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The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines successfully energized the P52 billion Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), a landmark undertaking that will improve power stability and reliability across the country, the NGCP announced Thursday, May 4.An initial load of 22.5 MegaWatts (MW) was carried by the high voltage submarine and overhead lines from Mindanao to Visayas during its energization on April 20."We expect to gradually increase the MVIP's transfer capacity to 50MW by mid-May, and 112MW by the end of the month, before energizing to its full transfer capacity of 450MW by the third quarter of this year," the company explained.The MVIP is comprised of a 184 circuit-kilometer (ckm) High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) submarine transmission line connecting the pow...

Rescuers searching for a 50-year-old female of Barangay Guiljungan, Cauayan.*Cauayan Mountain Tigers photoBacolod City and nine other local government units in Negros Occidental have suspended classes at all levels on Friday, May 5, amid the threat of heavy rainfall.The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said Western Visayas will remain under blue alert. Other LGUs who have suspended classes on Friday areSilay, Talisay, Bago, Himamaylan and La Carlota cities, and Hinoba-an, EB Magalona, Manapla, Hinigaran and Murcia towns.But Mayor Renato Gustilo said classes will resume in San Carlos City on Friday.The Department of Education (DepEd) has monitored 1,374 public schools in Western Visayas shifting to alternative delivery mode (ADM) of learning as a prec...

Two employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Negros Occidental were issued show cause orders for the disappearance of 789 bags of fertilizer, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Thursday, May 4.Agriculturists 1 Joy Cardinal and Herminigildo Basilio, persons in-charge of the Rice Processing Center warehouse in Bago City, have been asked to explain the disappearance of the fertilizer estimated to cost P2,367,000.“This is a notice to explain, this is not a formal charge so there is no preventive suspension order,” Nellas said.The two were issued show cause orders because they were the personnel who received the fertilizer, certified that it was complete and are the ones who keep the key to the warehouse, he said.The fertilizer was discovered miss...

The disconnection of power at 10 public elementary schools in Bacolod City on Wednesday morning was caused by “miscoordination”, Arnel Lapore, Central Negros Electric Cooperative acting general manager, said Thursday, May 4.“We sincerely regret the incident…To this, I humbly seek your apologies,” Lapore said in a letter to Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.CENECO disconnected the electricity at the Singcang, Mandalagan, Estefania, Luis Hervias, ABKASA, Bata, Pahanocoy, Sum-ag, Punta Taytay and Mansilingan elementary schools while classes were ongoing on Wednesday.Lapore said as of 10 a.m. Thursday power had been restored in nine schools.The restoration of the power at the Singcang Elementary School was delayed because a fallen tree had impeded access of the power re-co...

The Himamaylan City government personnel providing assistance to the evacuees.*Himamaylan CSWDO photoAn alleged New People’s Army rebel was killed, two government soldiers were injured and a civilian was hit by a stray bullet in an encounter at Sitio Ulo-Tuburan, Brgy Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, at about 4:55 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3, the police reported Thursday.The encounter between the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion and the rebels caused the evacuation of 43 families with 175 individuals, who had returned home on Thursday, Lt. Col. Renante Jomocan, Himamaylan police chief, said.The slain rebel was still unidentified.Wounded in action were Pfc Denyl Pretal Reyes and Pfc Jionald Aldea Dumagat, Jomocan said.Ma. Fe Virtosio Caboctolan, 59, of Sitio Pa...

The majority of the public utility jeepneys will continue to operate Monday* Levi Trio photoThe majority of the public utility jeepneys in Bacolod City will continue to operate on Monday, May 8, despite the announcement of three groups that they are staging a strike.Elizabeth Katalbas of the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Associations and Eduardo “Junjun” Asis of Sentrong Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Negros (SSTONE) on Thursday, May 4, said their groups are not joining the strike on Monday.Katalbas said they are not joining the strike because they have no problem. Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has helped them so that they can continue to operate, she said.The modern jeepneys will also continue to ply the streets on Monday.Bacolod Councilor Al Victor E...

The drug enforcement teams of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) seized suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P2.27 million and arrested 57 drug personalities in April, data released on Thursday, May 4, showed.From April 1 to 30, recovered were 334.5279 grams of the prohibited substance with a standard drug price of P6,800 per gram.Col. Noel Aliño, acting city director, commended the operating units for their accomplishments and their continuous efforts to reduce criminality.“Relentless operations against all forms of illegal activities will continue. We encourage the public to do their share in the peacekeeping campaign of the government,” he added.Last month, the BCPO conducted 50 anti-illegal drug operations that resulted in the arrest of 57 drug personali...

A 2-year-old boy drowned after he fell in a well in Brgy. Matab-ang, Talisay City, on Monday.The child and his mother were on their way to the house of his grandmother in Hacienda Ledesma, a police report said.The mother was busy on her cellphone and only later discovered that her child disappeared, the police said.A search led to the discovery that the child fell in a well. The child was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.*

Dr. Girlie Pinongan, OIC provincial health officer.*COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental have increased but the situation is not alarming, Dr. Girlie Pinongan, OIC provincial health officer, said Wednesday, May 3.Negros Occidental had seven new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday for a total of 87 active cases.Pinongan said the majority of COVID-19 cases were mild with those hit opting for homecare.There were 12 persons admitted at the Cadiz District Hospital for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, she said.There were 505 COVID-19 cases recorded in Negros Occidental from January to April 24.She said the highest number of new COVID-19 cases that they recorded in a day this year was 22 in the third week of April.The COVID-19 deaths in Negros Occidental for 2023 were nine and not ten a...