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Mayor Rex Jalando-on ordered the temporary closure of the three City Hall main buildings in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday, April 13, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.Jalando-on said he ordered their closure for disinfection after his secretary at the mayor’s office, who is symptomatic, tested positive for COVID-19.The city hall buildings will reopen on Thursday, he said.COVID-19 testing of persons who came in contact with the secretary in underway, he added.The mayor said he and other city government employees have gone into isolation while they wait for their COVID-19 test results.Jalando-on in Executive Order 19, Series of 2021, directed the Sanitary Division of the La Carlota City Health Office to disinfect all offices in the three buildings.All em...

RPDEU-6 photoA construction worker was arrested in a drug bust operation at Henrieta Village in Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City, Tuesday afternoon, April 13.Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old Samuel Talaman, a street-level individual of Purok Magsungay, Barangay Singcang-Airport.The suspect sold one plastic sachet of suspected shabu to a police poseur buyer worth P15,000.After the arrest, police recovered five sachets of suspected shabu, with an estimated weight of 30 grams and worth P204,000, a gun replica without a magazine, and a cellphone.The operation was conducted by the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit-Western Visayas, and Bacolod Police Station 8.The suspect is now in the custody of Police Station 8.*

Marton Cui, Negros Occidental provincial consultant on hospital operations, was shot to death as he was leaving his office in San Carlos City Monday night, April 12.*Screenshot from Aksyon Radyo's FB live videoMarton Cui, Negros Occidental provincial consultant on hospital operations, was declared dead at the San Carlos City Hospital at 9 p.m. Monday, April 12, an hour after he was shot as he was leaving his office, Col. Romy Palgue, Negros Occidental police director said.Cui was leaving his office at Emerald Arcade, Barangay Palampas, San Carlos City, at 8 p.m. and was about to board his vehicle when he was shot by a long range shooter, he said.Witnesses said the shooter was inside a Starex van when he fired at Cui.Cui reportedly was shot in the chest.The gunman escap...

The criteria sent by from Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III for Negros Occidental to qualify to be placed under General Community Quarantine.*Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he was informed Monday, April 12, that Negros Occidental cannot be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) because its COVID-19 numbers have not reached the required level for that classification.“But Negros is not safe now…the situation is already alarming and the numbers are rising, why do we have to wait for it to worsen before we can impose GCQ?” he asked.Negros Occidental is currently under Modified General Community Quarantine. Lacson on Friday asked the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to place Negros Occidental under GCQ so more stringent measu...

The Department of Health 6 graph that shows the rise in COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas.*COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas continue to rise at a faster rate and may still peak in mid to third week of April, Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, Department of Health 6 infectious disease unit head, said Monday, April 12.However, they have no test results yet to show that a new variant has hit the region, she said.Concern over the rising number of cases in the region prompted Iloilo officials on Sunday to suggest that stricter travel rules between Negros and Panay be imposed.However, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas Monday said stricter travel restrictions between Negros and Panay may not be implemented as both islands still remain under the same quarantine classifications.The entire Wes...

Provincial consultant Alfredo Benitez (right) arrived on his private jet with the vaccines for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City Monday, April 12.*More Sinovac vaccines for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City arrived Monday, April 12.Former Rep. Alfredo Benitez flew in 11,400 Sinovac vaccines for Negros Occidental and 3,000 for Bacolod City from the Department of Health in Manila on his private jet that landed at 4:46 p.m. at the Bacolod Silay Airport.More vaccines are coming, said Benitez, who is also Negros Occidental provincial consultant on economic affairs.Benitez said he offered to fly in the vaccines so the province and city would get them faster.He also pointed out that in the past the vaccine allocation for Negros was given to the other provinces in Western Vis...

Richard Malihan photoNine employees of the Negros Occidental provincial government have tested positive for COVID-19 this month, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, said Monday, April 12.The office of the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program Division has temporarily been closed for disinfection after its head and three other employees tested positive for COVID-19 .Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Maryver Cordova has been named OIC of the NOSPD.Tumimbang said one nurse, two medical technicians and a member of the administrative staff of the Provincial Health Office and Board Member Manuel Ko also tested positive earlier bringing the total Capitol employees hit by COVID-19 this month to nine.*

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered a four-day work week for Negros Occidental provincial government employees effective immediately, amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.Lacson, in a memorandum issued on Monday, April 12, said office hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and Friday will be a work from home day.Capitol-based offices will be closed on Friday, Lacson said.Heads of departments and offices will be responsible to assign work to all employees under them during the work from home schedule, the governor said.Provincial Health Office and hospital employees, and those whose services are required on a daily basis shall make work arrangements so everybody will enjoy a four-day work schedule, Lacson said.“This is to give a breather to all health work...