Customers of Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) will see lower electricity bills this May as the utility announced a reduction in residential power rates driven by lower generation and transmission costs. In an advisory, Negros Power said the average residential electricity rate for May 2026 dropped to P11.3808 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), lower by …
Monthly Archives: May 2026
Bridging the gendered gap
By Herman M. Lagon It is easy to cheer for progress — especially when numbers say we are doing well. The country has often ranked high in gender equality lists, topping Southeast Asia at times. We have had women in politics, laws like the Magna Carta for Women, and a visible female presence in public …
The significance of Our Lord’s Ascension
By Fr. Roy Cimagala A number of very meaningful considerations can be drawn from the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven. One is that, with it, we are reminded that, like Christ, who is the pattern of our humanity and the redeemer of our damaged humanity, we actually came from heaven and are meant to …
‘It basically ruined my life’: Losing grip on reality while using AI chatbot
Tom Millar thought he had unlocked the secrets of the universe. In a flurry of feverish discovery, he solved unlimited fusion energy, lifted the veil on the mysteries of black holes and the Big Bang and finally achieved Einstein’s dream of a single unifying theory that explains how everything works. Feeling inspired by God, Millar …
Bacolod SP OKs ‘Right to Care’ ordinance on first reading
By CESAR JOLITO III The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has approved on first reading a proposed ordinance that seeks to strengthen patient rights and recognize non-traditional caregivers in healthcare settings. The measure aims to institutionalize a more inclusive and patient-centered healthcare support system in the city. The proposed ordinance would allow competent adults to formally …
Visayas poised to become PH’s center of dev’t
Local government officials in Bacolod City are joining hands with fellow leaders from the neighboring provinces in a bid to make Visayas the center of development in the country. “It’s about time that we share a common goal and become one in making Visayas the center of our country,” Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya said …
NO MORE EXTENSION: Rush expected on BSKE voter reg last day May 18
By CESAR JOLITO III A surge of last-minute voter registrants is expected across the Negros Island Region (NIR) as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed that the voter registration deadline for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on Monday, May 18 will no longer be extended. Comelec-NIR Lionel Marco Castillano said Comelec Chairman …
Cops, Coast Guard, BFP to secure Kabulakan fest
The Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NORPPO) will deploy 200 police personnel in Dumaguete City for the Kabulakan Festival from May 17 to 24 to ensure public safety and secure participants in various events. Captain Stephen Polinar, NORPPO spokesperson, told the Philippine News Agency in an interview yesterday that most of the police personnel will …
Pope Leo appoints new Bacolod diocese bishop
Bishop-designate Louie Galbines of Kabankalan City was appointed as the shepherd of his home diocese of Bacolod in Negros Occidental by Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) News reported. He will succeed Bishop Patricio Buzon, who served the diocese for 10 years. Galbines, 59 years old, was born in Aliwanag, …
Pagasa: Widespread high heat indices continue
A huge part of the country continues to experience high heat index levels, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said yesterday. “We’ve recorded 42 to 51 degrees Celsius heat indices mostly in Regions 1 and 2, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Cagayan area, and the Visayas and Mindanao,” Pagasa Climate Monitoring and …