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Another baby from an evacuation center in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, has died, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, provincial health officer, confirmed Thursday, Jan. 30.The 9-month-old male from Brgy. Cabagna-an, La Castellana, died on Jan. 25.Five days before he was referred to a hospital the baby had cough and intermittent fever. He was brought by his parents to a private doctor and was given antibiotics, Pinongan said.When the Municipal Health Office personnel saw the patient one hour prior to referral to the Ignacio L. Arroyo Memorial District Hospital in Isabela, the patient was already severely dehydrated, she said.The patient was admitted on Jan. 25 and died on the same day from septic shock due to sepsis secondary to community acquired pneumonia, Pinongan said.Anoth...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has ordered that a decision on whether to award or decline the lone bid for the Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project (NBWSP) be made by the end of May.A consortium composed of First Balfour Inc., Victorias Milling Co. and FPIP Utilities Inc. was the lone bidder for the P1.2 billion NBWSP. The bid is currently undergoing post qualification evaluation.“The technical and financial post qualification evaluation is very tedious because we don’t want to overlook something important that could cause a problem later on”, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Thursday, Jan. 30.He said the governor has issued an executive order directing the completion of the post qualification evaluation by the end of May.If the bid is not accepted the pr...

The new Negros Occidental Provincial Administration Center is about 50 to 60 percent complete.*Barbara Mijares photoThe construction of the 7-storey new Negros Occidental Provincial Administration Center at Aguinaldo Street in Bacolod City is about 50 to 60 percent complete, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Thursday, Jan. 30.The building, including furniture and fixtures, will cost close to P1 billion, he said.Dynamic Builders, the contractor of the building, is on track and hopefully will deliver on schedule, Diaz said.The target date for completion of the building, which construction started in 2022, is June this year, he said.The housing of provincial government offices in one building when it is completed will speed up government services, he said....

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Negros Occidental agents arrested a “drug personality” and seized suspected shabu worth P136,000 in a buy-bust operation in Purok Kagaykay, Brgy. 2, Bacolod City, Wednesday, Jan. 29.“Bebe Balat”, 24, of Purok Kagaykay was arrested by PDEA, Philippine Coast Guard Intelligence Group-Visayas, and Coast Guard Intelligence Unit-Southern Negros Occidental operatives.Recovered from the suspect was suspected shabu weighing 20 grams.Five P100 bills, including the marked buy-bust money, a black coin purse, an iPhone 15, and P1,500 in cash, believed to be proceeds from illegal drug transactions were also confiscated.The suspect will be facing charges for violating Sections 5 and 11, Article II of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug...

A man died after he was ran over by a sugarcane train in Brgy. Consolacion, Bais City, Negros Oriental, on Monday, Jan. 27.The fatality was Nolan Cabugnason, 31, of Brgy. Consolacion, the police said.The slow-moving wagon train came from Central Azucarera de Bais and was headed towards Sitio Biasong also in Brgy. Consolacion when it ran over the victim who was allegedly lying on the railroad, the police report added.The 55-year-old train operator of Brgy. Ilaud, Tanjay City, said while they were approaching a blind curve of the railroad, they did not notice the person lying on the tracks.It was too late to apply the brakes, he said.The police said prior to the accident, the victim was drinking with his father and had been left to sleep along the way.The wagon train...

The suspects were caught loading  galvanized roofing  on a tricycle.*NOCPPO photoTwo persons, including a cousin of the victim, were arrested for allegedly stealing the roofing, electrical wirings, and other materials from a rice mill in Purok Hacienda Paz, Brgy. Po-ok, Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental, Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 29, the police said.“Semoy”, 54, and “Jimmy”, 48, the cousin of the 56-year-old businessman who owns the rice mill, were arrested by the police after they were caught in the act of loading 30 long span roofing materials, the police reported.Investigation revealed that the victim, who was temporarily residing in Kabankalan City, was informed by his neighbor that his three rice mills were destroyed and the roofing, electrical wirings, and other materials wer...

Sugar Regulatory Administration  chief Pablo Azcona*Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) chief Pablo Azcona on Thursday, Jan. 30, announced that the implementation of Sugar Order 6, which sets guidelines for the importation of certain sugars and sugar confectionery, has been suspended pending further consultations with industry representatives.Azcona said the decision to suspend SO 6 was made during the January 23 meeting of the SRA Board in response to concerns raised by stakeholders in the sugar industry,He explained that these concerns had been communicated through letters to the Department of Agriculture and SRA, prompting the board to delay the order’s enforcement until dialog with the affected parties could take place.“We have received letters and are actively r...

Dr. Jessy Navidad, assistant city veterinarian of Bais City, Negros Oriental, conducts a post-mortem examination on a dolphin recovered from a mangrove area on Tuesday *Two more dead dolphins were found in Bais City, Negros Oriental, following a mass stranding, bringing the total number of fatalities to five.Authorities suspect the dolphins died from lung trauma caused by blasting sounds.City Veterinarian Dr. Melanie Pescadilla said Wednesday, Jan 29, that necropsy results revealed lung lacerations in three of the four examined dolphins, consistent with injuries caused by intense underwater pressure or loud explosions."They died of drowning secondary to blast trauma," Pescadilla said, noting that dolphins' auditory organs are located near their lungs, making them vulnerable...

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson at the  Seal of Good Local Governance -Environmental Management  Governance Area Learning Event for Negros Island.*Richard Malihan photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government has vowed to strengthen its environmental stewardship to serve as an inspiration to the local government units (LGUs) in the province.Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson made the commitment as part of the week-long Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG)-Environmental Management (EM) Governance Area Learning Event for Negros Island (NIR) that concluded Tuesday afternoon at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City.“It is our duty to lead by example, empowering all LGUs in the province to strive for the same recognition. Let us continue to foster collaboration among LGUs, national ag...