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Seedable clouds have been  spotted in Negros Occidental and other parts of Western Visayas that are needed to induce rain. However, the Department of Agriculture 6 is still sourcing funds for cloud seeding operations.Regional Director Dennis Arpiya has gone to the DA  central office to follow up on the need for  cloud seeding funds, DA Assistant  Regional Director Albert Barrogo said on Wednesday, May 22. About P6 million will be needed for cloudseeding in   Western Visayas,  he said. There have been rains lately but for very short periods, he said, noting that the  PAGASA forecast is that rain will be  below normal until June Rains induced by cloud seeding in the last week of May to second week of June co...

Silay Vice Mayor Thomas Maynard Ledesma* The Silay Sangguniang Panlungsod is not against the P1.2 billion bulk water project of the Negros Occidental provincial government, it just wants clarifications to protect the interest of Silaynons, Vice Mayor Thomas Maynard Ledesma said on Wednesday, May 22. The Silay SP is the lone council that has not issued a Resolution of No Objection (RONO) to the provincial government’s bulk water project. Ledesma denied that their not granting the RONO is motivated by politics.  They are also waiting for the RONOs of the barangay councils of Hawaiian, Guimbalaon and Kapitan Ramon that will be directly affected by the project, he added. A Silay SP statement said “we are duty-bound to extend with utmost diligen...

A coconut festival and palayok making are among the highlights of the upcoming Earth Market at May’s Garden in Bacolod City on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 to 26.Among the activities to be held during the two-day Earth Market are pottery making, community kitchen cooking, and a talk on the Mapping Methodology.The Earth Market aims to bring together a diverse community of individuals who are eager to explore and expand their knowledge, a press release from the organizers said.The Palayok Making workshop is open to individuals aged 10 to 100 years old and aims to immerse the participants in Filipino heritage and the art of creating clay pots.Registration for the workshop is P500 per person.The event is led by the Slow Food Community, the City of Bacolod and the office of R...

Coco Ichibanya at the Pavilions at Nara Residences by Rockwell* The grand opening of Coco Ichibanya and Mitsuyado Sei-men restaurants at the Pavilions at Nara Residences by Rockwell along GM Cordova Avenue in Mandalagan, Bacolod City, is set Thursday morning, May 23.The two Japanese culinary establishments bring an authentic taste of Japan to your doorstep, said Hubert U. Young, Chief Executive Officer of UCC Ueshima Coffee Philippines Inc., the company that brought the Japanese chains to the country.Coco Ichibanya is renowned for its delectable curry dishes, while Mitsuyado Sei-men offers a culinary noodle journey, both providing customers with an exceptional dining experience.Mitsuyado Sei-men, a popular Japanese noodle chain founded in 2005 in Tokyo, is known for it...

Rev. Fr. Christopher Entrata blessing the streetlights.* EB Magalona PIO  photo  The upland barangay of Canlusong in E. B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, has received 53 solar-powered streetlights from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the municipal government.The streetlights project cost was P1.221 million. The DSWD, through its KALAHI-CIDSS PAMANA Program allocated P1,200,000, while the municipal government shouldered the P21,000, a press release from EB Magalona said.The streetlights have lighted the streets of Canlusong from the barangay proper to Purok Kawayan.DSWD, municipal, and barangay officials led the inauguration and turnover ceremonies on Wednesday, May 22.Leading the blessing rites was Rev. Fr. Christopher Entrata, parish priest of...

Central Negros Electric Cooperative’s electricity rates could go down by 30 to 40 percent in June if the Energy Regulatory Commission issues its requested provisional authority to avail of contracted power from the Energy Development Corp. (EDC), CENECO acting general manager Arnel Lapore said on Wednesday, May 22.CENECO has a 20 megawatts 10-year supply contract with EDC at P5.56 per kilowatt hour without Value Added Tax (VAT), which it can avail of if ERC grants the coop’s request for a provisional authority, he said.They filed for a provisional authority on March 15 and are hoping ERC acts on it soon, Lapore said.If CENECO can begin availing of the 20 megawatts from EDC it will not have to buy power from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, which prices are at a...

Senator Juan Miguel  Zubiri* Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as senate president will always be remembered for steering the passage of the Negros Island Region bill, Gov . Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Wednesday, May 22.“I am truly appreciative of this,” Lacson said.The bill that seeks to create the NIR composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor is now pending before the Office of the President for possible signing into law.“Many of our local government units were recipients of his (Zubiri’s) projects as he also considers Negros Occidental his home,” the governor added.Zubiri on Monday relinquished his post to newly installed Senate President Francis Escudero after his colleagues moved to oust him. Zubiri was outnumbered and was left with only seven ...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday, April 22, welcomed the approval by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the country's return to the old school calendar amid calls for the immediate restoration of the April-May school break.“While it may inconvenience the school administrations as they will have to make adjustments again, the summer heat is just not suitable for our students to be inside the classrooms, especially in public schools,” Lacson said.The Presidential Communications Office announced Wednesday that in response to public concerns on the schedule of classes, the president on Tuesday approved to start reverting the country’s school calendar to the traditional arrangement.The opening of classes for school year 2024-2025 will begin on July 29 this y...

Negros Electric and Power Corporation president Roel Castro said on Tuesday, May 21, that the Senate’s final  approval of the bill granting NEPC’s  franchise  brings them closer to the execution of the joint venture agreement that will allow their  take over the power distribution services of Central Negros Electric Cooperative. However, he does not know when exactly they can start since the approved bill still needs to be signed into law by the president, Castro said at a press conference in Bacolod City. The fastest they can begin operations is a month and half to three months but many things are not within their control, he said. Castro said there will be no magic quick fix to the high power rates and the problems in the CENECO power distributio...

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on Tuesday, May 21, reminded all school principals and school administrators to exercise sound judgment and discretion in dealing with extreme heat situations. They should take into consideration the health and safety of students, Caesar Distrito, the mayor’s spokesman, said. The school officials have the authority to suspend classes and shift to other modalities of learning as stated in Department of Education Memorandum 037 series of 2022, he added.  The forecasted heat index for Wednesday, May 22, is 43 degrees Celsius, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. On Tuesday it was at 42 degrees Celsius. PAGASA said 42 to 51 degrees Celsius are cons...