Sunday, July 25, 2021

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DOH-Western Visayas pushes strengthened border control amid Delta variant threat

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:44 AM PDT

THE Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas has recommended strengthened border controls in order to control the possible entry of the Covid-19 Delta variant.

Dr. Anna Lisa Ong, DOH pediatric infectious diseases specialist, said aside from border control, local government units (LGU) should also monitor all endorsed arrivals and the implementation of localized and granular lockdowns.

Ong also recommended strengthening the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate strategy to prevent the Delta variant from spreading out of control.

She also stressed the need for stricter compliance of minimum health standards such as wearing face masks and face shields and observing social distancing.

The LGUs were also advised that no mass gatherings should be observed as they have the potential to become a superspreader event.

Last week, both the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have reimposed travel restrictions due to the threat posed by the Delta variant.

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Mother shot dead by motorcycle-riding suspect

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:42 AM PDT

A 48-YEAR-OLD mother was shot dead outside her sari-sari store in Purok Perez, Barangay 2-Poblacion, Pontevedra on July 24, 2021, by an unidentified motorcycle-riding suspect.

The victim was identified as Malaurie Pagunsan, who was a resident of the place.

Police Captain Hancel Lumandaz, chief of police of Pontevedra Police Station, said the victim was opening her sari-sari store with her 18-year-old son when they noticed a man standing and suddenly shot the victim.

Not contented, the said suspect came nearer and shot the victim again at close range that caused her instant death.

Lumandaz said based on their investigation, the motive of the killing may have something to do with unpaid loans as the victim was reportedly facing an estafa case.

The suspect, who was wearing black jacket, black bonnet, black cap, short pants and slippers, escaped by riding a color blue motorcycle.

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PCCI exec: Ceneco has to put its house in order

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:42 AM PDT

THE Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) has to put its house in order so it could contribute to job creation efforts of the local government units (LGUs) and business sector in the Metro Third area.

This was stressed by Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) vice president for the Visayas Frank Carbon.

Carbon, also the chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said More Power, the power distribution utility of Metro Iloilo, has brought down its residential rate to P6.45 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from P10.01 per kWh in the month July.

The utility, he said, is also capable of increasing the purchasing power of the people to over P250 million every month. This will provide more food on the table and help in the creation of more employment and livelihood opportunities.

"Ceneco could do it also. We could not find a reason why it could not do it," the business leader said.

Ceneco caters to the largest number of electric consumers in the province including the Cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay and Silay, and the towns of Murcia and Salvador Benedicto.

The PCCI official suggested some steps that Ceneco could explore like including the Competitive Selection Process (CSP) and signing the power supply agreement with the lowest winning bidder.

Carbon stressed that there is no law or Department of Energy (DOE) circular banning coal-fired power plants to participate in the bidding.

He said the DOE has a working program to substantially replace, as the supply grows, the power supply of distribution utilities to renewable energy.

"We have to trust and respect the vision and program of the DOE," Carbon added.

Another suggestion is the review of Ceneco's Power Supply Plan and Study, sourcing part of its supply from open market like what More Power did.

More Power is using talents developed by Ceneco, he said, adding that Ceneco should also review its Capital Expenditure Program and implementation strategies.

It could include working closely with the Energy Regulatory Commission or Anti-Red Tape Authority.

The business leader believed that the result could reduce systems loss that contributes to higher power cost and frequent brownouts.

Sometimes improved management would be paid with power reliability and better rates -- the dream of all power utility executives, he said, adding that the executives of More Power are trying to realize their dream.

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Bing to attend Duterte’s Sona virtually

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:39 AM PDT

BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia was invited to personally attend the sixth and final State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Rodrigo Duterte Monday, July 26, 2021, but due to Covid-19-related concerns in the city, he will attend the ceremony virtually.

Leonardia, national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, said in a statement Sunday he was invited jointly by the Senate and House of Representatives to personally attend the sixth and final Sona of Duterte at the Batasang Pambansa today.

"I am honored by the invitation, but while I would like to attend physically, I would prefer to do it virtually instead due to Covid-related concerns here which need my personal attention. That is why I had never left Bacolod City since February 2020 when the pandemic started. Yes, not even once," the mayor said.

Leonardia had personally attended President Duterte's Sona from 2016 to 2019.

In September 2019, Duterte appointed Leonardia as the lone representative of the local government units in the country to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

Meanwhile, the Bacolod Task Force Disiplina will also monitor the possible mass gathering of progressive groups that will hold a rally in the city Monday.

Wilfredo Geolingo, action officer of the task force, said they will monitor the situation in the city to avoid mass gatherings in various areas.

He said health protocol violators will be penalized and will be given citation tickets.

"We should follow the minimum health protocols like the wearing the face masks, face shields and observance of social distancing since the city is still under general community quarantine with heightened restriction. We should cooperate to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19)," he said.

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Special risk allowance for medical workers in NegOcc released

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:36 AM PDT

THE Department of Health (DOH) has already released the special risk allowance for medical workers in Negros Occidental.

Provincial Administrator lawyer Rayfrando Diaz over the weekend said among those who are entitled to the hazard are hospital workers, disaster risk reduction management office personnel, personnel from the Provincial Health Office and quarantine workers.

Diaz explained the allowance funds released by the DOH for medical workers will depend on the computation of their duty hours.

He further explained the special allowance is part of the funds allocated by the DOH for workers who are risking their lives in the line of their duty due to the pandemic.

Diaz also added that the vaccination of all those belonging to the A1 or frontline health workers is nearly complete.

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DBM includes Bacolod general hospital budget in 2022 national expenditure program

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:35 AM PDT

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) already included in the 2022 National Expenditure Program the budget for the construction of Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.

Bacolod City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya on Sunday, July 25, 2021, said the Department of Health (DOH) informed him that DBM included in the 2022 National Expenditure Program the budget for the Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.

"We requested Secretary Francisco Duque for it last week and we are very thankful for the inclusion of the city's general hospital budget in 2022 National Expenditure Program," he said.

On June 24, 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte already signed into law Republic Acct 11564, creating the Bacolod City General Hospital and appropriating funds for its establishment.

The bill was authored by Gasataya in the House of Representatives and its counterpart in the Senate was also sponsored by Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The Senate allotted a budget of P600 million for the establishment of the Bacolod City District Hospital to be included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the Department of Health.

Zubiri earlier assured the City Government of Bacolod that he will find other sources starting with an allocation of P200 million to augment its budget for the construction of Bacolod City General Hospital in the city.

Moreover, about five private property owners in Bacolod City also expressed their willingness to donate their lots for the construction of the Bacolod General Hospital in the city.

These owners are willing to donate their lots in the areas of Barangays Bata, Mansilingan, Estefania, Pahanocoy and Felisa.

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Over 103,000 Bacolodnons inoculated

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:35 AM PDT

A TOTAL of 103,925 persons in Bacolod City were already vaccinated against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) records showed that from March 5 to July 22, 2021, EOC-Task Force and the Covid-19 Vaccination Council (CoVaC) already inoculated a total of 103,925 individuals.

Of the number, 29,720 persons already received their second doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

On Saturday, CoVac also held a vaccine rollout at the Hall of Justice for the inoculation of judges, lawyers and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).

The activity was organized upon the request of Executive Judge Raymond Joseph Javier.

CoVac catered to senior citizens (A2), adults with comorbidities (A3), and frontline personnel in essential sectors (A4), including frontline workers in law justice, security, and social protection sectors.

Senior citizens and persons with comorbidities were given Johnson & Johnson shots, while the rest of the personnel were given AstraZeneca vaccines.

The activity was supervised by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, Councilor Renecito Novero, members of the EOC and officials of City Health Office.

To avail of the free vaccination of Bacolod City, register online thru the link tinyurl.com/bcdceironline.

On Friday, Bacolod City also received an additional 20,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines that will be administered as second doses to Bacolod residents.

As of July 23, Bacolod City received a total of 167,680 doses of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer vaccines from the national government.

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Arroyo to attend virtual Sona via Zoom

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 07:17 AM PDT

NEGROS Occidental Fifth District Representative Ma. Loudes Marilou Arroyo will attend the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Rodrigo Duterte via Zoom in her district Monday, July 26, 2021.

Arroyo said she was invited to attend the Sona at the Batasang Pambansa, however, she opted to stay to attend to the needs of her constituent in the district.

"I will stay here and will be attending the opening of our regular session in the morning and the Sona in the afternoon via Zoom," Arroyo said.

Arroyo visited on Sunday the Lying-In and Birthing Clinic in Barangay Su-ay, Himamaylan City with Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson and Barangay Captain Hope Belarga.

The P6-million Lying-In and Birthing Clinic is one of Arroyo's projects in the district. There are plans that the facility, which serves not only those from the barangay but also from the neighboring areas, will be named after her brother, the late Fifth District representative Ignacio Iggy Arroyo.

She also led the giving of 615 packs of relief assistance to those affected by the typhoon at the evacuation center in Barangay Aguisan, Himamaylan City.

Arroyo also revealed Sunday that those undergoing dialysis treatment in the Fifth District and neighboring localities will soon avail of the Hemodialysis machine, which will soon arrive at the Ignacio L. Arroyo, Sr. Memorial District Hospital.

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Puentevella: Weightlifting to deliver 1 more Olympic medal

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 05:21 AM PDT

SAMAHANG Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) president Monico Puentevella has assured that his team will deliver one more medal for the country in the Tokyo Olympics.

Puentevella's prediction as 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, 30, and Elreen Ando, 22, will lift weights for the Philippines in Tokyo.

"If lucky, maybe two. Hidilyn [Diaz] will become the most-bemedalled Olympian in Philippine history as she is going on her fourth stint in the Olympics," he stressed.

Puentevella said given Diaz will be healthy during the competition, she would win a silver or bronze if the gold medal will still be elusive since the Zamboanga-pride is currently No. 2 in the world. He also added to watch out for Ando, whom he was looking forward to being part of the Olympics in 2024. However, unexpectedly, Ando qualified as early as the Tokyo Olympics.

Comparing Diaz's performance during the last Rio Olympics, Puentevella thinks they are better prepared for the Tokyo Olympics. He said Diaz already has a nutritionist and a Filipino and Chinese coach.

Diaz is competing for the women's 55kgs at the Tokyo International Forum, while Ando is set to lift Tuesday.

On the other hand, after scoring a unanimous decision victory against Congo's Marcelat Sakobi Matshu on the opening day, Nesthy Petecio will be facing former world champion and the top seed Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-Ting in the Round of 16 in the women's featherweight division (54 to 57-kg) of the Summer Olympic Games' boxing at the Kokugikan arena.

In her initial fight, Petecio recorded a 5-0 dominance over her Congo counterpart with favorable scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.

Likewise, Carlo Paalam also battles 25-year-old Irishman Brendan Irvine as Eumir Marcial, by his being seeded no. 3 here, drew a bye.

Meanwhile, at press time, another Filipina fighter Irish Magno is taking Christine Ongare of Kenya in the preliminary round of the women's flyweight division.

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Cenpri: Ceneco cuts brownouts, saves P44M by using power reserve services

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 03:55 AM PDT

THE Central Negros Power Reliability Inc. (Cenpri), one of the power suppliers of Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), said the latter has saved about P44 million in power costs for the period of May to middle of July this year.

This was by utilizing its contracted reserve power from Cenpri instead of its relying on the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (Wesm), the firm said.

Ceneco caters to the largest number of electric consumers in the province including cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay and Silay, and the towns of Murcia and Salvador Benedicto.

It currently has a contract of 18.9 megawatts (MW) with Cenpri, formerly Energreen Power Development and Management Corp., for peaking which will expire in 2032.

Cenpri, in a press statement, said the Visayas has been suffering from power shortages due to low power supply in Luzon and ongoing repair of the 90-MW Amlan submarine cable.

The power generation utility said electric distributors in Negros, Panay and Cebu are normally forced to suffer from rolling brownouts due to the manual load shedding or buy power from Wesm.

During these shortages, it said, hourly prices have ranged from P17 to P32.97 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) especially in the afternoon and evening until 10 p.m.

"The savings obtained by Ceneco and its member-consumers averaged to P16 million a month through availing the reserve power from Cenpri," the firm said, adding that the electric cooperative may also have lost P50 million a month in revenues due to the forced brownouts without such reserve power.

For the power generation utility based in Bago City, the economy of the province, especially its capital Bacolod City is growing.

With the number of shopping malls, call centers, schools and medical facilities increasing, and a population relying on the internet for working and studying at home, consumers would be forced to use their own generators thus, incuring expenses on gasoline and diesel.

This will be very expensive for the malls and call centers, schools and hotels, Cenpri said.

The utility, however, said many call centers and large businesses operating in the cities of Bacolod and Talisay were afraid of stopping operations.

"It was Ceneco's 18.9 MW reserve power contract with Cenpri that saved Bacolod City from rolling brownouts," it said.

Ceneco also saved P1 to P21 per kWh from the Wesm prices since Cenpri has guaranteed the cooperative with a price of approximately P11 per kWh.

"Cenpri's 25.9 MW net power plant is ready to run 24/7 with 18.9 MW reserved for Ceneco anytime it needed additional power to protect its customers from short supply and high Wesm prices," it added.

Moreover, energy industry officials estimated that it will take until November for downed large coal plants in Luzon and the 90 MW Amlan submarine cable are expected to service and improve the supply.

It is seen to reduce the Wesm prices in both Luzon and Visayas, it added.

The 25.9-MW net reserve power plant of Cenpri at Barangay Calumangan is connected to Ceneco's transmission and distribution system.

A system innovation of Ceneco, the firm said it is designed to provide the former with assured supply of peaking power from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and protection from high Wesm costs especially when the transmission lines bringing power from Cebu and Panay Island suffer from operational problems and bad weather condition.

When Leyte was hit by an earthquake and some geothermal plants and power lines were damaged, areas in the Visayas experienced widespread brownouts for weeks, it added.

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Negros Occidental to honor individuals, groups in drive against ASF

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 03:41 AM PDT

THE Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, through the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO), will recognize different individuals and organizations who took part in the successful campaign of the Provincial African Swine Fever (ASF) Task Force against the dreaded disease affecting swine.

These people who helped in maintaining the ASF-free status of the province will receive plaque of commendation in rites at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol Building in Bacolod City today, July 26.

The activity also coincides with two-year accomplishment of the Provincial ASF Task Force, which was created on July 26, 2019.

Provincial Veterinarian Renante Decena, also the co-chair of the task force, said Negros Occidental has maintained its ASF-free status despite the continuous spread of the disease in the nearby provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Following the confirmation made by the Department of Agriculture (DA) on the first ASF outbreak in the country in July 2019, the provincial government immediately created the ASF Task Force.

The move resulted in the deployment of personnel among all boundaries and ports of entry in the province and conducted stricter checkpoints.

The PVO recorded a total of 22,428.70 kilograms of pork worth P8.6 million, apprehended through checkpoints from September 2019 to June 2021.

Of the figure, 12,804.41 kilograms were shipped back to their point of origin while 9,624.29 kilograms were confiscated and disposed of.

Confirmed cases of ASF have been reported in Luzon, Mindanao, and Leyte and Samar Islands in the Visayas spreading to 12 regions, 46 provinces, 493 cities and municipalities and 2,561 villages nationwide.

Since it hit the country, the outbreak has already caused the loss of over three million pigs.

Decena said the Provincial ASF Task Force continues to enforce preventive measures to safeguard the territorial jurisdiction of the province against possible entry of ASF.

"Primarily, this is to protect the multibillion-peso swine industry of the province against the devastating effect of ASF outbreak," he said.

The efforts being implemented included strengthening of veterinary quarantine measures in all seaports and airports of the province, mobilization of paravets, local government unit veterinarians and livestock technicians, and district veterinarians and field unit heads and personnel of the Provincial Veterinary District Field Units positioned in all six districts to intensify animal disease surveillance.

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Lobaton: Possibilities and the votes

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 03:41 AM PDT

ON THE road to the filing of certificate of candidacies (COCs) in the month of October, a lot of political rumors have been heard from political analysts and observers. Social media, which is the main mirror of future political activities, is filled with suggestive acts related to the preparation in the coming elections next year.

Although there is silence at the provincial level, rivalry is expected down in the towns and cities. Just like the elections in 2019 when at the provincial level there is alliance, this time it would seem that many are posturing to challenge some incumbents.

This is not a surprise because this will be a national election. Those who will run for national posts, need to get votes in the province, and so they need to put somebody who will carry their candidacy down at the grassroots level.

Inevitably, those with interests in the richness of our votes would need to set up their own machinery. This means they could either put up a candidate at the provincial level or focus on the towns and cities instead. If the candidate for a national position needs to be conservative about the outcome of his votes and his resources allow him to set up big machinery, then he could decide to put up a top-to-bottom structure.

As I can remember, many of our candidates seeking national posts, do not have to establish machinery similar to that of local candidates. They usually connect with their local coordinators, who might also be candidates to carry their names particularly when sample ballots for their machinery are printed.

The problem of those seeking national positions is when their local contacts are also busy with winning their own candidacy. The possibility that the national positions are just set aside and will not be given attention as there is intense contest at the local level. The mayors and their campaigners would usually prioritize themselves over others.

The same situation follows when there is rivalry at the provincial level and down to the towns and cities. Even when the candidate in the province would have the support of the incumbent town or city mayor, his candidacy will not be given attention in case there is high level of rivalry or the challenging candidate is strong. It is then left to the campaign team of those running for the top positions who might not have the grasp of the grassroots to study the situations and how they could convert votes in addition to the machinery of their local counterpart. In short, there is nothing wrong with establishing lines that could add more votes. The problem is when a candidate would assume to have more votes and ended up none of them converted at that time of voting. Should it become a close contest, votes are imperative from many other sources.

I remember instances that local incumbents won while those they support in the top positions had lost.

For the last two months before the filing in October, the political scene would be clearer for us to see who among are running for the national and local positions. We can also expect surprises on the way to the filing. There are some who are vocal for now and might end up not taking the route to the filing. While there are also who are very silent that would make some announcements at the last days of the filing or probably, without fanfare, would show up at the Comelec to submit their CoCs.

This electoral process would be different as compared with the past elections. It was in 2016 when we voted for the top national posts but there is yet no Covid-19 problem. The pandemic started in the early months of 2020 up to today. So this could pose a challenge to many Filipinos for both, the candidates and voters.

The problem with Covid-19 could be one of those factors for voters to consider. I just wish we still have that kind of discernment as it would be a lot of adjustments for us under the new environment of our political actors. I am sure we could not go back to the pre-pandemic environment. I am still seeing that threats of mutations and concerns on restoring the economy would dominate us even though we fast-track the vaccination process.

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Abellanosa: Lessons from Tatay Digong

Posted: 25 Jul 2021 03:24 AM PDT

IT IS correct to say that we deserve a president better than Tatay Digong unfortunately this is not how 16 million Filipinos see things. And the sadder thing is that some of those who did not vote for him are either ambivalent in their attitude towards the administration or they simply do not care at all.

The last State of the Nation is about to be given but we know that there is nothing new in all this annual rhetorical exercise. But we must consider whatever "rubbish" we will again hear – as a hard lesson to learn from. Those who fought tooth and nail for Tatay Digong in 2016 should go into much deeper reflection about their choice.

Tatay Digong is not the solution. If ever we find his administration unsatisfactory it is because his current government is a symptom of our much deeper problems.

Where we are tells us that in our country "hope" and "despair" are almost identical. So that while then-mayor Duterte was a candidate viewed by some as a symbol of hope, he was at the same time a choice born out of despair for the many failures of past systems.

But we should have learned further that no matter how much aggressive posturing a president would put up in public, there are social forces stronger than the government that a good president must fight. I hope we have learned a lesson that the so-called oligarchy is not limited to those who are existing in power and that even a once upon a time opposition from the margins is equally capable of making his own new oligarchy.

Tatay Digong must also teach us a lot of things about human rights. We speak of human rights, but it is not just some government agencies that are "not respectful" of it. Even private establishments and institutions, universities and churches are sometimes not good examples as far as the implementation of due process is concerned. Our government has taken advantage of our own ambiguous perspectives towards human rights to justify its political agenda. For what we criticize reflects our own "double standard." We demand protection of rights, but we are not good promoters of it in our own local and private spheres. That is why though Tatay Digong has many critics, still he has admirers in the open and more in hiding. Many people clap for him in silence because he has "executed" the dirty job which some of us would like to do but "cannot."

I see the reason and I still support the fight against some of the questionable ways by which governance is carried out in this country. But we will never win our battle if our strategy is partial and always one-directional and outward-looking.

There must also be that sense of introspection whenever we deal with our enemy. Human rights violations are an enemy but not just to the extent that it is not carried out correctly in procedural terms. It is an enemy insofar as there remains high poverty incidence in Mindanao. It is not enough to defend the poor, there must be a way to move at least some of them out from their condition. It may be true that the current administration has not succeeded in living up to the expectations of some Filipinos.

But so long as these issues continue to be unaddressed, the archetype of Duterte will emerge time and again. His spirit will always be conjured by the hopeless, and another Duterte can be the "new medium."

I must give a special address to the "religious." Tatay Digong did not win were it not for the support of some priests and even bishops. Some of the clergies are fighting in good faith against the perceived human rights violations committed against alleged drug users. However, the administration also has an "ace" against some members of the religious who are not so good examples when it comes to transparency and human rights.

Tatay Digong will eventually find his eternal solace beyond the stars, but the Philippines shall continue crying for and hoping in that change that has not yet come. And so long as this is the case, false prophets and political scammers will always abound.

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