) from May 15 to 31, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Friday, May 14.That is what the national Inter-Agency Task Force sees as the appropriate status for Negros Occidental so we will just follow it, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.Negros Occidental had 23 new COVID-19 cases and Bacolod City had 78 on Friday, the Department of Health reported.The DOH said Negros Occidental has 2,239 active COVID-19 cases and Bacolod City has 981.Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, approved the recommendation of the IATF to place the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions from May 15 to 31.A...

The Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils in the 31 towns and cities of Negros Occidental remain on heightened alert even though tropical depression “Crising” has weakened into a low pressure area.Zeaphard Caelian, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head, said Friday afternoon, May 14, that they remain on heightened alert against flooding that could be brought on by rains.Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson directed all DRRMCs Friday morning to go on heightened alert against “Crising” and be pro-active.Heighten preparedness against flooding, landslides and flash floods, he said.*