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The Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (NONECO) announced a 61-centavo per kilowatt-hour decrease in its electricity rates in June.Its electricity rate for June is P11.4110/kWh, which is P0.6152 lower compared to May’s P12.0262/kWh, NONECO announced Tuesday, June 17.The electric cooperative attributed the decrease to the reduced cost of power purchased from suppliers, with the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) price down by P0.9874/kWh leading to a drop in the generational charge at P5.8665/kWh.Transmission and systems loss charges also decreased in June by P0.1561/kWh.NOCECO also said that fluctuating pass-on rates and power consumption are key factors in a consumer's electricity bill and urged everyone to remain mindful of their electricity usage.“This curr...

The Negros Occidental provincial government will continue to provide food assistance to residents displaced by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest who were relocated to covered courts and tents, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson assured on Tuesday, June 17..The evacuees in La Carlota City and La Castellana were moved out of schools that served as their evacuation camps for six months to give way to the opening of classes.Lacson said the evacuees who returned to their barangays will gradually be able to return to their normal lives.Aside from the emergency shelter tents in Brgy Robles, La Castellana, the Office of the Civil Defense has also set up tents in Brgy Mansalanao for the evacuees.Lacson said the search for a permanent relocation site in La Castellana is ongoing.Two sites being eyed in ...

The annual rate of price increases in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental accelerated to 2.4 percent in May, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Tuesday, June 17.PSA data show that the inflation rate in Bacolod City in the previous month stood at 2.2 percent, while it was 2.1 percent for Negros Occidental.However, last month’s inflation rates were lower compared to the May 2024 data of 4.5 percent for Bacolod City and 4.2 percent for Negros Occidental, the same data showed.“This probably shows the government policies are taking effect considering there is a decrease in our inflation rates (from the past year). We are hoping to see slower inflation rates in the coming months,” PSA-Negros Occidental statistical analyst Ligaya Gillesania said in a press briefing. ...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday, June 17, said that he is aiming to increase the number of provincial government scholars in the last three years of his administration.A total of 515 incoming scholars of the provincial government signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Lacson during rites held at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Monday.The scholars are enrolled in various schools and universities.They belong to different scholarship categories, including PAGKAON Scholarship Grant, District Educational Scholarship, Degree Completion Scholarship, Indigenous Peoples’ Scholarship, Negros Occ. Provincial Medical and Nursing Scholarship - Nursing, NOPMANS Medicine, Provincial Educational Assistance to Capitol Employees, Best of Negros, Scholarship fo...

The Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare (PNGOC) assured Negrenses that treatment for babies born with a “clubfoot” is free.PNGOC Executive Director Chi Laigo Vallido, in a meeting with the press in Bacolod on Tuesday, June 12, said that based on their latest records, there are about 200 children in Negros who are availing the clubfoot free treatment, with 10 from Negros Oriental and the rest from Negros Occidental.Clubfoot, a lower-limb deformity also called "kapingkawan sa paa", is one of the most common congenital anomaly affecting millions of children around the world where every three minutes, one baby is born with a clubfoot.In the Philippines five babies are born with a clubfoot every day. But more than 95 percent of clubfoot cases can be corrected if...

Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez (left) awarding the MTOP.*A total of 287 tricycle operators were awarded their Motorized Tricycle Operator’s Permits (MTOP) of tricycle franchise in a distribution ceremony held at Don Alejandro Acuña Yap Quiña Arts and Cultural Center in Victorias City on Tuesday, June 17.Victorias City Mayor and Congressman-elect Javier Miguel Benitez led the distribution along with SP Committee Chair on Transport and Traffic Management Councilor Eric Alcobilla, Councilor Dino Acuña, and Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) Head and City Administrator Lindolf de Castro.The awarded franchises were carefully reviewed and validated by the Victorias Franchising and Regulatory Board (VFRB) and the BPLO, and approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod, a pre...

Learners who returned to school in Negros Occidental on Monday.*DepEd Negros Occidental photoAn estimated 1.3 million K to 12 learners were expected to troop back to school in the Negros Island Region (NIR) on Monday, June 16.“The figure is not final but we expect more or less 1.3 million learners for all (K to 12) levels in the NIR,” Department of Education NIR Regional Director Dr. Ramir B. Uytico said.The initial total enrollment figure will be known by the end of the week, he said.They will allow enrollment in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor until August, he said.Uytico said they are still faced with lack of classrooms and teachers in the NIR, which is a nationwide concern.They are gathering the data since the DepEd NIR was only recently created...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (4th from left) joined a meeting on the Panay-Negros-Guimaras Negros Island Bridges Project at the office of First Lady Liza Marcos on Friday, June 13.*Liza Marcos Facebook photoA meeting was held to discuss how to move faster on the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges Project, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, June 16.The meeting was held at the Office of First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos on Friday, June 13.Updates were given on the status of the project, Benitez said.They discussed “how to move forward faster”, he added.Present at the meeting were officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, National Economic and Development Authority, and Secretary Frederick Go, Special Assistant to the President...

One suspected mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox) case in Negros Occidental turned out to be negative, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan said on Monday, Juen 16.There are no mpox cases in Negros Occidental, she said.Only Bacolod City has one mpox case, Pinongan said.Bacolod City is a highly urbanized city that is not under the Negros Occidental provincial government. Negros Occidental is on alert and keeping a close watch to prevent mpox cases in the province, Pinongan said.Mpox is contagious  through close skin to skin contact, it is not airborne, she said.The public should follow hygiene and safety protocols such as frequent handwashing and avoiding close contact with individuals who have flu-like symptoms or unexplained skin rashes, she said.Patie...