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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...

Pediatric cardiac surgeries on f congenital anomalies will be conducted at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City starting May, Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH chief, said Monday, March 8.Drilon said they have started screening patients up to 7 years old for cardiac surgeries, which could include open-heart procedures.They had been referring at least five pediatric cardiac cases a week for surgery at the Philippine Heart Center and the Philippine General Hospital, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made it hard for patients to go there now so some just die, he said.He said the start of the cardiac surgeries at the CLMMRH had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, that held up the training of the regional hospital’s doctors at the Philippine Heart Center....

The San Carlos City government has allowed the distillery of San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. to operate starting Monday, March 8, Mayor Renato Gustilo confirmed.The mayor stressed that only the distillery has resumed operations and not the molasses production.“It has huge discharges of spent wash. Spent wash appears dirty, but it is organic. But the problem is, if it is in large volume, then it becomes pollution,” he pointed out.The city government had temporarily shut down the operations of SCBI on February 19 due to several environmental violations, including the water discoloration along the coastal waters of So. Maloloy-on, Brgy. Punao, due to its wastewater discharges.Gustilo said that the city has yet to receive the result of the investigation of the Environmental Managemen...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson hands out health kits and plants to female employees at the Capitol on Women's Day.*Richard Mailhan photoGovernor Eugenio Jose Lacson thanked the female employees of the Negros Occidental provincial government for their contribution to the fight against COVID-19 at rites to mark Women’s Day at the Capitol in Bacolod City Monday, March 8.The Global Gender Gap Report 2020 of the World Economic Forum shows that the Philippines is No.1 in Asia and No.16 in the world in terms of closing the gender gap, the governor said.At the Negros Occidental provincial government, the women, who outnumber the men in the workforce, took on the crucial role of manning the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lacson said.The majority of the provincial health worker...

Gabriela Negros marked the International Women’s Day with a protest at the Bacolod City public plaza, Monday, March 8.*Julius Dagatan photoGabriela Negros marked International Women’s Day with a protest march and rally at the Bacolod City public plaza, Monday, March 8.More than 100 rallyists, who joined the protest, slammed what they called the continued repression of citizens, including illegal arrests, red-tagging of people’s organizations, and militarization in upland barangays.The group marched from the Fountain of Justice to the public plaza carrying placards with messages such as “Ayuda, bakuna, ligtas na lipunan ipaglaban!” and “COVID, krisis, at Duterte wakasan!”Marden Jalandoon, secretary-general of Gabriela Negros, said the government has had no significant progra...

City PIO photoMore health frontliners in Bacolod City were vaccinated with Sinovac vaccines at the Bacolod City Government Center Sunday, March 7, as a surge in the virus was reported in Metro Manila.“We are urging the public not to be complacent with the initial arrival of the vaccines and to continue to practice minimum health protocols,” said City Administrator Em Ang, who is also the executive director of the Bacolod Emergency Operations Center.Among the 24 more frontliners vaccinated today were 19 doctors, two nurses, one medical technician, and two other health workers, Ang said.“We want to send a strong message to the community that these doctors, who care for your good health, affirm that the vaccines are safe and we need to avail of them,” said Dr. Chris Sorongon, ...

A brutally killed man who was found in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, early Sunday, March 7, remains unidentified.A barangay tanod discovered the body of the victim, whose hands and feet were tied, at Imaculada Street in Canetown Subdivision, Barangay 19-A, the police said.A placard with the message “I love drugs” written on it was found on the body of the victim.The name of a person, whose identity was withheld by the police, was also written on the placard with the words “you’re next” beside it.Lt. Col. Eduardo Corpuz, Victorias City police chief, said they already interviewed the person named in the placard, who said he does not know the victim.“We’re still establishing the connection of this person with the victim and the suspects,” he said.RIBS CRACKED, EAR...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson today, March 7, said his doctor has cleared him to be vaccinated COVID-19.The governor earlier said he is ready to be inoculated with the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine, when it becomes available to his sector, to boost public confidence in it.The Food and Drug Administration has recommended that the vaccine be administered to persons aged 18 to 59.Lacson is 61 years old.However, his doctor informed him that he can be inoculated with either Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccines, the governor said.The initial toll out of Sinovac vaccines are of health frontliners, and are not yet available to the general public.The governor has called on health workers to agree to be vaccinated with Sinovac vaccines if that is what is available so t...