Day: August 5, 2025

Bicol: Police operatives seized PHP15 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested 170 drug suspects in anti-drug operations carried out in July, the Police Regional Office in Bicol (PRO-5) said. PRO-5 Director Brig. Gen. Nestor Babagay Jr. reported that a total of 142 anti-illegal drug operations last month led to the seizure of 2,300.5715 grams of shabu and 112.3552 grams of marijuana. According to Philippines News Agency, about PHP8 million worth of illegal drugs was seized in Camarines Norte. This was followed by Camarines Sur with PHP3.4 million, Albay with PHP2.4 million, Naga City with PHP1.2 million, Masbate with PHP327,538.12,

Baguio city: The Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) is steadily replacing traditional overhead electric lines with insulated ‘tree wire’ systems to reduce power outages caused by vegetation that is common across this city and Benguet. Cris Gonzales, Beneco’s Community Relations chief, stated that the shift began in 2022, focusing on backbone and lateral distribution lines, with the ultimate goal of extending this upgrade to household-level connections. According to Philippines News Agency, the transition to tree wires, while more costly than traditional bare wires, aims to minimize unscheduled power interruptions. Gonzales noted that the project is funded by internally generated resources and

Cebu: A yellow alert status has been raised over the Visayas grid from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday due to a low operating margin partly caused by the forced outage of 11 power plants. A yellow alert is declared when the available power supply has a limited margin compared to the demand. According to Philippines News Agency, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported that the available capacity in the Visayas as of 1:30 p.m. is 2,528 megawatts (MW), while the peak demand is expected to reach around 2,475 MW. This indicates a tight balance between supply

Pangasinan: Top officials of Pangasinan are advocating for the dredging of rivers to address the province’s perennial flooding problem. Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino, in an interview on Monday, said addressing flooding is not just about creating additional canals or infrastructure but also its main cause, which is river siltation. According to Philippines News Agency, studies conducted by experts from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) point to heavy siltation at the mouths of major river systems-Cayanga, Sinocalan, and Agno-as a primary cause of flooding in Central Pangasinan. Vice Governor Lambino emphasized the necessity of implementing flood mitigation

Catanduanes: The Department of Labor and Employment in Bicol (DOLE-5) has provided farmers’ associations and local entrepreneurs with start-up capital. In a media release on Tuesday, the farmers’ group from San Miguel town and the 19 local entrepreneurs from Baras received more than PHP800,000 in funding for their meat processing project and various livelihood ventures. According to Philippines News Agency, the ventures include carpentry, fish vending, laundry services, nail care services, vulcanizing, car washing, barbershops, and automotive services. DOLE Bicol Assistant Regional Director Nepomuceno Lea±o II expressed support for the beneficiaries, encouraging them to strengthen their livelihoods as a means