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The Negros Electric and Power Corporation announced a 66-centavo per kilowatt-hour decrease in its electricity rates for May.Negros Power said its rate for May is P11.6958/kWh, which is P0.6605/kWh lower compared to previous month which was at P12.3563/kWh.The electric provider attributed the decrease to the lower power generation and transmission cost.This decrease includes a P1.1585/kWh drop in the price of electricity at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, and a P0.2085/kWh drop in the Emergency Power Supply Agreement from Palm Concepcion Power Corporation.The lower electricity rate was also caused by lower transmission charges with the Power Delivery Service dropped by P2.82 per kilowatt and ancillary services also lowered by P29.31/kW.Earlier, the Negros Occiden...

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region Director Donato Sermeno and Fifth District Board Member Rita Gatuslao (l-r) at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting in Bacolod City on Friday*The Regional Task Force Kanlaon has lifted the ban on entering the 6-kilometer extended danger zone from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., Office of the Civil Defense Negros Island Region Director Donato Sermeno III said on Friday, May 16.The ban on entry into the 6-kilometer danger zone was imposed following Kanlaon’s explosive eruption at 2:55 a.m. Tuesday. The eruption lasted for 5 minutes emitting voluminous ash that hit 51 barangays in five cities and nine towns in four provinces.The 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. entry period is open to f...

Two persons were shot to death in Bacolod City and Toboso in Negros Occidental on Thursday, May 15.A Bacolodnon was shot in the head by unidentified suspects in Chariza 1, Brgy. 27, Bacolod City, Thursday night.The police identified the victim as alias “Cesar” of Brgy Handumanan, Bacolod.The victim was chased by three persons and when he was cornered one of them shot him in the head, the police said.The victim was allegedly involved in some theft incidents in the Libertad area in Bacolod City.Meanwhile, a senior citizen was shot dead during a fiesta in Sitio Minasug-ang, Brgy. Tabun-ac, Toboso, Thursday.Emiliano Imalay, 61, was shot by alias “Jojo”, and alias “Win-win” of Brgy. Bandila, Toboso, the police said.The victim and his son, Isagane, were drinkin...

Edsil Jess and Alexis Gale Adalid from Bais City, Negros Oriental, on their wedding day*The cremated remains of four overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) - two of them from Negros Oriental province - who died in the Myanmar earthquake in March, will be transported to the Philippines next week.The bodies of Negrense couple Edsil Jess and Alexis Gale Adalid, who were both from Bais City, are expected to arrive at the Dumaguete-Sibulan airport by May 24, to be brought to Bais for the wake.Edsil’s mother, Hermosila Adalid said on Thursday, May 15, that the arrangements are now being made for the return of the remains.“Yesterday, the Philippine Embassy in Yangon conducted an online meeting with us next of kin of the four OFWs. We were given three options or scenarios, and we chose t...

The police arrested three persons in a buy-bust operation in Purok 2, Hacienda Biaren, Brgy. Linao, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, on Thursday, May 15.Arrested were alias “Crezyl”, 26, alias “Cyron”, 23, and alias “Ian”, 28, of Brgy Linao.The police recovered 15 grams of shabu from them with an estimated street drug price of P105,000.The suspects are now under police custody and will be charged for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.*

The Department of Health – Western Visayas called on the public on Friday, May 16, to stay informed and proactive in preventing cervical cancer and hypertension.The DOH issued the call as the nation marks Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and Hypertension Awareness Month this May.Cervical cancer remains a public health concern of importance, especially among women in Western Visayas, the DOH said in a press statement.Most cases are caused by persistent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), it said.In 2024, the region recorded a total of 10,791 (0.44 percent) women screened and 520 (4.82 percent) turned out to be either positive for precancerous lesion or suspicious for cervical cancer cases, the DOH said.Cervical cancer can be prevented through routine screening ...

Bacolod Mayor-elect Greg Gasataya’s team removing campaign materials ahead of Saturday’s deadline.*The Commission on Elections is reminding all candidates in the May 12 elections to remove their campaign materials posted in public places by Saturday, May 17, and to submit their Statements of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCEs) by June 11.Section 30 of Comelec Resolution No. 11086 states that all candidates must remove their campaign materials within five days after the elections and without need of notice, Negros Island Region Commission on Elections Assistant Regional Director Jossil Macute said on Thursday, May 15.If candidates who won and lost fail to remove their campaign materials, it will be done by the Comelec and local government and they will be billed, Macute said....

Negros Occidental Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko, Abang Lingkod first nominee*It looks like Negros Occidental may have a seventh congressman.Abang Lingkod with Negros Occidental Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko as its first nominee was among the winning party list groups set to gain one seat each in the House of Representatives, partial unofficial results from the Comelec server showed on Thursday, May 15.Abang Lingkod had 274,723 votes or 0.66 percent, based on 99.12 percent of the votes counted.There are 63 seats reserved for party list groups,Akbayan, Duterte Youth and Tingog — are on track to win three seats each, with 4Ps, ACT-CIS and Ako Bicol each securing two seats.There are 48 groups expected to get just one seat each.Abang Lingkod was among the 48 ...

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) started the distribution of P9.88 million in cash assistance to families displaced by the recent Kanlaon Volcano eruption through its Emergency Cash Transfer Program on Thursday, May 15.The ash fall from Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption on Tuesday, May 13, damaged P128,133 in rice crops in barangays Sag-ang and Camandag in La Castellana, an initial report from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist showed.The Negros Occidental provincial government and other local governments have sent tankers to provide affected residents with potable water and to clean roads covered with ash fall, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.They are also providing residents with tarpaulins to mitigate the damage to the roofs of their hous...

A beauty pageant contestant died when her motorcycle hit a parked truck along the Circumferential Road in Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City, at about 7:40 a.m. on Wednesday, May 14.Rahsel Tayco, 21, of Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City, Negros Occidental, died when her motorcycle hit the rear of the parked dropside truck, the police said.The driver of the dropside truck was Jocil Roncal, 49, a resident of Brgy. Delicioso, Ilog.Police investigation revealed that while the victim was driving a motorcycle occupying the outermost lane of the road, she suddenly swerved to the right and accidentally collided with the rear of the truck.The collision caused damages to both vehicles.Tayco sustained injuries, was given first aid by a rescue team and was transported to Corazon Locsin Montelibano ...