Bacolod City - Sights Of Negros

NEWS: Bacolod City residents to get additional water supply

by Poster1PROVINCE NEWS 14/03/2024Comments are Disabled

BACOLOD CITY – PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. (PrimeWater), this city’s private water distributor, has assured Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez of additional water volume in the coming months amid the water shortage experienced in several residential areas made worse by the prolonged dry weather. PrimeWater president Roberto Fabrique Jr. gave the assurance in a letter dated March 7 addressed to Benitez and released by the city government on Wednesday. “We have devised a plan to augment water supply that will allow PrimeWater to deliver (an) additional seven million liters of water per day (MLD) to a maximum volume of 17 MLD to the residents of Bacolod City,” he said. Fabrique said the plan entails the utilization of additional water sources to supplement the firm’s existing infrastructure alongside extensive repairs and improvements to reduce water loss. PrimeWater will undertake within the next five months the optimization of 12 identified deep wells that can “produce more or less seven MLD of water volume”, he said. Fabrique cited a water source interconnection and pipelaying project to divert water supply of two MLD from its Forbes Hill pumping station to different areas of the city, including Barangay Bata as well as Eroreco Subdivision and other parts of Barangay Mandalagan. The plans include the activation of Highland Hills Subdivision water source, once turned over to PrimeWater, to produce water volume of up to one MLD, and massive leak repairs or non-revenue water reduction for additional two MLD of recovered water. Fabrique said they are also looking at five MLD production from Bocal-Bocal Spring, subject to availability of connection pipes and agreement between PrimeWater and the water source owner/operator. Last weekend, PrimeWater, together with its joint venture partner Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa), said in a statement that it has acquired a water truck for deployment as a contingency plan to mitigate the impact of the El Niño on the current water supply. The water truck, which can store up to three cubic meters of water, is being used to deliver water during service disruptions across multiple barangays, it added. Benitez earlier said there is “as much as 15 percent” reduction in the level of the city’s water sources, based on the report of Baciwa-PrimeWater. In response, the mayor formed a coordinating action team mainly to expedite the implementation of vital infrastructure to improve water supply for Bacolodnons. “The city government is taking steps to address the shortage in water supply,” he added. Source: PNA

Negros Occidental builds medical supply depot

by Poster1PROVINCE NEWS 06/02/2024Comments are Disabled

BACOLOD CITY – The Negros Occidental provincial government is establishing the Provincial Health Office (PHO) supply depot here in compliance with the infrastructure requirements under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, in a statement on Monday, said the vision of providing a province-wide health system “relies on the continuous improvement of healthcare delivery, policies, resources, and infrastructure”. He said establishment of the supply depot, which is being built beside the vaccine cold room at the motor poll, will enhance storage capacity as well as integrate and streamline the storage of medicines, vaccines, and medical supplies in one centralized location. By using an in-house developed interactive application, the province will improve resource management, monitoring, and responsive distribution of medicines and supplies from the depot to the local government units and villages, he said. “This innovation aims to ensure that resources are efficiently moved and made available where the actual needs arise at the proper time. Our goal is to significantly reduce, if not entirely eradicate, the issue of unutilized expired medicines,” he said. Meanwhile, the provincial government is upgrading the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City into a Level 3 hospital for it to be considered as a tertiary hospital that can provide all kinds of healthcare services. Efforts to upgrade into Level 2 hospitals are also ongoing for Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City, Valladolid District Hospital in Valladolid town, and Lorenzo Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City. “These are strategically based on their location and the population they will serve within their catchment area. This ensures the accessibility and availability of adequate services, facilities, doctors, and medical staff to our constituents,” Lacson added. Source: PNA

500 cops to secure 2024 Bacolaodiat Festival

by Poster1PROVINCE NEWS 02/02/2024Comments are Disabled

BACOLOD CITY – Some 495 personnel of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) will secure the 2024 Bacolaodiat Festival, this city’s celebration of the Chinese New Year, on Feb. 9 to 11. The festivities, which will usher in the Year of the Wood Dragon, will return to the original festival site at the tourism strip along Lacson Street and the North Capitol Road. Capt. Joel Portos, deputy chief of the BCPO operations management unit, said the deployment of forces will begin on Feb. 8, which will also signal the activation of the city joint operations center. “Everything is in place in terms of the security and safety preparations for the upcoming three-day event. The BCPO has activated its security plan,” Portos said in a press briefing at the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday. He added at least 300 force multipliers will augment the police forces in securing the festival-goers. Bacolaodiat Inc. board member Oddette Gomez said that before the festival begins on Feb. 9, pre-festival events will be held, starting with the Chinese New Year kick-off at SM City Bacolod, on Feb. 4. On Feb. 6 and 7, the Bacolaodiat-Table Tennis Legends Association of Bacolod tournament will be held at Ayala Malls Capitol Central, while the judging of the Dragon Lantern Making Contest will be staged at the Megaworld’s The Upper East on Feb. 8. The main festivities will start on Feb. 9 with the Bacolaodiat Street Dance Competition at 4:30 p.m., featuring six contingents dancing along 13th to 5th-Lacson Streets, which will be followed by the opening of the Chopsticks Alley and the Imperial Village at 5:30 p.m. On Feb. 10, major events will include the conferment ceremony designating tycoon Lucio Co as the adopted son and honorary mayor of Bacolod City at the Bacolod City Government Center, and the Bacolaodiat Lantern Dance Competition in the evening. On the final day, the winners of the street and lantern dance competition will be announced at 4 p.m. in the North Wing Atrium of SM City Bacolod, and the awarding ceremonies for special events will be held at the North Capitol Road at 6 p.m. It will be followed by performances from the San Carlos City Chamber Orchestra and Vocal Ensemble at 7 p.m. Councilor Jason Villarosa, chairperson of the City Council committee on tourism, invited both Bacolodnons and Negrenses to take part in this year’s Bacolaodiat Festival. “This is the only Chinese New Year celebration in Negros Occidental. This is one of the major events in Bacolod, come join us and have fun,” he added. Now on its 19th year, the festival got its name from the words “Baco” for Bacolod and “Lao Diat,” a Fookien word for celebration. Source: PNA

Bacolod City starts operation of sensor-controlled traffic lights

by Poster1PROVINCE NEWS 17/01/2024Comments are Disabled

The city government here is gearing up for the implementation of its PHP41-million traffic signal facility project, starting with the operation of three traffic lights equipped with radar sensor technology. The initial three units, worth PHP16 million, are located at the intersections along Police Station 6 in Barangay Taculing, North Capitol Road, and Buri Road in Barangay Mandalagan. Loben Rafael Ceballos, officer-in-charge of the City Engineer’s Office, said on Tuesday that the contractor, KIV Marketing Company, already tested the performance of the traffic lights after connecting to the power supply from Central Negros Electric Cooperative last week. “We had a temporary stoppage (of the operation). This week, the programmer will arrive to install other parts. The radar has not been installed yet. For the whole operation, their personnel will arrive to test the functions,” he added. Aside from operating on radar sensor technology, the traffic lights also have pedestrian push buttons to activate walk signals and ensure safety when crossing. Ceballos said the contractor requested a joint inspection of areas where the remaining five traffic lights, which cost PHP25 million, will be installed. “The contractor has already started the initial works. I received a request for joint inspection,” he added. The identified areas are those along the Circumferential Road-Araneta Street adjacent to the Cegasco plant in Barangay Pahanocoy, Lacson Extension along Alijis Road, Burgos Extension on Sofia Gonzaga Street, Sto. Nino Stop in Barangay 2, and Burgos-San Juan Streets. Source: PNA