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President Rodrigo Duterte unveiling the marker of the Port Operations Building in Dumaguete City Thursday, March 11.*President Rodrigo Duterte inaugurated P366 million in airport and port improvement projects in Negros Oriental Thursday afternoon, March 11, that he said are geared towards promoting more vibrant trade and tourism as a catalyst for economic recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic.These are geared towards enhancing connectivity of the Philippine islands to bring growth to the countryside, he said.The P252 million airport improvements include the re-blocking of the apron, construction of two taxiways, expansion of the existing passenger terminal building, runway asphalt overlay and shoulder grade correction, and the expansion of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Phil...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is issuing an executive order requiring all incoming passengers to submit negative RT-PCR test results issued not more than 72 hours prior to their date of travel to the province, which will take effect Monday, March 15.This will be enforced in compliance with Resolution 101 of the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Lacson said Thursday, March 11.This means passengers will no longer be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined on arrival in the province, he said.Lacson said he is holding a Zoom meeting with the Negros Occidental mayors Friday, March 12, to explain to them that Negros Occidental has to implement Resolution 101.Swabbing will still be available for passengers who want to be ...

President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the public to continue to observe the prescribed health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but admitted that social distancing is difficult to enforce in densely populated urban areas of the country.At the very least masks and shields should be worn for maximum protection, the president said in his speech at the inauguration of various projects at the Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport Thursday afternoon, March 11.How can social distancing be enforced in places like Quiapo and on buses, when there are so many Filipinos crammed in urban areas, he said.“This is because we have not been able to implement the family planning program,” Duterte said.“I remember, it was only president (Fidel) Ramos who was a Protestant who really in...

The provincial government of Negros Oriental has eased the requirements for its returning residents and travelers.Governor Roel Degamo issued an executive order on Wednesday, March 10, amending the previous order that requires mandatory Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests for locally stranded individuals and returning overseas Filipinos.The governor’s new order adopted national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution No. 101, which sets uniform travel protocols for land, air and sea.Travelers are no longer required to present a negative RT-PCR result, the EO said, adding the guidelines shall be binding in all component cities and municipalities within the province.“Upon arrival, if a traveler manifests signs and s...

City PIO photoThe Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-6) Regional Office will turn over to the Bacolod City government tomorrow, March 12, the 32 additional isolation rooms it built in Barangay Alijis for COVID-19 patients.Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, and DPWH-6 regional director Lea Delfinado will lead the ceremonial turn over, a press release from the Bacolod Public Information Office said.This now completes the 64-room facility that the DPWH constructed for Bacolod City. The facility, costing P50 million, is located in what used to be the plant nursery of the City Agriculture Office in Barangay Alijis.Leonardia had lobbied for the 64 isolation rooms last year with DPWH Secretary Mark Villar. It was favorably endorsed by DPWH Undersecretar...

A resident of Sagay City was shot to death inside his home at Barangay Rizal Wednesday night, March 10.Police identified the fatality as 57-year-old Antonio “Boboy” Gallo.The victim was inside his house watching TV when the motorcycle-riding suspects arrived at his residence and shot him without any provocation, a police report said.The victim was hit on the right side of his jaw.The suspects fled in an unknown direction, while the victim was rushed to the Alfredo Marañon District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.Recovered from the crime scene was one deformed slug of an unknown firearm.Police have yet to establish the motive of the killing.*

The Negros Occidental Provincial Incident Management Team and COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force picking up the 1,600 doses of Sinovac vaccines for the province from the Bacolod City Government Center cold room Wednesday morning, March 10.*Richard Malihan photoThe Department of Health is providing 1,995 Negros Occidental hospital frontliners with COVID-19 Sinovac vaccines, and 1,600 doses for 800 recipients were delivered Wednesday, March 10, Jane Juanico, DOH 6 infectious disease cluster head, said.The Department of Health 6 received an additional 16,880 vials of Sinovac vaccines and 1,000 vials of AztraZeneca vaccines Wednesday, March 10, to be distributed throughout Western Visayas, she said.The 1,000 AstraZeneca vials that are equivalent to 10,000 doses will be allocated for ...

Capitol photoBacolod City has asked for additional COVID-19 vaccines from the Department of Health with an increase in hospital frontliners wanting to be vaccinated, City Administrator Em Ang said Wednesday, March 10.“There has been an increase in the vaccine uptake,” Ang, who is also executive director of the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said.The DOH has promised to send Bacolod City more Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines for its hospital frontliners, Ang said.The Bacolod City EOC has also been asked to provide a list of its hospital senior citizen frontliners who will be provided with AstraZeneca vaccines by Monday, she added.Five hospitals in Bacolod City have submitted a list of 1,160 additional health care workers wanting to be vaccinated, she said.T...