Thursday, September 10

Business

Negros Power compliant with allowable system losses cap, ERC clarifies

Negros Power compliant with allowable system losses cap, ERC clarifies

Business
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Monday clarified that Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) was operating well within its allowable system losses cap after being wrongly identified as noncompliant with the cap for private distribution utilities (DUs).In a statement, the ERC acknowledged that Negros Power was only recently granted its franchise in 2024 after taking over the distribution system previously owned and operated by the rural electric cooperative which had an applicable cap of 8.5 percent for system losses.This was in line with Negros Power’s legislative franchise under Republic Act No. 12011, which granted it a transition period of five years from the grant of its certificate of public convenience and necessity within which NEPC must achieve the 5.5% cap for pr...
Ejercito pledges equipment for TLJPH, 2027 budget for NIR regional offices

Ejercito pledges equipment for TLJPH, 2027 budget for NIR regional offices

Business, Top Stories
Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito (second from left) on a tour of TLJPH on Sunday*CPG photoSenator Joseph Victor Ejercito on Sunday, August 23, pledged to provide additional equipment for the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City and ensure that funds are included in the 2027 budget for the Negros Island Region.Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, met with the heads of the Negros Occidental provincial government hospitals, asked for their wish lists, and toured the TLJPH on Sunday, August 23.“I am not a magician, but we will try to slowly complete the needed equipment of the provincial government hospitals,” he said.Ejercito, who is the primary author of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, said he wants to help improve the provincia...
Sagay intensifies RSSI response

Sagay intensifies RSSI response

Business, Top Stories
Rep. Alfredo Marañon III*Sagay City is intensifying its campaign against the Red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation as additional agricultural assistance from the national government is expected, alongside the distribution of more than 700 bottles of insecticide to affected sugarcane areas.Updates and next steps were tackled during the recent RSSI Task Force Meeting held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall, a report from Sagay City said Thursday, August 20.Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Negros Occidental, 2nd District) thanked the  barangays,  local sugar industry, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), farmers, and other partners for sustaining coordinated efforts against the infestation.He said he had met with Agricult...
African swine fever cases continue to rise in Negros Oriental

African swine fever cases continue to rise in Negros Oriental

Business
 African swine fever cases in Negros Oriental continue to rise despite containment measures, the Provincial Veterinary Office said on Thursday*Photo courtesy of Jessa FonolleraAfrican swine fever (ASF) cases continued to rise in Negros Oriental, with Bindoy as the latest municipality to detect the disease, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said Thursday, August 20.Acting PVO chief Vernon Lumbania said that Bindoy is among three local government units (LGUs) in the province still with active ASF cases.“As of today, Aug. 20, the three LGUs with active ASF cases are Bindoy, Pamplona, and Siaton, meaning the cases continue to rise,” Lumbania said.Data from the PVO showed that Siaton recorded 31 positive cases out of 34 samples, Amlan 24 of 55, Tanjay City 39 positive and f...
TP in the Philippines secures 9th consecutive Great Place to Work® certification on 30th anniversary

TP in the Philippines secures 9th consecutive Great Place to Work® certification on 30th anniversary

Business
TP in the Philippines CEO Rahul Jolly, GPTW Philippines General Manager Charles Plumley, TP Group CEO Jorge Amar, TP Americas CEO Miranda Collard, Vice President of Human Resources Rachel Cacabelos, and TP India, Philippines and ANZ Regional President Anish Mukker (l-r) during the Philippine Leadership Town Hall to celebrate the company's 30 years of operations in the Philippines and its ninth consecutive Great Place to Work certification..*Global digital business services provider TP in the Philippines has earned its ninth consecutive Great Place to Work® Certification, marking a major milestone as the company celebrates its 30th year of operations in the country.The certification is awarded to organizations that maintain high levels of trust, respect, fairness, pride, and camara...
Bacolod SP calls for strengthening security, gun-free school zones

Bacolod SP calls for strengthening security, gun-free school zones

Business, Top Stories
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City  has approved two resolutions calling for stronger measures to protect students, teachers, school personnel, and visitors in public and private educational institutions throughout the city following recent school shooting incidents in other  parts of the country.Both resolutions were authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, a press release from his office said Thursday, August 20.The first resolution urges the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), Department of Education – Schools Division of Bacolod City, Commission on Higher Education, concerned barangays, and all public and private educational institutions to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of gun-free school zones, consistent with Republic Act No. 10591 or the Compre...
DA secretary allocates ₱300M for bioagent labs to fight sugarcane pest, explains importation stand

DA secretary allocates ₱300M for bioagent labs to fight sugarcane pest, explains importation stand

Business, Top Stories
DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. (center) with SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and Sugar Board member Dave Sanson (right) at the PhilSuTech convention in Cebu.*SRA photoThe Department of Agriculture has allocated a 2027 budget of P300 million for the development of laboratories or incubation centers to create bioagents versus the red-striped soft scale insects per municipality where sugarcane is planted, DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Wednesday, August 19.Tiu Laurel, who made the announcement in his speech at the opening of the 72nd PhilSuTech Annual National Convention in Cebu, said they are also putting on standby chemicals to fight the RSSI spread.The secretary has also mandated all available DA laboratories to augment the production of RSSI bi...
Gasataya inks  MOA with Gugma Foundation as MassKara 2026 unveils new venues, fresh experiences

Gasataya inks  MOA with Gugma Foundation as MassKara 2026 unveils new venues, fresh experiences

Business, Top Stories
Mayor Greg Gasataya (right) and MassKara Festival Director Rodney Ascalon after the signing of the MOA*BCCO photoMayor Greg Gasataya and the Bacolod Gugma Foundation, Inc. (BGFI) officially sealed their partnership for the 2026 MassKara Festival through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed Wednesday, August 19, paving the way for “another vibrant celebration” this October.Gasataya, together with Festival Director Rodney Ascalon, announced several significant changes aimed at enhancing public safety, crowd management, and the overall festival experience, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.“The arena competition is expected to move from the Paglaum Sports Complex to a new venue following safety assessments. The street dancing competition will likew...
Task force conducts fungal spraying in 8 NegOcc LGUs to halt RSSI spread: guv

Task force conducts fungal spraying in 8 NegOcc LGUs to halt RSSI spread: guv

Business
The Provincial Biosecurity Task Force for Agriculture has conducted perimeter road-spraying operations across 694.60 hectares of sugarcane fields in eight local government units in Negros Occidental as part of its biocontrol intervention against the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, August 18.The road-spraying strategy focuses on applying Entomopathogenic fungi along field perimeters to establish protective treatment zones. These boundaries serve as crucial entry and exit points for RSSI, meaning edge treatments actively prevent the pest population from expanding into or escaping treated areas, Engr. Colen M. Ocalinas, task force action officer, said.There are some good results where RSSI infestation has been lowered, Lacson sa...
Negros Power electricity rates slightly up in August

Negros Power electricity rates slightly up in August

Business, Top Stories
Negros Power customers will see a slight increase in their electricity rates this August, with the average residential rate set at ₱14.2787 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).This is an increase of ₱0.1500 per kWh from July’s rate of ₱14.1287 per kWh, a press release from Negros Power said Tuesday, August 18.The increase is mainly due to higher transmission and other charges, despite a decrease in the cost of generating electricity.The Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) rate increased from ₱10.4213/kWh to ₱12.2420/kWh because of higher electricity demand and the temporary unavailability of several power plants. These conditions resulted in Yellow and Red Alerts in the Luzon and Visayas grids, causing electricity prices in the spot market to rise.To help lessen the impact on cust...
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