This Week in Bacolod (September 20 to 26, 2020)

Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are now ramping up the construction of COVID-19 isolation facilities to address the rising numbers of coronavirus cases in the region. The isolation facilities in the province will be located in Valladolid town and the cities of San Carlos, Kabankalan, Silay, Cadiz, La Carlota, and Escalante. Meanwhile in Bacolod, three facilities will be constructed: 32 container van-type isolation rooms in Barangay Alijis, 32 beds at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, and 45 isolation cubicles in Barangay Vista Alegre. The Department of Public Works and Highways is heading these projects, and the isolation facilities are expected to be completed by the end of September or early October [1].

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia addressed the public transportation problem in the city by setting up the “Libre Sakay” program for medical workers and essential workers. Together with Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Director Richie Osmeña and other city officials, they have agreed to allow the use of jeepneys given that safety protocols are followed. For this service, 42 jeepneys will be deployed in the city and will follow a 2-hour travel interval from 4:30 AM to 10:30 PM [2].

A thermal scanner worth PhP940,000 was donated by the city government of Silay City to the Bacolod-Silay Airport. The scanner will be used to screen the body temperature of passengers. Silay Mayor Mark Golez, Vice Mayor Tom Ledesma, and councilors turned over the equipment and its accessories to the airport management last September 14, 2020 [3].

Both public and private hospitals have already reached full bed capacity for coronavirus patients, so the city government has asked the Department of Health (DOH) to prioritize the expansion of bed capacity in one of the city’s hospitals. Bacolod City Representative Greg Gasataya has appealed to the DOH to give more attention and find more funds for Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) since it’s a government referral hospital for COVID-19 patients [4].

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Bacolod.