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Negros Occidental has 124 active COVID-19 cases, 93 of whom are persons who recently arrived in the province from other parts of the country, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, March 10.They are 90 locally stranded individuals, two Authorized Persons Outside Residence, and one Returning Overseas Filipino, he said.The high number of incoming persons who are positive for COVID-19 is why the provincial government is continuing to insist on conducting RT-PCR tests and placing them in quarantine on arrival until their negative results are released, Diaz said.Results are now released in a day so persons entering the province will not have a long wait in quarantine, he said.Negros Occidental no longer requires incoming passengers to have travel authorities and m...

The new head of the Provincial Human Resource Management Office has been instructed to hasten the release of the salaries of Negros Occidental provincial government job order (JO) and contract of service (COS) workers, and address the concerns raised by regular employees, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Tuesday, March 9.Felomina Guzon was appointed PHRMO officer-in-charge Friday following the transfer of Anabelle Palic to the Office of the Governor.Diaz said he instructed Guzon to ensure that the salaries on the JO and COS workers are included in the provincial government’s payroll and not paid using vouchers. The voucher system requires numerous signatures and delays their salaries by three to four weeks, Diaz said.The JO and COS workers’ salaries should also be r...

Roland de la Cruz, National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry in the Philippines national president and labor representative to the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTICP), is urging the Department of Labor and Employment to hasten the release the labor advisory on the guidelines on the administration of Covid-19 vaccines in the workplaces.“As a member of the NTIPC, we already received a couple of draft versions of the Labor Advisory for our review and recommendation. The latest draft contains provisions which are favorable to workers such as the No Discrimination and Termination clause, the burden of cost to the employer clause and the prohibition against No Vaccine No Work clause,” de la Cruz said in a press release Tuesday, March 9.The draft Labor Advisory is...

The second dose of Sinovac vaccines for the Bacolod City frontliners can be turned over to the Negros Occidental hospitals Tuesday, March 9, Dr. Emilia Monicimpo, DOH regional director, Monday, March 8.*Andy Alvarez photoSinovac COVID-19 vaccines for frontliners in Negros Occidental hospitals are expected to arrive Tuesday, March 9, and ceremonial vaccination rites will be held at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City on Thursday, Alfredo Benitez, provincial consultant on economic affairs, said Monday, March 8.The vaccines will be for frontliners at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City, Lorenzo D. Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City, and Valladolid District Hospital in Valladolid town, said...

COVID-19 vaccination of health frontliners at the CLMMRH started Monday, March 8.*CPG photoThe Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) and the Riverside Medical Center Inc. (RMCI) kicked off the mass COVID-19 vaccination of their frontliners at ceremonial rites Monday, March 8.However, the number of their staff who signified their willingness to be vaccinated dropped on learning that the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine would be used, Dr. Jose Pepito Malapitan, RMCI acting assistant medical director, said.Their first RMCI survey showed that 900 were willing to be vaccinated but the number has dropped to about 500, he said.Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said earlier 900 of their staff signified their willingness to be vaccinated. However, only 745 out ...

President Rodrigo Duterte will inaugurate port and airport projects in Negros Oriental on Thursday, Gov. Roel Degamo said Monday, March 8.The president will inaugurate the port operations building in Dumaguete City, and the new terminal and improved runway at the Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport, Negros Oriental spokesman Bimbo Miraflor said.Degamo said he is happy that the president who is his idol will be visiting Negros Oriental.The governor said that 5,400 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines for Negros Oriental hospital frontliners arrived at the Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport Monday.The vaccines are for the frontliners at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital, Silliman University Medical Center, ACE Dumaguete Doctors Hospital, Holy Child Hospital, and Siquijor Provincial Hospital...

Capitol photoThe number of Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) returning to Negros Occidental from Manila and Cebu who have tested positive for COVID-19 are increasing, Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday, March 8.This developed amid reports of increasing COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.Lacson said from 58 active COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental, the number has jumped to 116.Negros Occidental continues to require RT-PCR tests and the quarantine of LSIs on their arrival in the province until their negative results are out, Lacson said, because of a Region 6 moratorium on the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Resolution 101.Resolution 101 no longer allows RT-PCR tests and the quarantine of LSIs on arrival.If th...

PAWSSion Project photoBacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has issued an executive order creating an Animal Welfare Task Force.In the EO, that was signed on March 1 and released Monday, March 8, the mayor said the city recognizes the concerns of animal rights groups advocating responsible dog ownership and safeguarding the welfare of impounded animals in the City Dog Pound.There is a need to establish a task force aimed at identifying, reassessing and acting on animal welfare concerns in the city with the primary goal of ensuring responsible pet ownership, Leonardia said.The Bacolod City Animal Welfare-Task Force will be composed of Leonardia as chair, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as co-chair, the city veterinarian as vice chair; and with members from the Bacolod City Police...

PDEA-6 photoAgents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 6 Special Enforcement Team dismantled a suspected drug den inside the Vendor’s Plaza in Barangay 12, Bacolod City Monday, March 8.The eight arrested individuals were identified as suspected drug den “maintainer” Jovie Bermudes, Danny Rodriquez, Brian Alison, Reynard Villamor, Hermel Taghoy, Roy Ageña, Jayhan Mission, and Joshua Cagalcal.The suspects yielded 10 grams of suspected shabu worth around P40,000 to P55,000, drug paraphernalia, and the buy-bust money.The team leader of the buy-bust operation, who only identified himself as “Agent Bamboo,” said the back part of the Vendor’s Plaza had been used by the suspects as a drug den for almost a year now.They earlier thought that these people were only us...