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Contributed photoFloods brought on by Typhoon Quinta caused P7.5 million in damage to rice crops and farm animals in Negros Occidental.Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino said initial reports on Tuesday, October 27, from three towns and two cities showed that damage to rice crops hit P6,472,425 .96Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena placed the loss of farm animals at P1,051,258.16 in six towns and two cities.Masculino said the rice crop damage has affected 275 farmers in Negros Occidental.Initial reports show that rice damage in Sipalay City hit P147,398.16, Cadiz City P161,993.60, Hinoba-an P2,416,890, Moises Padilla - P1,180,256, and Pontevedra - P66,960, Masculino said.Decena said farm animals killed during the floods were chickens, pigs, goats, carabaos...

A Bacolod City Regional Trial Court judge Tuesday issued a 20-day restraining order enjoining the Bacolod City Water District and PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. from implementing their joint venture agreement (JVA) until further orders from the court.Bacolod RTC Branch 45 judge Phoebe Gargantiel Balbin was acting on a petition filed by Bacolod Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. and Pepito Pico who are seeking the nullification of the JVA.The judge said granting the TRO is merely to preserve the status quo until the preliminary injunction is heard and determined, it having been made to appear that the acts of the defendants if not restrained would adversely affect water consumers and irreparable damage would be caused.She set the hearing of the application for a preliminary injunction...

EDC Negros Oriental facility head, Debonaire Mamhot (left), recently turned over the RT-PCR machines to Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo (right) and the Negros Oriental IATF group. Raffy Cabristante photoNegros Oriental now has a much needed molecular laboratory that will soon be conducting 500 COVID-19 tests a day.Negros Oriental provincial government, Energy Development Corp. (EDC), and Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) officials inaugurated the province’s first molecular testing center today, October 28The testing facility will enable more timely reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of COVID-19 swab samples from local residents once it completes all accreditation requirements and gets the green light from the Department of Health, Richard...

There has been a spike in COVID-19 cases in three cities in Negros Occidental, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, October 27.The increase in cases has been noted in the cities of Kabankalan, Cadiz, and San Carlos, he said.The spike in cases in Kabankalan City occurred at a relocation site where numerous people were hit by the virus, he said.This was exacerbated by the fact that a COVID-19 positive person joined the wake of a person who died and infected others present, he said.Diaz said the spike in Cadiz City occurred when City Health Office employees were hit by the virus, Diaz added.The increase in cases in San Carlos can be attributed to the fact that it is a port area where vessels from Cebu dock, he said.However, Diaz said the overall COVID-19...

City file photoPresident Rodrigo Duterte has announced that Bacolod and Iloilo cities will remain under General Community Quarantine until November 30.Duterte, in a pre-recorded message aired on national television, said it is for the good of everyone.Meanwhile, Negros Occidental will remain under Modified GCQ.Local government units have until October 28 to file appeals to their quarantine status before the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Health Secretary Francisco Doque III said.Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson welcomes Negros Occidental’s remaining under MGCQ to ensure the continued enforcement of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Provincial Administrator Ray Diaz said.Mayor Evelio Leonardia has filed an appeal for Bacolod City ...

A laborer was shot to death by unidentified suspects at Barangay Bi-ao in Binalbagan town, Negros Occidental, on Monday, October 26.Police identified the fatality as Blas Urbano Jr., 47, and a resident of the barangay.Initial police investigation showed that the victim was walking from his home to his cousin’s house when he was waylaid by three unidentified suspects, who hid behind the sugarcane field.One of the suspects then fired at the victim, who succumbed to gunshot wounds on his head and back.Recovered from the scene were two empty shells of a .45 caliber handgun.The victim was declared dead by the physician of the Binalbagan Rural Health Unit.The police are still investigating the case.*

Bacolod City only has two new coronavirus cases today, October 27, the lowest number since July, City Administrator Em Ang said.Ang, executive director of the city’s Emergency Operations Center, said that one of the new cases was a repeat or the result of a confirmatory swab test.“This is the lowest daily record since July 16. We are definitely on track to significantly reducing the case count versus last month,” she said.“I am hoping and praying to God that this continues,” Ang added.She reminded Bacolod residents to continue wearing masks, washing hands, practicing physical distancing, and avoiding crowds.Earlier, the national government sent top officials, including Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, and E...

BGen. Noel Baluyan (center) hands over the flag to MGen. Eric Vinoya (right) for the turnover of comannd to the new commander of 302nd Infantry Brigade, Col. Leonardo Peña (left). PIA photoThe Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division has installed Col. Leonardo Peña as the new command head of 302nd Infantry Brigade (IB).Peña officially installed on Oct. 22 in a change of command ceremony held at the headquarters of the 302nd Brigade, Camp Leon Kilat, Tanjay City.Peña succeeded BGen. Noel Baluyan who was promoted as the new Assistant Division Commander of the 3ID at Camp Peralta, Jamindan, Capiz.Peña is a former chief of Unified Command Staff (CUCS) of the Western Mindanao Command, while Baluyan has served as the 302nd IB commander for one year and two months.In his messa...

Photos from Moises Padilla LGUThe P1.7-million prime mover of Moises Padilla municipal government was swallowed by the flash flood that hit the town on Sunday night, October 25.The heavy equipment, which was purchased in 2008, was found downstream at the Binalbagan river the following day, approximately 50 meters from where it was parked, near the Livestock Auction Market at Barangay 1.The prime mover was the only heavy equipment of the local government that was being used to transport other heavy equipment during project implementation.*

Lakawon Island. Photo from traveloka.comThe COVID-19 pandemic has displaced 2,637 tourism workers in Negros Occidental, Provincial Tourism Officer Jennylind Cordero said Monday, October 26.Updated data from 17 out of 31 local government units in Negros Occidental showed that among those displaced were 1,218 workers from accommodation facilities, 68 from tour and travel agencies, 68 tour guides, 156 in the tourism and transport services, 123 at sports and recreation facilities, 68 at wellness centers, 716 in the food and beverage sector and 220 in other resorts, she said.The 17 LGUs with displaced tourism workers are the cities of Bago, Cadiz, La Carlota, Kabankalan, Escalante, Sagay, Sipalay, Talisay, Victorias and San Carlos, and the municipalities of Hinigaran, La Castellana,...