Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson. Photo from the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental Facebook page
BACOLOD CITY––Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has stressed the need to rise above COVID-19 and make the pandemic “a golden opportunity to be better.”
“(The difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic) is an occasion to discover and show the world what we are capable of. Challenges have always been God’s possibilities,” he said during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan during its regular session Tuesday.
“We are facing a crisis of a different magnitude than we had in the past, but we were able to prevail, and so we will, again,” he added.
Against the backdrop of a pandemic, Lacson said Negrenses could ask for assistance and report any emergency anywhere in the province.
Lacson said the Digitized Health and Emergency Management of Negros Occidental, a 24-hour 911 emergency line, has been responding to an average of 2,500 calls a day.
The One Hospital Command, with nine provincial hospitals, has translated into an efficient emergency response, with the upgraded patient referral system and coordination with emergency responders and hospital management.
He also cited the establishment of a second molecular laboratory at the Valladolid District Hospital.
“With two molecular laboratories in the province, we are more equipped to curb the spread of COVID-19 through a faster-turnaround time in the detection of the COVID infection,” he said.
Knowing the plight of displaced overseas Filipino workers, the provincial government has also created a “Scholarship for the Children of Non-Returning OFWs,” so they could continue their college education.
To equip educators under the new normal, 100 senior high school teachers from different Department of Education divisions in the province were trained on computer science, programming concepts, and CS fundamentals, Lacson said.