TACLOBAN CITY — Baybay City has been named among the Top 10 winners of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Galing Pook Foundation’s Walang Gutom Awards 2025, in recognition of its efforts to strengthen food security and community resilience.

The city’s recognition came after it advanced as one of the top performers among 20 national finalists during the final presentation and deliberation held on May 11.
Mayor Jose Carlos “Boying” Cari presented Baybay City’s Food Resiliency Program, which showcases local initiatives aimed at addressing hunger, improving nutrition, and supporting sustainable livelihoods for residents.

The program emphasizes collaboration among the local government, farmers, partner agencies, and community organizations to ensure a more stable and accessible food supply, particularly for vulnerable sectors.

City officials said the award reflects the collective efforts of Baybayanons in promoting long-term food sustainability and strengthening local systems that respond to food insecurity.

Aside from Baybay City, other local government units from Eastern Visayas that made it to the Top 10 include the municipalities of Palompon in Leyte and Arteche in Eastern Samar.
The Walang Gutom Awards recognizes local government units across the country that implement innovative and effective programs to combat hunger, improve nutrition, and build stronger, more resilient communities.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY-A proposed measure seeking to extend the validity of Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) identification cards from three years to five years has passed second reading in the House of Representatives, a development expected to ease renewal burdens for thousands of Filipino professionals.

The lawmakers approved the measure on second reading House Bill 8876, which consolidates several proposals, including House Bill 6752 authored by former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and other legislators.

The bill aims to lengthen the validity period of PRC IDs from the current three years to five years.

Once enacted into law, the measure is expected to benefit licensed professionals such as teachers, nurses, engineers, and other PRC-registered workers by reducing the frequency of renewals.

Rep. Romualdez said the proposal seeks to lessen both the financial cost and inconvenience associated with repeated renewal processes. He added that extending the validity period would help professionals focus more on their work and public service rather than administrative requirements.

The proposed measure is also being pushed as part of broader efforts to streamline government services and reduce bureaucratic red tape.

The PRC regulates and licenses various professions in the Philippines, including educators, healthcare workers, architects, accountants, and engineers. PRC-issued identification cards currently require renewal every three years, often involving fees, documentary requirements, and continuing professional development (CPD) compliance.

If approved on third and final reading and eventually signed into law, the measure would amend existing PRC regulations to implement the longer five-year validity period nationwide.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY — Consumers may see a slight relief in their electricity bills this May 2026 after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) reported a decrease in overall transmission rates for the April 2026 billing period, driven by lower wheeling and ancillary service charges.

NGCP said the average transmission rate went down by 8.80 percent to P1.5983 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from March’s P1.7526/kWh.

The reduction was mainly attributed to lower transmission wheeling rates and ancillary services (AS) charges.

Wheeling rates, or the fees NGCP charges for delivering electricity through its transmission network, dropped by 14.16 percent—from P0.7022/kWh in March to P0.6028/kWh in April.
Ancillary services, which refer to reserve power and other support services used to maintain grid stability during supply-demand fluctuations, also declined by 5.02 percent to P0.8088/kWh from P0.8516/kWh in the previous billing period.

“For the May 2026 electric bill of end consumers, NGCP charges only 60 centavos per kWh for the delivery of its services,” the company said, noting that ancillary services still make up the bulk of transmission-related charges.

NGCP also emphasized that it does not earn from ancillary service charges, as these are passed directly to power generators and providers supplying grid support.

Transmission rates are reflected as part of the overall electricity bill paid by consumers, alongside generation and distribution charges.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)