QUARANTINE SHUTDOWN. Stores along Araneta Street in downtown Bacolod have been closed since the enhanced community quarantine in the city took effect on March 30 to contain the transmission of Covid-19. On Tuesday (April 28, 2020), the City Council passed a resolution seeking the extension of the ECQ, which is set to end on April 30, for 15 more days. (PNA Bacolod file photo) BACOLOD CITY – The City Council of Bacolod has requested the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to grant a 15-day extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) here.
The month-long ECQ in this city is set to end on April 30, and Bacolod, which is not listed as a “high-risk” area, is expected to be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) afterward. During a special session on Tuesday, presided by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, the City Council passed a unanimous resolution “urgently and earnestly appealing to the National IATF to allow the city government to extend the ECQ until May 15.” Familiaran told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that the City Council sent a copy of the resolution to the City Mayor’s Office for the endorsement of Mayor Evelio Leonardia. “Bacolod City serves as the center of business and leisure in the province of Negros Occidental and even in the Island of Negros and the lifting of ECQ will predictably cause a sudden influx of people whose number and movements may become already beyond control,” the resolution said. As of Tuesday, Bacolod has nine confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, including two deaths. Four have recovered while two are under home quarantine. One patient is still in a hospital. According to the City Council, at least 150 residents are still waiting for their swab test results, presenting a situation of uncertainty and requiring immediate and extraordinary, if not abnormal, approaches for control and cure. Hundreds of Bacolod residents, both overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and non-OFWs, are returning to the city starting Tuesday and will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine of at least 14 days. “In addition to these returnees, there are Bacolod residents who are direct contact of Covid-19-positive patients, who must be and are now being quarantined to secure the life and health of their families and neighbors, and Bacolod residents as a whole,” it added. The resolution also said there were already local transmissions in two villages, Banago and Villamonte, which are thickly-populated areas, thus, the spread of the virus needs to be contained. “There being no known cure yet for Covid-19, the best and most effective approach to combat the same is the prevention thereof,” it added. On March 27, Leonardia issued Executive Order 26, placing Bacolod under ECQ from March 30 to April 14. The ECQ was extended until April 30, as provided in EO 29 issued by the mayor on April 8. However, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has said that only the national government has the authority to modify community quarantine levels in cities, municipalities, provinces, and regions. This means that only the IATF-EID will determine if a city, town, or province will be placed under ECQ or GCQ. (PNA)
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MEETING. Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force, and Councilor Dindo Ramos, chair of transportation and traffic, meet with the Land Transportation Office and the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group officials and representatives of business process outsourcing (BPO) companies on Wednesday (April 15, 2020). The BPO firms have been granted a special authority by Mayor Evelio Leonardia to operate a shuttle service for their employees during the enhanced community quarantine. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO) BACOLOD CITY – Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies with call center operations here have been granted a special authority by Mayor Evelio Leonardia to operate a shuttle service for their employees during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
These firms include Teletech, Teleperformance, Transcom, Panasiatic Solutions, Ubiquity, IQOR, Concentrix, Telesynergy, and FGC+. “The special authority is issued without prejudice to the application of the BPO companies for a special permit with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and other pertinent rules and regulations,” Leonardia said in a statement on Friday. On April 15, the City Council approved Resolution No. 381, authored by Councilor Dindo Ramos, chair of the committee on transportation and traffic, granting authority to the mayor to issue a special authority to the BPO firms for the said purpose. The special authority is non-transferable and is valid only until April 30, 2020, or the effectivity of the ECQ. Leonardia signed the special authority on Thursday after vans rented by BPO firms to transport their workers were rounded up by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) for lack of special permits. On Wednesday, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chair of the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force Against Covid-19, asked the LTO and the PNP-HPG to explain their operations. During the meeting, it was clarified that for vehicles to be used as a means of transportation for BPO workers, the rental company needs to apply for a special permit first with the LTFRB through email provided that the vehicles already have a valid franchise. In Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, the IT-BPO industry and allied services are among the major job generators. They have a workforce of more than 32,000 employees, generating an annual income of almost PHP4 billion. (PNA) COVID-19 ALERT. Mayor Evelio Leonardia (right), with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (center), chair of the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force Against Corona Virus Disease-2019, and Dr. Grace Tan, task force spokesperson, give an update on the city’s latest actions on the Covid-19 threat in a press conference on Monday (Mar. 9, 2020). As of Monday, there are 23 patients under monitoring in Bacolod. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver) BACOLOD CITY – The city government here is requesting the postponement of the scheduled arrival of a group of Japanese employers planning to hire workers from Negros Occidental as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chair of the city inter-agency task force against Covid-19, said the body passed a resolution during its meeting on Monday, recommending to Mayor Evelio Leonardia that the delegation be asked to move their visit to a later date. The group includes 87 persons who will land at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City and proceed to neighboring Murcia town but will have accommodations in Bacolod City. They are expected to arrive on Thursday, March 12. As of Tuesday afternoon, Familiaran said the task force is still waiting for the mayor’s final decision regarding their recommendation. Although Leonardia already said he supports such a move to ensure the welfare of the people of Bacolod. “I totally agree that we should ask these Japanese courteously and very diplomatically to postpone their visit. We welcome them, we wish there were more of them with the same purpose – to give jobs to our people which we really need,” Leonardia told a press conference on Monday afternoon. However, under the present circumstances, the health and safety of Bacolodnons should come first, he added. “That must be paramount to anything – economic or otherwise. The key is to use the right words to be able to explain and I believe that they would understand considering that this is not an isolated case,” the mayor said. Leonardia added that he will ask Familiaran to relay the message to the Japanese delegation as soon as possible. He also said the city government needs the cooperation of hotels not to take in the guests from Japan, in case they will push through with their trip to the Philippines and arrive in Bacolod. “I believe that our hotels, even if this is a matter of business, will readily understand us. These are abnormal times so we should also act abnormally, in that sense,” he said. Leonardia added that since Bacolod will have no control if the group lands in Silay and proceed to Murcia, he will just have to ask the foreign guests not to step down from their vehicles when they pass by Bacolod. “This is the protocol we have resort to, to minimize the possibility that something will happen here,” he said. As of Monday, there are 23 patients under monitoring (PUMs) in Bacolod, three more than the initial 20, who are still in home quarantine since last week. (PNA) COVID-19 UPDATES. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (center), Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (left), chair of the city’s inter-agency task force against Covid-19, and Dr. Grace Tan, task force spokesperson, give updates on the coronavirus disease situation in Bacolod in a press conference on Monday (March 2, 2020). There are currently 20 patients under monitoring undergoing home quarantine in the city. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO) BACOLOD CITY — A total of 20 patients under monitoring (PUMs) are currently in home quarantine here for possible coronavirus disease (Covid-10) infection after arriving from various countries in Asia, including South Korea and Japan, last week. Records of the City Health Office (CHO) showed the PUMs include 13 who have traveled to Seoul, South Korea as well as four who have arrived from Malaysia, one from Singapore, one from Japan, and one from Thailand. “We don’t have any patients under investigation (PUIs) in Bacolod, but we have 20 PUMs being closely monitored by CHO personnel,” Dr. Grace Tan, spokesperson of the city’s inter-agency task force against Covid-19, said in a press conference on Monday. Of the 20, 19 Filipinos and one foreigner, all have volunteered information about their travel history and have been placed under a 14-day quarantine period. Tan said these PUMs are being checked by health personnel on a daily basis. “We don’t need to admit them since they are just being monitored. They are considered as PUMs because they did not travel to restricted countries. In South Korea, specified was only Daegu City and Cheongdo County,” she added. These persons arrived in Bacolod on February 24, 26, and 28. Tan reiterated her appeal to those who have gone abroad to inform the CHO or their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams of their travel history. “Especially, for foreigners, their schools should also inform us. That’s why Mayor Evelio Leonardia wants to enforce and reinforce the filling out of health declaration forms so that we will be informed of their travel history,” she added. Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chair of inter-agency task force against Covid-19, however, reminded residents of Bacolod not to discriminate Chinese or South Korean nationals as a precautionary measure. “They are already here. We just monitor the new arrivals,” he said. Leonardia also urged Bacolodnons to help the city by being vigilant and reporting persons who have traveled to countries affected by Covid-19. On February 13, the city inter-agency task force reported that “all eight PUIs here have already been discharged with no confirmed cases as of this report”. (PNA) NO TRIKES ALLOWED. Motor and electric tricycles are prohibited from traversing national highways such as Araneta Street in Bacolod City. The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office has apprehended 121 units since Monday (Feb. 24, 2020) as part of the implementation of DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-036. (PNA Bacolod file photo) BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Evelio Leonardia has formed a task force that will rationalize the authorized routes of tricycles and pedicabs in the city to effectively ban these vehicles from national highways. The mayor’s directive, which is stated in Executive Order 10, is in line with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular 2020-036, which mandates the creation of a task force, separate and distinct from the tricycle board or unit of the city, if already organized. Secretary to the Mayor Edward Joseph Cuansing said on Thursday the body will come up with a tricycle route plan to determine if there is a need to amend related ordinances. “Our ordinances should jibe with the DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-036,” he said. Under the said DILG directive, local government units are ordered to strictly implement the ban on tricycles, pedicabs and motorized pedicabs on national highways and to create a tricycle task force that will draw up a tricycle route plan in their respective areas. “Tricycles with valid franchise or permit cannot be apprehended until such time the ordinances are amended. However, units that have no franchise will be seized by police officers or personnel of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO),” Cuansing said. At present, three areas in Bacolod are actually covered by an ordinance allowing tricycles plying their routes to traverse national highways. Lt. Col. Luisito Acebuche, chief of BTAO, said a total of 121 motor tricycles and electric tricycles have been apprehended by traffic enforcers since Monday. “We are conducting intensive operations. It is better now with the DILG order, the local government can work together with other agencies such as the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group,” he added. Most tricycles usually traverse the city’s two major national highways – Lacson and Araneta Streets. The Bacolod City Tricycle Task Force is chaired by Leonardia himself with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as co-chairperson and Col. Henry Biñas, city police director, as vice-chairperson. The body will conduct meetings, public consultations and hearings with stakeholders, and surveys/ocular inspections that will focus on rationalizing the authorized routes, identification of national roads, and determination of the portions of the national highway presently used or proposed to be traversed by tricycles, if alternative routes are not available. As directed by the DILG, it will draft or update the tricycle route plan (TRP) within 30 days after issuance of the order, which is Feb. 24, 2020. The TRP will be the basis of a subsequent ordinance or its amendment in case one has already been passed. (PNA) NO TRIKES ALLOWED. Motor and electric tricycles are prohibited from traversing national highways such as Araneta Street in Bacolod City. The Bacolod Traffic Authority Office has apprehended 121 units since Monday (Feb. 24, 2020) as part of the implementation of DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-036. (PNA Bacolod file photo) BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Evelio Leonardia has formed a task force that will rationalize the authorized routes of tricycles and pedicabs in the city to effectively ban these vehicles from national highways.
The mayor’s directive, which is stated in Executive Order 10, is in line with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular 2020-036, which mandates the creation of a task force, separate and distinct from the tricycle board or unit of the city, if already organized. Secretary to the Mayor Edward Joseph Cuansing said on Thursday the body will come up with a tricycle route plan to determine if there is a need to amend related ordinances. “Our ordinances should jibe with the DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-036,” he said. Under the said DILG directive, local government units are ordered to strictly implement the ban on tricycles, pedicabs and motorized pedicabs on national highways and to create a tricycle task force that will draw up a tricycle route plan in their respective areas. “Tricycles with valid franchise or permit cannot be apprehended until such time the ordinances are amended. However, units that have no franchise will be seized by police officers or personnel of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO),” Cuansing said. At present, three areas in Bacolod are actually covered by an ordinance allowing tricycles plying their routes to traverse national highways. Lt. Col. Luisito Acebuche, chief of BTAO, said a total of 121 motor tricycles and electric tricycles have been apprehended by traffic enforcers since Monday. “We are conducting intensive operations. It is better now with the DILG order, the local government can work together with other agencies such as the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group,” he added. Most tricycles usually traverse the city’s two major national highways – Lacson and Araneta Streets. The Bacolod City Tricycle Task Force is chaired by Leonardia himself with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as co-chairperson and Col. Henry Biñas, city police director, as vice-chairperson. The body will conduct meetings, public consultations and hearings with stakeholders, and surveys/ocular inspections that will focus on rationalizing the authorized routes, identification of national roads, and determination of the portions of the national highway presently used or proposed to be traversed by tricycles, if alternative routes are not available. As directed by the DILG, it will draft or update the tricycle route plan (TRP) within 30 days after issuance of the order, which is Feb. 24, 2020. The TRP will be the basis of a subsequent ordinance or its amendment in case one has already been passed. (PNA) DEMO. Personnel of the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office show how to put on personal protective equipment in case they are called to respond to confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases. The activity was conducted during the orientation for the barangay health emergency response teams held at the MassKara Hall of the Bacolod Government Center on Monday afternoon (Feb. 17, 2020). (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver) BACOLOD CITY -- The city government here has purchased 1,000 sets of full personal protective equipment (PPE) that would be used by health and rescue personnel should they need to respond to cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Executive Assistant Jose Maria Vargas said the fund used to buy the equipment was part of the PHP10-million allocation approved by the City Council for the prevention and control of Covid-19. Each set of PPE costs PHP3,750. The PPE includes protective clothing, gloves, goggles, facemasks and other equipment designed to protect the wearer from the spread of infection or illness. Personnel of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) conducted a demonstration on how to put on and take off the PPE during the orientation for the barangay health emergency response teams (BHERTs) held at the MassKara Hall of the Bacolod Government Center on Monday afternoon. “We are conducting a demonstration so they will know the procedures we will carry out,” said Vargas, who is also the cluster head for the CDRRMO. He added that members of BHERTs need to familiarize themselves with the protective gear that would be used by responders when bringing out a suspected Covid-19 patient in their area. Vargas clarified that those who comprise the emergency response teams in the barangay would not handle patients but would only inform the City Health Office (CHO) of the case. The CHO will then alert the CDRMMO, which will dispatch a response team to the area. “We have simplified the procedure. They (BHERTs) cannot handle the patient,” Vargas said. He added that they have also purchased masks, gloves, and alcohol supplies that would be provided to the BHERTs. Vargas said although all the eight patients under investigation (PUIs) in Bacolod have already been discharged after testing negative for Covid-19, the city government still needs to be vigilant. “We cannot be certain. It is possible that after the eight, there will be other persons who will come to Bacolod who have traveled (to affected areas). We cannot be complacent, we still have to be prepared,” he said. The demonstration of the donning and doffing of the PPE was also witnessed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chair of the city inter-agency task force against Covid-19. In Memorandum Order 12, Leonardia said the BHERTs, which will help manage Covid-19 suspects and their contacts, would be supervised by the CHO. (PNA) COVID-19 AWARENESS. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (center), with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (right) and City Administrator Em Ang, tells city residents to remain cautious of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-2019) threat, in a press conference on Thursday (Feb. 13, 2020). He added Bacolod no longer has patients under investigation (PUIs). (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver) BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Evelio Leonardia urged residents here to remain cautious of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-2019) threat even as the city no longer has patients under investigation (PUIs) as of Thursday. “That is not yet a cause for us to celebrate. There is no time to celebrate yet... Don’t be complacent,” the mayor said in a press conference on Thursday afternoon. The fast spread of Covid-19 even before vaccines are discovered should serve as a reminder for the public to be watchful, he said. “At this age and time when traveling is so easy and so massive, we cannot let our guards down. It’s not that we can just stop people from entering our ports. We cannot be an island by ourselves,” he added. Leonardia also appealed to Bacolodnons not to share wrong information about the Covid-19. “The problem is that we also have “info-demic”. Fake news is so unnecessary, it upsets people. They get traumatized and paranoid. It is enough that we have this problem. I appeal to everyone. Use your conscience. Please stop spreading lies and fake news for the sake of society,” he said. On Thursday morning, the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19 reported that “all eight PUIs here have already been discharged with no confirmed cases as of this report”. The mayor commended the task force led by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as chairman, with Dr. Grace Tan of the City Health Office as a spokesperson, for doing an encompassing job to enable the city to prevent and control the Covid-19 outbreak. Last Feb. 7, Leonardia attended the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRM) Full Council meeting on the Covid-19 threat held at the Department of National Defense Social Hall in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Leonardia, the national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, is a member of the NDRRM Full Council. (PNA) MEETING ON nCoV. Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (right), chair of the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force Against the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV), and Dr. Grace Tan of the City Health Office (left) meet with the managers and representatives of hotels in Bacolod last week to discuss measures on how hotel operators could respond quickly and start introducing preventive measures against the deadly nCoV. As of Monday (Feb. 10, 2020) afternoon, six patients under investigation were admitted to tertiary hospitals in the city while three have already been discharged since last week. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO) BACOLOD CITY – Six persons under investigation (PUIs) over their travel to novel coronavirus (nCoV) areas were admitted in tertiary hospitals here while three others have already been discharged since Wednesday last week. This was based on the data provided by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force Against the nCoV, as of Monday afternoon. The six include two females, who are out-of-town residents, while the rest are from Bacolod, including two males, and two females, one of whom is a new admission. All patients are in stable condition, Familiaran said. The said PUIs have traveled to either Hong Kong, Macao, Zhuhai in China, or Taiwan. The first of the three discharged PUIs was a male, who was admitted at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), and was found negative for nCoV. Familiaran said that in Bacolod, all seven hospitals are ready to accommodate PUIs for isolation and management. These include the Department of Health-run CLMMRH and seven private health institutions, which have a total of 13 isolation beds. On Monday, Familiaran met anew with the members of inter-agency task force, including spokesperson Dr. Grace Tan of the City Health Office, to further discuss the roles of each agency in curbing the nCoV outbreak. Among the initiatives are measures on how hotel operators could respond quickly and start introducing preventive measures against the deadly nCoV, especially when dealing with clients who have travel history to nCOv-affected countries Last Wednesday, the City Council approved the PHP10-million funding support to the inter-agency task force for the prevention and control of nCoV. Earlier, Mayor Evelio Leonardia also ordered the mobilization of barangay health emergency response teams (BHERTs) to monitor and provide information to the city mayor about residents and visitors in their respective barangays who have arrived from a nCoV-affected country. The teams will also coordinate with the barangay task force and appropriate agencies and offices, including health centers and/or hospitals. Leonardia also reminded village chiefs to prohibit the disclosure to the public the identity of the PUIs and those under monitoring (PUM) for nCoV unless otherwise authorized by the proper government agency or office. (PNA) TASK FORCE VS. nCoV. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (right) with Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (2nd from right); Dr. Jovy Vergara (2nd from left), assistant city health officer; and Dr. Ma. Luz Ma-apni, head of the City Health Office-Maternal and Child Care convey to the press the city’s actions against the novel coronavirus at the Government Center on Friday afternoon (Jan. 31, 2020). Leonardia formed the inter-agency nCoV task force and designated Familiaran as its chairperson. (PNA photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver) BACOLOD CITY -- Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued on Friday an executive order (EO) creating an inter-agency task force against the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
“There is an urgent need to create a task force dedicated to properly address this rapidly emerging health threat,” the mayor said in his EO 2-A. After issuing the directive, Leonardia met with officials of the 61 barangays at the MassKara Hall of the Government Center to discuss the city’s actions regarding the entry of nCoV into the Philippines. He cited reports stating that as of Friday, a total of 9,720 persons in China have been infected with nCoV, and 213 have died. A total of 80 Chinese nationals have tested positive for the virus outside China, including one in the Philippines. Leonardia designated Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran as task force chairperson, with Councilor Cindy Rojas, chair of the City Council committee on health, and Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli, city health officer, as vice chairpersons. He ordered the task force to create a standard protocol in dealing with the threat of nCoV and coordinate with the national and local crisis management committees in addressing the epidemic. Leonardia sought collaboration with other government agencies and/or offices, private entities, and non-government organizations in combating the new health menace. “Assess and ensure the preparedness of the city’s public and private hospitals to handle a positive case and to immediately set up isolation measures,” he added. Leonardia also directed the 61 villages, public and private schools, and all business establishments to prepare education and information dissemination campaigns on how to prevent the spread of the virus. He required the task force to update him regularly on its plans and actions. The task force members include Councilors Dindo Ramos and Lady Gles Pallen, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay. They are joined by the heads and representatives of the Bacolod City Police Office, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Quarantine, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Education, Bureau of Immigration, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Land Transportation Office, and Hotel and Restaurant Association of Negros Occidental, among others. (PNA) |
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