Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, August 2, that he welcomes the unified response of the Negros Occidental and Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Offices (DRRMOs) against the spread of diseases such as COVID-19.
He said that is precisely why a Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Summit was held on July 26 to come up with a unified disaster response protocol to be adopted and followed uniformly during emergency and disaster situations.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday that the DRRMOs of the city and province were joining forces.
“We will always welcome Bacolod to join us. The intention of Mayor Albee is to have more synergy with province and Bacolod,” Lacson said.
Benitez on Monday also said Bacolod City is preparing a halfway house for watchers of patients admitted at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.
The watchers are not allowed in the hospital but need to be on hand if medicines and supplies for their patients need to be purchased.
Lacson said right now the provincial government is focused on helping watchers of patients at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.
At the TLJPH one watcher per patient is allowed in but they must be tested for COVID-19 first, he said.
A second watcher is allowed to stay outside the hospital building. A tent has been set up for them within the hospital compound, Lacson said.
Lacson said he hopes the regional hospital has also put up a tent for the watchers.*