Casino open to talks,
win-win solution seen
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Top Negros Occidental and Bacolod City officials joined the blessing and inauguration of the expanded Casino Filipino Bacolod at L'Fisher Hotel last night.

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia and L'Fisher owner Roseller Ciocon joined Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chairman Cristino Naguiat Jr., president and chief operating officer Jorge Sarmiento and Bacolod manager Andy Lizares in cutting the inaugural ribbon of the expanded Casino at L'Fisher.

Negros Occidental board members were also present.

Pagcor donates
P5B for classrooms
NEGROS, BACOLOD GETTING SHARE
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. has allocated P5 billion for the construction of classrooms nationwide, P2 billion of which was released recently to the Department of Education for the reconstruction of thousands in typhoon Yolanda-ravaged areas in the Visayas, including Negros Occidental, PAGCOR chairman Cristino Naguiat   Jr. said yesterday.

Naguiat, before the blessing and inauguration of the expanded Casino Filipino Bacolod at L'Fisher Hotel last night, met with Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia, and assured them that more classrooms will be built in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

Marañon said Naguiat informed him that PAGCOR has recently built more than 50 classrooms in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, and will provide more.

DOH: Prevent outbreak
of measles in WV
BY CARLA GOMEZ

An advisory from the Department of Health has been sent to Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella and other officials of Western Visayas for the immediate strengthening of an expanded immunization campaign in the region in response to sustained measles transmission.

The advisory from DOH Region 6 Director Marlyn Convocar, copies of which were released to the media yesterday, said a DOH measles surveillance report as of December 31, showed 208 laboratory confirmed cases in the WV, with 85 percent in Aklan, and a few cases in the other provinces of the region.

This is evidence that measles transmission is still continuing all throughout WV and is, consequently, a threat of a possible regionwide measles outbreak, she said.