- Visayas grid on red alert again on Friday evening, the fourth day running
- Capitol's ₱14.6-billion budget for 2027 goes to the Provincial Board, with health taking the biggest share
- Eight bus and taxi workers confirmed positive in surprise drug tests at Cebu City terminals
- October inflation could reach 8.1%, the BSP says
Visayas grid on red alert again on Friday evening, the fourth day running
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines put the Visayas grid on red alert from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, 30 October, with yellow alerts from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Available capacity was 2,359 MW against an expected peak of 2,536 MW, with 782.2 MW unavailable. The Therma Visayas coal units 1 and 2 and KEPCO SPC unit 1 were still out, and imports from Mindanao were limited by outages there. Red alerts were also raised on 27, 28 and 29 October.
The squeeze keeps landing in the early evening, when households cook and switch on lights, and it now runs into the Kalag-Kalag weekend. A red alert raises the chance of rotating interruptions, so watch CEBECO I's advisories, charge phones and power banks before 5 p.m., and keep a flashlight handy if you are at the cemetery after dark.
Sources: GMA Regional TV, The Manila Times
Capitol's ₱14.6-billion budget for 2027 goes to the Provincial Board, with health taking the biggest share
The provincial government has proposed a ₱14.6-billion budget for 2027, about 22.7% more than this year's ₱11.9 billion, paid for mainly by a bigger National Tax Allotment and hospital income. Health gets the largest share, about ₱5.86 billion or 40.2%. SunStar reports agriculture rising to ₱354.8 million, water supply to ₱100 million from ₱25 million for the expected El Niño, and ₱440 million for disaster preparedness. It says Provincial Board committee hearings start on Tuesday, 3 November, and the provincial and district hospitals, including the one in Carcar, present on 17 November.
The province runs the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Carcar, so what the board approves shapes its staff, medicines and equipment next year. The 2026 budget was only passed in January, so watch whether this one is done before the year ends.
Sources: SunStar, Daily Tribune
Eight bus and taxi workers confirmed positive in surprise drug tests at Cebu City terminals
PDEA 7 ran surprise drug tests at the Cebu South and North Bus Terminals on Wednesday, 28 October, ahead of the Kalag-Kalag rush. On the day, GMA reported more than 160 tested and seven initial positives. By Friday, SunStar reported that 437 bus, taxi and van-for-hire drivers and conductors had been tested in all, and that confirmatory tests came back positive for eight: three bus drivers, three taxi drivers and two conductors. Their names go to their home towns for intervention, and the results go to LTO 7, whose director said their licences face revocation proceedings with due process.
Nearly everyone tested was clear, which is good news for anyone riding home to Carcar from the South terminal this weekend. If a driver on your trip seems unfit to drive, note the plate number and tell terminal staff or the LTO.
Sources: SunStar, GMA Regional TV
October inflation could reach 8.1%, the BSP says
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects October inflation to land between 7.1% and 8.1%, pushed up by local fuel prices, electricity and the transport fare increases approved for all public utility vehicles from 28 September. Lower prices of rice, vegetables, meat and fish could offset part of that. September's rate was 7.2%. If the top of the range holds, it would be the fastest since February 2023. The Philippine Statistics Authority releases the official October figure on 5 November.
Fares, fuel and power are pushing prices up more than food right now. The electricity figure in the national reports is Meralco's in Metro Manila; Carcar's rates come from CEBECO I and are set separately, so check your own bill. Food prices easing is the one bit of relief for the market budget.
Sources: BusinessWorld, SunStar
