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Firefighters battle through thick smoke to put out the blaze at Barangay 12 in Bacolod City.*Arthur Yap photoFirefighters battled through thick smoke and zero visibility to put out a blaze that destroyed seven houses and damaged three others at Purok Malipayon, Barangay 12, Bacolod City, Friday morning, May 7, Bacolod fire chief Rodel Legaspi said.One firefighter, F01 John Vincent Batabat, sustained a laceration on his left palm while putting out the blaze.The destruction from the fire, which began at about 9:34 a.m. and was placed under control at 10:46 a.m., was initially estimated at P450,000, Legaspi said.Most of the houses hit by the blaze were two storey structures at San Juan Street made of concrete and wood, some of which also had eateries, small stores and a bakery...

Bacolod DRRM photoThere will be no provincewide lockdown or request for a total travel moratorium with the surge of COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz stressed Friday, May 7.There will only be granular lockdowns in specific areas hit by COVID-19 and denial of travelers’ entry into Negros Occidental if they are headed for towns and cities where quarantine facilities are full, said Diaz, who is also Negros Occidental Inter-Agency Task Force action officer.There were 125 new COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental on Friday, the Department of Health reported.The province has 2,312 COVID-19 active cases, the Provincial Incident Management Team also reported on Friday.Mayors of Negros Occidental have been informed that that if their COVI...

Bacolod City government’s mass vaccination drive against COVID-19 for registered health care workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will resume Saturday, May 8, City Administrator Em Ang said Friday.The fifth day of the mass vaccination drive at SM City on Friday was cancelled because of crowd control problems.Ang said they needed to reassess their protocols and procedures so they could implement a more orderly and safer flow of vaccination.The mass vaccination will resume at Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Monday, and at SM City on Monday, she said.Among those scheduled for vaccination Saturday are groups of registered senior citizens and persons with comorbidities from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and vol...

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (3rd and 4th from left) lead the welcoming committee for the 1.5 million doses of Sinovac vaccines at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Friday.*PNA photoNegros Occidental and Bacolod City are set to receive 6,000 more Sinovac vaccines good for 3,000 persons, Dr. Jane Juanico, Department of Health 6 infectious disease section head, said Friday, May 7.The province and city will receive 3,000 doses each, she said.These are part of the 38,400 doses allotted for Western Visayas from the 1.5 million doses of government-procured Sinovac vaccines that arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International via a Cebu Pacific flight on Friday.Iloilo province will receive 15,000 doses, Aklan, Anti...

The Sipalay City government will now require close contacts of COVID-19 positive patients to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests because of the “alarming increase” of cases in the locality.In an advisory Thursday night, May 6, the city government said that the local Inter-Agency Task Force will “strictly enforce the mandatory swab testing for all contact traced individuals as per contact tracers’ report.”It added that a demand letter will be issued to those who will refuse to cooperate.The City Health Office also conducted a mandatory swabbing for all contact traced market vendors and stall owners on Friday, May 7.Other market vendors, stall owners, and helpers were also encouraged to submit themselves for voluntary swab testing.Those who undergo a swab test received a food ...

Bacolod City government’s five-day mass vaccination drive against COVID-19 at SM City will be suspended Friday, May 7, because of crowd control problems, City Administrator Em Ang said Thursday.“We will reassess our protocols and procedures so we can implement a more orderly and safer flow of vaccination,” she said.Ang said they cater to persons who have registered and are notified to go to the vaccination site. Those notified by the city data officer are 200 per day but they have been getting walk ins who refuse to leave, she said.About 1,670 health care workers, senior citizens and persons with comorbidities were vaccinated from Monday to Thursday, she said.On Monday, they vaccinated 291, Tuesday – 433, Wednesday – 466 and on Thursday more than 480, Ang said.The mass ...

Bacolod DRRM photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government on Thursday, May 6, began denying S-PaSS applications of travelers seeking permission to enter Negros Occidental towns and cities whose quarantine facilities are full.Lacson said the provincial government will not ask for a moratorium on travel to Negros Occidental amid the surge in COVID-19 cases as there are some local government units (LGUs) that are still okay.However, they will deny entry of travelers into areas, especially with triple-digit COVID-19 cases, whose quarantine facilities are full, he said.Negros Occidental on Wednesday had 2,565 active COVID-19 cases. The province also had 209 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the Department of Health reported.“Everyday we are creating a new recor...