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PCG photoHundreds of passengers and rolling cargoes were stranded at the BREDCO Port terminal in Bacolod City due to Typhoon Ulysses, the Philippine Coast Guard said today, November 12.Captain Eduardo De Luna, PCG Southern Visayas District commander, said 183 passengers, 133 from Bacolod and 50 from Iloilo, were stranded while 148 rolling cargoes were prevented to travel.The passengers, onboard M/V St. Therese of the Child Jesus, were bound for Manila, he said.De Luna said the passengers were allowed to board the vessel, instead of waiting at the terminal.The ship will be allowed to sail once the typhoon warning signals are lifted in the vessel's path, he added.He said the vessel will most likely to sail tomorrow morning, November 13, when the typhoon is expected to...

Bacolod City has recorded its youngest coronavirus fatality, a one-year-old baby boy from Barangay 30.This was confirmed Thursday, November 12, by City Administrator Em Ang, also the executive director of the Emergency Operations Center, who said that it was not known where the baby contracted the disease.She said that the baby had experienced diarrhea for several days, one of the symptoms of coronavirus disease, but it was only later that he was brought to the hospital.On November 5, he was rushed to The Doctor’s Hospital, but died of severe dehydration, diarrhea, and septic shock, she said.Ang said the patient was tested for COVID as symptoms were present on the boy.His test results came out two days after his death, on November 7.The boy belongs to an extended fa...

There will be work at the Negros Occidental provincial Capitol in Bacolod City Friday, November 13, with the resumption of the five-day work week following the drop of COVID-19 cases in Bacolod City, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, November 12.Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson had ordered the observance of the five-day work week starting August following a surge in COVID-19 cases in Bacolod to lessen the exposure of the provincial government employees to the virus, he said.Lacson ordered the resumption of the five-day work week since the COVID-19 situation in Bacolod City has improved, with some barangays already free of the virus, Diaz added.”Gov. Lacson respects this accomplishment and the employees of the Capitol can work five days a week without fear,” he sai...

The Negros Occidental provincial government is ready to grant Christmas bonuses to its employees if President Rodrigo Duterte issues and order allowing it, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.He said the provincial government needs the legal basis to grant the bonus, which in the past was based on awards given to the province.The awards allowed the provincial government to grant incentive bonuses, he said.However, the granting of awards had been suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.If the president orders that across the bonuses can be given to all government employees, the Capitol is preparing and saving for that, he said.The amount of the additional bonus will also depend on the savings of the provincial government at the end of the year, he sa...

Victorias Malihaw photoMayor Francis Frederick Palanca of Victorias City in Negros Occidental is back to work after recovering from COVID-19.Palanca said he returned to work Tuesday, November 10, and his four other companions were also back Thursday, November 12.“It’s good to be functional again because there is a lot of work to do”, he said.“I thank God for the opportunity to be well again,” he said.Palanca said perhaps he was made to experience having the virus so he could advise people better.It is important to practice social distancing, to wear face masks and shields, and wash one's hands often, he said.Palanca and seven of his companions who travelled to Bacolod together on a van tested positive for COVID-19 earlier.*

BCPO photoTwelve first responders who rescued the victims of an accident involving an ambulance have been quarantined after the patient on board was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive, Bacolod City Administrator Em Ang said today, November 12.They were also swabbed for COVID-19 tests and results are expected to be out tomorrow, she said.Four of the first responders are from the Bacolod fire department, four from the EMR (Emergency Medical Responders) Raptor, and four from the Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade (CVFB), she said.Two of the CVFB members entered the ambulance that figured in the accident to rescue the patient and two others accompanied him to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, their chief, Bryant Lao, said.The patient is a 78-year-old ret...

303rd IB photoThe Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade at Camp Gerona in Murcia, Negros Occidental, and its line battalions are on alert for upcoming typhoons and any unwanted natural disasters that may occur in the province, Col. Inocencio Pasaporte said Thursday, November 12.Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said he alerted the 34 Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) teams from the 303rd Infantry Brigade, 62nd Infantry Battalion and 79th Infantry Battalion composed of 350 regular soldiers to be deployed in the 1st to 5th districts of Negros Occidental and 1st district of Negros Oriental.The HADR teams are trained in basic first aid, light and water search rescue operations and incident command systems by the Philippine Army, Office of Civil Defe...

Roy Ortega photoA radio personality in Negros Oriental was arrested in a drug bust operation at Barangay Bagacay in Dumaguete City Wednesday night, November 11.Nabbed was Marlon Dela Cruz, also known as “Major Blanco, 44, of Valencia.During the bust, the suspect yielded 11 plastic sachets containing suspected shabu worth P40,800, the P500 buy-bust money, P450 in cash, a motorcycle, several drug paraphernalia, and a cellular phone, the police report showed.Police Captain Michael Rubia, head of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit, said they have been monitoring Dela Cruz for two weeks after they received a tip about his illegal activities.He said that the suspect was considered a high-value individual following his work in a radio station.Dela Cruz, who is detained a...

The P4.4 billion proposed 2021 budget of Negros Occidental is the first in six years that does not exceed the Department of Budget and Management cap on personal services, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said today, November 11.Diaz appeared before the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan that began its budget hearings Wednesday.Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said four hearings are set in the next two weeks and they hope to approve the 2021 budget by the first week of December.Diaz said the proposed budget of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has been able to reduce the PS allocation that in the past exceeded the cap by P601 million.The reduction of the PS fund has enabled them to increase the amount allocated for maintenance and other operating expenses that will enable...

Members of the Regional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs-Western Visayas. PDEA-6 photoSipalay City topped the localities in Negros Occidental with the most number of drug-free barangays.During the recent 22nd Regional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs-Western Visayas deliberations Sipalay marked its 12th drug-cleared barangay out of 17 in the city.The active implementation of the community-based rehabilitation program was among the priorities of Mayor Maria Gina Lizares in her first term of office, the local government said in a statement.During the deliberation, 60 barangays from Western Visayas were screened and assessed by the members of the committee chaired by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Region 6 director Edgar Apalla.Representatives from the diff...