Sugar Citizens - Lifestyle and News Negros

17/09/2026

When will the Manual Load Dropping in the Visayas end?

By Butch Bacaoco
CANE POINTS

Yesterday (September 16), the NGCP announced another Red Alert, as Peak Demand of 2,538 MW surpassed Available Capacity of 2,536 MW, as of 8:00 AM September 16 Power Outlook.

NGCP reported that eight power plants are on forced outage this September, three plants since August 2026, one plant since July, two plants since June, seven plants since May, three plants since 2025, two plants since 2024, two plants since 2023, and one plant since 2021, while 15 plants are running on derated capacities, for a total of 774.2MW unavailable to the grid.

Most notably, two large Visayas power plants – Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) Unit 1 (169 MW) and Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) Unit 3 (150 MW) – are offline, while imports from Mindanao are unavailable due to the island’s own power shortage.

NGCP eventually lifted the Red Alert status at 1:10 PM yesterday, but the grid remained at Yellow Alert until 8:00 PM.

As of September 16, NGCP logged a total of 41 Red Alerts and 105 Yellow Alerts since the start of 2026. For the month of September, Red Alerts have been issued on an almost daily basis.

Manual Load Dropping is the only way to reduce the demand to balance the available power in the grid. And this would mean continuous rotational brownouts until the available power supply matches the projected peak demand.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin expressed hope last month that, with the resumption of the 169 MW TVI Unit 2 and the 105 MW Kepco Unit 2 by last week of August, the Visayas power situation would somehow improve this September. TVI’s 169 MW Unit 1 and Cebu Energy Development Corporation's (CEDC) 82 MW Unit 1 were also expected to augment the power supply by September.
CEDC returned online last September 5, but TVI Unit 1 remains offline until now. Worse, PEDC Unit 3 suffered a breakdown on August 29 and is still offline.

PEDC Unit 3 was compelled to undergo forced outage last May 6 due to technical problems, but it returned online on July 1. Unfortunately, it suffered another technical trouble last August 29. PEDC officials stated they are eyeing the completion of repairs by the end of October yet. That’s 150 MW of unavailable power until the end of October.

When will the MLDs end?

Secretary Garin said last Monday that she hopes the number of alerts will be significantly reduced within the year. She expects that TVI Unit 1 and Unit 2 will resume operations very soon, and that PEDC Unit 3 can also chip in by October.

Among the short-term, immediate solutions she proffered are the installation of 253 MW battery energy storage systems (BESS) and the deployment of power barges in the Visayas.

The BESS will draw power from renewable energy sources, and then contribute that power to the grid during peak hours. Garin urged NGCP to expedite the connection of the BESS to the grid so that they can be utilized as soon as possible.

Power barges can also contribute to the power supply, but like BESS, they will require the construction of transmission lines to connect them to the grid. Aside from this infrastructure hurdle, power barges also eat up a huge amount of fuel, which does not come cheap.

The Department of Energy is working hard to address the problem, Garin assured, and she asked for a little more patience, because it will take time to construct additional baseload power plants which can supplement the power supply in the Visayas.

Meanwhile, consumers will have to bear with the MLDs. As things stand, rotational brownouts are here to stay for the coming months.

The most that consumers can do is prepare for the brownouts.

Know the feeder to which your residence belongs. Keep a lookout for the schedule of MLDs, so that you can have ample time to prepare.

Perform the necessary tasks while there is still light. Tidy up the house. Take out and peel or slice the ingredients you need to cook for your dinner. Store water early, particularly in areas where water service is affected during power interruptions.

Charge your phones and other devices. Better yet, purchase solar lights so that dinner won’t have be a dim, gloomy meal.

There are things that, no matter how we rant, can’t be changed. The Visayas power shortage is one of them, at least for now. The most that we can do is adapt to the situation, and cope in the best way we can.•

27/08/2026

Colegio San Agustin Bacolod and Negros Season of Culture Ink Alliance for Heritage Education

Bacolod City, August 27, 2026 – NegrosNex Network Corp., a creative
enterprise founded by philanthropist, Angelica Berrie, and the company
behind the digital cultural platforms, Negros Season of Culture and BAO,
launched a collaborative academic partnership with Colegio San Agustin
Bacolod (CSAB) around a shared vision of preserving and transmitting
Negrense heritage, arts, and culture to the next generation.

The alliance was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding.
Representing CSAB at the signing event were the President, Rev. Fr. Jose
Rene Delariarte, OSA, together with College Deans and Program Heads.
Meanwhile, the NegrosNex founder was joined by her Editorial Board and
Production team.

“This Memorandum of Understanding is more than an agreement,” the
CSAB President said in stressing the significance of the MOU. “It is a
covenant of mutual mission where education and culture converge to
inspire minds and uplift communities.”
NegrosNex founder Berrie concurs fully: “Culture attracts capital. A vibrant cultural identity rooted in our heritage could spur economic development,
create stronger social cohesion, and revitalize communities. This partnership represents a shared aspiration to transmit the heritage we
inherited and pass it on to the next generation.”

A joint press statement explained, the product of this intersection between
CSAB’s arts and culture education and NegrosNex’s “creative placemaking”
will contribute to the collective narrative of Negros.

Partnering with an academic institution whose roots date back to Augustinian missionaries in 1565, is an exciting step toward developing a curriculum based on the unique cultural heritage of Negros.

Embedding original content from NegrosNex within an institution of
learning through general education courses on Humanities, degree
programs enriched with subjects on Culture and the Arts, as well as lectures and and workshops, will equip graduates with communication skills to transmit and the social and cultural identity of our community.”

“In the Augustinian tradition,” Rev. Fr. Delariarte shared at the MOU signing, “we believe that knowledge finds its fullness when it is rooted in love and service. By integrating the treasures of Negros Season of Culture into our academic life, we affirm our commitment to form students who
are not only seekers of faith but also stewards of beauty, heritage, and
unity.

“May this partnership be a living witness to the enduring wisdom of St.
Augustine, reminding us that true learning is never apart from charity, and that culture flourishes when embraced with faith and love,” he concluded.

27/08/2026

Mayor Greg Gasataya has issued a statement regarding the incident at Bacolod City College (BCC). At approximately 2:05 PM, August 26, 2026, a note containing an alleged threat was discovered inside a comfort room and immediately reported to authorities.

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), under the leadership of PCol. Eugene Rebadomia, swiftly secured the premises and began an investigation in close coordination with the City Government. Mayor Gasataya emphasized that educational institutions must remain safe havens for our youth, and assured the public that all necessary measures are being taken to protect the BCC community.

To allow BCPO and DRRMO to conduct security briefings and emergency protocol training, BCC will shift all classes online tomorrow, August 27.”

20/08/2026

Mount Kalatkat, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental 1030 meters above sea level.

18/08/2026

🌳✨ Capitol Lagoon: World‑Class in the Heart of Negros ✨🌳

From manicured landscapes to spotless grounds, the Provincial Capitol Lagoon Park proves that public spaces can be managed with excellence. Security is tight, garbage disposal is efficient, and every corner feels cared for.

And yes — an air‑conditioned public toilet that meets world‑class standards. 🚻❄️ A rare gem in local parks, showing that Negros Occidental values both beauty and comfort.

This is more than a park — it’s a statement of pride, discipline, and community care. 🐟🌿

18/08/2026

18/08/2026

🚯🐟 Respect the Lagoon, Respect the Community 🐟🚯

The Provincial Capitol Lagoon Park is a place of peace — where families can feed the fish and enjoy nature. Yet some choose to tie plastic bags to the fence, ignoring the trash bin just a meter away.

Littering isn’t just careless, it’s disrespectful — to the park, and to every citizen who values cleanliness.

Let’s call it out, let’s stop it, and let’s keep our Capitol Lagoon a sanctuary worth visiting. 🌿✨

13/08/2026

Manual Load Drop vis-à-vis Ancillary Services

Since August 1, consumers have experienced six days of alerts from NGCP: August 1, 6, 7, 8, 10 and August 11. On August 1, 6 and 7, NGCP issued Yellow Alerts, while consumers experienced Manual Load Dropping or rotational brownouts due to the Red Alerts issued last Friday, Saturday and Tuesday.

On Tuesday, NGCP lifted the Red Alert status of the Visayas at around 9:00 PM, but the grid still remained at Yellow Alert status until 10:00 PM. At around 9:00 PM yesterday, NGCP reported that the Available Capacity was 2,381 MW, while the Projected Peak Demand was 2,341 MW, leaving only 40 MW for contingency (when a major power plant experiences a breakdown).

NGCP issues a Yellow Alert when the operating margin is insufficient to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement, while NGCP issues a Red Alert when power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand and the transmission grid’s regulating requirement.

In simpler terms, it is a Yellow Alert when Available Power is higher than Projected Peak Demand, but if a major power plant suffers a breakdown, the resulting reduced Available Power is not enough to meet the Peak Demand. It is a Red Alert when the Available Power is not enough to meet the Peak Demand, in which case the demand has to be reduced by Manual Load Dropping or cutting off some areas from the supply in the grid.

The Visayas power outlook appears hazy, indicating more Yellow and Red Alerts in the coming days. NGCP reported that the two generating units of the Aboitiz-owned coal-fired Therma Visayas power plant in Cebu has been on forced outage since May 2026, while one generating unit each of three other power plants (Kepco Salcon Power Corp, Cebu Energy Development Corp and Toledo Power Corp) also went into forced outage.

According to the Department of Energy, the 300 MW capacity Therma Visayas is having issues with its turbines, but it is expected to come back online at the end of the month. The DOE’s announcement has to be taken with a spoonful of salt, though. Recent setbacks in the power industry teaches the prudent that PAGASA’s thunderstorm advisory has more chances of coming true than DOE’s projections.

Don’t be surprised if NGCP issues more Yellow and Red Alerts in the next several days. Watch out for these alerts, because they have a direct effect on power rates.

Even during normal power supply conditions (when there is no alert issued), the grid experiences fluctuations, both in terms of power voltage and power frequency (similar to AM/FM radio). If these fluctuations are not corrected immediately (by the second, as they occur), the grid will become unstable, transmission protective devices will activate, and power transmission / supply will be cut off.

Consumers have experienced these power fluctuations. Sometimes these fluctuations lead to a power interruption, but more often the power grid recovers its stability, and consumers are spared the inconvenience of prolonged power interruptions.

When these fluctuations occur, NGCP taps the ancillary services (AS) to stabilize the grid and ensure the smooth, continuous delivery of power. These AS providers are similar to power generators, because they serve as “small-scale, short-term” standby or reserve power supply. Sometimes, power generators themselves are the AS providers, utilizing their “immediately available reserve” power generating capacity for AS function.

Even in normal situations, grid fluctuations occur which necessitate the services of AS providers to stabilize the grid. During Yellow Alert and Red Alert situations, AS providers work overtime to compensate for the voltage and frequency swings, which occur more often particularly during the implementation of Manual Load Dropping.

Ancillary Service providers are not charitable institutions. They expect to be paid for the services they render, just like in any other business transaction. The more services they deliver, the higher will be the amount they will charge.

And these charges for Ancillary Services find their way to the consumers’ monthly power bills.

Now that you know how NGCP’s alerts affect your power bill, look for the Ancillary Services charge in your next electric bill and see how it compares to last month’s AS charge. ///

12/08/2026

Malatan-og plunges in breathtaking motion, a dive into nature’s raw power.”

11/08/2026

🚦 TRAFFIC TRIVIA 🚦
At an intersection with traffic lights, where should vehicles stop?

A. On the pedestrian lane
B. At the line before the pedestrian lane
C. Beyond the pedestrian lane