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It will be a public holiday in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City tomorrow, November 5, to mark Cinco de Noviembre, the historical event on Nov. 5, 1898, when Negrenses rose in revolt and defeated the Spaniards.However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic that prohibits mass gatherings, there will be no provincial government ceremonies to honor centenarians and outstanding Negrenses as done in the past, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said today.Lacson said the provincial government will instead deliver the P100,000 reward to each Negrense centenarian.Provincial Social Welfare Officer Merlie Garcia said they already have 30 centenarians on their list and are waiting for the supporting documents needed from several others.Lacson said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, November 5 remains t...

NOCPPO photoEleven personnel of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office who survived the coronavirus disease have recently donated their blood as a response to the call of the Department of Health (DOH).NOCPPO, under the command of its provincial director, Police Col. Romy Palgue, partnered with the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) Blood Bank for its program, “Plasma mo, Armas ko batuk sa COVID-19.”According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the DOH, the convalescent plasma of the persons who have recovered from the disease contains antibodies that can be transferred to the critically-ill COVID-19 patients, Palgue said in a press release.“The whole blood extracted will be processed to separate the solid particles of the blood fr...

Bacolod City Administrator Em Ang yesterday denied that City Health Officer, Dr. Carmela Gensoli, was relieved from her post because of anomalies that are now under investigation.A post on the “Revolutionary Bacolod” Facebook page said aside from the missing COVID-19 test results, Gensoli was also known for the "pricey Vitamin C" issue.Investigators also found out that she included an X-Ray as a requirement for the issuance of Travel Authority/Medical Certification which is not a requirement, the FB post also alleged.The X-rays were allegedly done at a facility owned by Gensoli.Ang, however, said Gensoli was not under investigation for any anomaly, she was just on leave.Dr. Edwin Miraflor is currently the officer-in-charge of the CHO, Ang added.Ang said previous dat...

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday, November 3, thanked President Rodrigo Dutrete for sending immediate help to Bacolod City when it experienced a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in August and September.The exponential spread of COVID-19 in our midst has since been contained, the mayor told the president in a letter.“The quick and decisive response from you, and from Senator Bong Go, in just a matter of hours after our appeal for help was emailed to your Office went a long way in reassuring our people that, indeed, you had our backs at a critical time in our fight against COVID-19,” Leonardia said.He cited the immediate assessment visit of Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, and the team from the Departmen...

Personnel of the Bacolod City Slaughterhouse underwent swab surveillance testing Monday, November 2.*City PIO photoIn addition to the 2,012 market vendors who underwent COVID-19 surveillance testing on October 10 and 13, another batch of 956 Bacolodnons have submitted to the same test on three separate days recently.Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, head of Quick Response and Extraction Team, said 98 employees of the Bacolod City Slaughterhouse, operated by AVM Bernardo Engineering in Barangay Handumanan, have undergone surveillance testing on Monday, November 2.On October 29, Bacolodnons underwent the same test at the Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient (BRO) Center at the BAYS Center. They were market vendors and personnel of the three major public markets and of the Sectoral Conc...

The P5,000 one-time cash assistance of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the displaced workers in the formal sector is back.Bacolod City Rep. Greg Gasataya said today, November 3, that his office was informed by DOLE Region 6 that the department has an allocation of P157 million from the cash assistance program for Western Visayas displaced workers in the private sector.Under Department Order No. 218-2020, that was approved on October 28, the second round of the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP) will cover displaced workers, including probationary, project, seasonal, contractual, and casual employees in private health institutions, culture and arts, creative industries, broadcast, construction, public transportation, trade and industry, cooperatives and ot...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is increasing its hospital-bed capacity for moderate and serious COVID-19 patients to 200, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, November 3.The 50-bed Valladolid District Hospital in Valladolid town will open as a COVID-19 center on Thursday, November 5, he said.The hospital will only accept patients with COVID-19 symptoms and those who tested positive for the virus, he said.He said before bringing patients to the hospital a call should be made to 034 4730131, 09454592179, or 0961 4119717 to ensure the safety of everyone. Walk-in patients are not encouraged.The Valladolid facility is the second provincial government-run hospital that has been converted into a COVID-19 center.Earlier the 150-bed Cadiz District Hos...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has ordered the reopening of Provincial Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod City.The park, which was closed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be open to walkers and joggers on Saturday, November 7, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.“Although the order issued today, November 3, states that the reopening should be effective immediately, we still need to put the guards and protocols in place,” Diaz said.Lacson said the guidelines on the implementation of community quarantine in the Philippines allow indoor and outdoor non-contact sports and other forms of exercise, which will improve the physical and mental well-being of Negrenses.However, the governor said the following health and safety protocols should be obser...

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) warned the public against unscrupulous individuals who are pretending to be its employees or officials.The CSC has received reports about individuals pretending to be employees and officials of the CSC or from a certain “Public Complaints Center,” then they contact government employees to inform them that an administrative case has been filed against them, a press release from the commission said.The government employee is then instructed to pay a certain amount of money to clear himself/herself of the charges.“The administrative cases filed before the CSC are decided through a clearly defined adjudication procedure as provided under the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service,” CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala said.Th...

DPWH photoThe Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is reconstructing the 1.26-kilometer section of the south road at Barangay Talubangi in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.The P50-million road concreting will improve four lanes of the existing road pavement section with upgraded thickness, provision of reflectorized thermoplastic pavement markings, and installation of illuminated solar pavement levelled marker studs to facilitate smooth and safe travel especially during night time, a press release from the department said.DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said that the road rehabilitation project, which is implemented by DPWH Negros Occidental 3rd District Engineering Office, has already reached 65 percent accomplishment as of September and is targeted to be completed by J...