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Bacolod City’s having 25 COVID-19 positive persons in a single day this week is a wake-up call to remind all of us that in a pandemic there is no room for complacency, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said Friday, March 19.On Wednesday, March 17, there was a surge in COVID-19 cases in Bacolod to 25 from an average of two a day since February.On Thursday, March 18, there were six COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City that included two close contacts, two hospitalized symptomatic patients, and two health care workers – a nurse and a medical technician, Dr. Chris Sorongon, City Emergency Operations Center deputy for medical data and analysis, said.On Friday, March 19, there are three new COVID-19 cases in Bacolod, two of whom are symptomatic and one is a pregnant woman, he added.Leonardia said...

Negros Occidental had 232 COVID-19 active cases as of Thursday, March 18, and 41 persons positive for the virus were reported by the Department of Health on Friday, March 19.The majority of the COVID positive persons had just arrived from Manila and Cebu, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.The DOH said of the 41 new cases, 21 are Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs), 14 Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs) and one Returning Overseas Filipino (ROF). Five others are local cases, the DOH added.Of the 232 active cases, Diaz said 157 are LSIs, 26 APORs, 5 ROFs, and 44 local cases.The reason for the high number of COVID-19 cases is because a lot of passengers volunteered to be tested for COVID-19 and quarantined on arrival in the province this week, Diaz said....

BCPO photoA 55-year-old man who was celebrating his birthday was shot to death outside his residence in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City, Thursday night, March 18.Killed was Jose Estaniel Villabeto, who was also celebrating the christening of his son.Three unidentified suspects, who wore face masks and were armed with unknown firearms, shot the victim outside his home, the police reported.They then fled on board a red Avanza vehicle.The victim’s relatives brought him to the Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, where he died.Police investigators found three fired bullets and four fired cartridge cases at the scene.The victim’s family chased the suspects who were quick to escape, the police said.The police are still investigating the motive of the killing.*

Photos from Archie Alipalo and Neri Colmenares FBTwo Negrenses are among the convenors of 1Sambayan, a coalition of pro-democracy groups around the country, aiming to field a single opposition standard-bearer to challenge President Rodrigo Duterte’s bet in the 2022 presidential elections.They are former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela and former Rep. Neri Colmenares (Bayan Muna).Lead convenor of the coalition launched Thursday in Makati City is retired Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio.1Sambayan hopes to galvanize pro-democracy forces into a united opposition for the 2022 elections, Coscolluela told DIGICAST NEGROS Friday, March 19.“While the immediate goal is to replace the current authoritarian administration with competent, caring and hones...

The president of the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines is reminding employers of private establishments to conduct surveys among their employees on who are willing to be inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines.“This is to determine who among their employees will voluntarily subject themselves to the workplace vaccination program,” NACUSIP national president Roland de la Cruz said Friday, March 19.Under the recently issued DOLE Labor Advisory No. 3 Series of 202 Guidelines on the administration of Covid-19 vaccines in the workplace, covered establishments and employers should adopt the appropriate vaccination policy in the workplace as part of their occupational safety and health program, he said.The advisory requires that the vaccines should be free...

Capitol photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson Thursday, March 18, said he may ask for a moratorium on travel into Negros Occidental if the COVID-19 cases in the province continue to rise.“A month ago we were down to 58 active COVID-19 cases and now we have 193,” he said, pointing out that most of them are from Metro Manila and Cebu.“One of the possibilities again is really to ask for a moratorium of travel when we can see that we cannot control anymore the increase in number of COVID-19 cases,” he said.The provincial government will ask for a moratorium on passengers arriving from certain areas if its quarantine facilities become full and unmanageable, he said.Lacson said there has also been an increase in COVID-19 cases in Panay.Concern has also been raised in Bacolod City...

The national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has just approved the inclusion of local chief executives (LCEs) among the priorities for COVID-19 vaccination, Bacolod Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia, who is also president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, said Thursday, March 18.“This means the 1,634 provincial governors, city and municipal mayors will be covered. Also included are 42,046 barangay captains all over the country,” said Leonardia, who was informed of the approval of his request by Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III.LCEs will be classified as essential workers under Category A4, Leonardia said.“We salute Undersecretary Densing for the very quick response because it was only on Saturday, Ma...

PRO-6 photoPolice seized P13.6 million worth of drugs and arrested two suspects in a buy-bust operation at Barangay Lag-asan, Bago City, Negros Occidental, Thursday, March 18.Nabbed were street-level individuals Radney Pidol, 38, and Raphy Pradilla, 28, of Barangay 2, Silay City.Their companion, Rogie Senatin of Silay City, was able to evade the policemen.The suspects sold six sachets of suspected shabu worth P100,000 to a police poseur-buyer before they were busted for drugs.The police also recovered two kilograms of shabu worth P13.6 million, drug paraphernalia, and other belongings from the suspects.The joint operation was conducted by operatives of the Regional Police Drug Enforcement Unit Region 6 and Bago City Police Station, where the suspects, who will face ...