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The Commission on Elections en banc has approved the allocation of P52 million for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines for its employees and officers nationwide, Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said today, February 12.She said the Comelec has 6,000 employees nationwide.In Negros Occidental, the Comelec has 110 personnel, its provincial head Fatima Ausan said.Meanwhile, Guanzon reiterated that voters registration on Saturdays will begin February 20.“This is to accommodate 18 year olds who have online classes up to Fridays and those working,” she explained.She urged those who will be 18 years old on or before May 9, 2022 to register to vote.Ausan said starting February 16 voter registration will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays.Mondays are reserved...

DRRM file photoA 71-year-old Locally Stranded Individual who was unconscious on arrival at the Bacolod Silay Airport was rushed to the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City where she died, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said, today, February 11.The woman, who arrived at the Bacolod Silay Airport on board a Cebu Pacific plane Tuesday morning, February 9, is from Hinoba-an town but also resides in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, he said.She is believed to have had a stroke in flight and was unconscious on arrival at the airport, Diaz said.The woman was immediately transported by the Silay City Emergency Response Team to the TLJPH where she was attended to, and a relative requested that she be transferred to a private hospital in Bacolod City....

The Negros Occidental provincial government is conducting a massive information drive to allay fears against the COVID-19 vaccines and to stress their importance, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, February 11.He said a survey they conducted shows low acceptability for the COVID-19 vaccines.Diaz said vaccination is the way to move forward, it will protect residents from COVID-19 and help end the pandemic.It will also make travel easier for those who have been vaccinated, he added.The provincial government is currently registering frontliners who will be included in the priority list for vaccination, he said.The Department of Health said frontline health workers and uniformed personnel are prioritized since they have a higher risk of exposure while on du...

Demolition of the PAC has temporarily halted while the Negros Occidental provincial government complies with COA requirements.*Barbara Mijares photoThe demolition of the Negros Occidental Provincial Administration Center at the North Capitol Road in Bacolod City has temporarily halted pending compliance with Commission on Audit requirements, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, February 11.Dynamic Builders and Construction Company signed an agreement with the provincial government during the term of the late governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. to lease the 6,485-square meter property where the PAC is located.Under the agreement, Dynamic Builders would demolish the PAC and adjacent buildings to make way for the construction of a P1.4 billion nine-storey commercial center...

The Bacolod Emergency Operations Center Task Force is reminding the public to take the necessary health precautions against the spread of COVID-19 during Valentine’s Day on Sunday and Ash Wednesday next week, Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy for medical data and analysis, said today, February 11.The EOC has drawn up draft guidelines for the observance of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Season, he also said.This is based on the consolidated guidelines of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the minimum health protocols that are already in place, and the National Inter-Agency Task Force rule that only 50 percent of a venue should be occupied.Mayor Evelio Leonardia is expected to issue a notice to establishments in Bacolod to implement the “no BaCTrac, no entry” policy b...

A senior citizen was killed when a vehicle rammed into her house in Bais City, Negros Oriental, Wednesday, February 10.Killed was 64-year-old Milagros Jueves.Chief Master Sgt. Edelberto Euroba III, public information officer of the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, said the vehicle driven by 38-year-old Levi Garsula of Barangay Sab-ahan, rammed into the house of the elderly victim after he lost control of it.The brake of the vehicle malfunctioned, he said.The victim was feeding her pigs when she was hit by the vehicle. Her legs were severed and was immediately brought to the Bais City District Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival, Euroba said.“After the incident, the driver immediately fled going to an unknown direction,” he added.*

City PIO photoBacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued an executive order, Wednesday night, February 10, suspending the celebration of the Bacolaodiat Festival and all revelries to usher in the Chinese New Year tomorrow, February 12, to curb the spread of coronavirus.This after BacoLaodiat Festival chair Oddette Ong-Gomez earlier said that they will forgo the holding of the 16th edition of the festival.In the EO, all activities and celebrations for the Chinese New Year in February are suspended, and that all permits/licenses issued prior to the order are deemed revoked, the mayor said.Leonardia said those who fail to follow the EO will face administrative and criminal sanctions.SENTIMENTALLeonardia, in a statement today, February 11, said it was with “mixed feelin...