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Visayan consumers may face brownouts on Thursday as the grid operator has again issued a red alert for the Visayas grid due to persistently tight energy supply from outages at some coal plants and limited imports from Mindanao.

In an advisory, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said the red alert would be in effect from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A yellow alert would also be up over the grid from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

As of 8 a.m., the available capacity was 2,408 megawatts (MW), while the peak capacity was 2,555 MW.

A yellow alert indicates that available power reserves are thinning, meaning any unexpected plant outage could trigger service interruptions. A red alert indicates that the supply cannot meet the demand, raising the risk of rotational brownouts unless we manage consumption effectively

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Zamboanga del Sur is investigating the mining operations of company called TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD) in Bayog town.

It is zeroing in on the firm’s environmental compliance, tax liabilities, and mineral transport transparency.

The provincial board’s Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by 2nd District Board Member Hernan dela Cruz, is examining the operations at TVIRD’s Balabag Gold-Silver Project.

The panel wants to verify the production output of the business enterprise and look into the distribution of benefits to affected Indigenous Peoples (IPs).

Dela Cruz, who also heads the panel on environment and natural resources, clarified that the legislative inquiry aims to enforce regulatory compliance, rather than stop the mining activities.

‘The objective is not to obstruct legitimate mining operations, but to ensure that every obligation imposed by law is properly observed,’ dela Cruz said.

The provincial board wants to be certain that ‘every government revenue due is accounted for, and every affected community receives the benefits to which it is entitled,’ he noted.

To tighten oversight, the panel is proposing the deployment of provincial government monitors during the weighing, documentation and shipment of gold and silver products at the Balabag site.

The proposed local monitoring team will coordinate with national regulators-including the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The action is meant to reconcile production records with declared tax payments and curb potential revenue leakage.

The committee cited preliminary information indicating that TVIRD transports its gold and silver output via helicopter two to three times a month, depending on the volume.

The board members want to independently verify what kind of practices are going on, through official logs and on-site inspections.

Dela Cruz stressed that establishing an evidence-based monitoring mechanism is necessary to resolve questions surrounding output volumes and tax yields through objective records, rather than speculations.

During the inquiry, local officials questioned TVIRD representatives over the proper payment and remittance of the local government units’ (LGUs) shares from the company’s extraction activities.

The officials included Mayor Celso Matias, dela Cruz, and Board Member Roger Saniel.

The discussion focused on clarifying the remittance of mining-related revenues to Bayog and the provincial government, determining whether all required payments had been fully settled.

In response, TVIRD presented an overview of its mining operations and outlined its adherence to the Philippine Mining Act and other applicable laws.

The mining company maintained that it remains fully compliant with its tax and regulatory obligations.

The legislative probe comes amid an ongoing civil suit filed by TVIRD against the municipal government of Bayog over contested local tax liabilities estimated at roughly P2 billion.

While emphasizing that the exact amount, legal grounds, and covered period remain subject to judicial determination, the committee noted that the lawsuit’s outcome carries major financial implications for local government revenues.

TVIRD started initial operations at the Balabag project in 2017 before reaching full commercial production in 2022.

Engr. Noel Manrique, General Manager and Chief Operations Officer of the TVIRD Balabag Gold-Silver Project, clarified that since the matter has reached the court, the company and the Bayog local government unit (LGU) have agreed to abide by whatever judicial decision is rendered.

‘When it comes to taxes, interpretations vary, but it always depends on the National Treasury,’ Manrique explained.

‘There is a law governing this, and we follow a specific rate, such as 37.5 of 1 percent. Naturally, the LGU has a different interpretation,’ he said.

‘Our position was to bring it to court, and our amicable understanding with the LGU of Bayog is that we will wait for the court’s judgment and comply accordingly,’ he remarked.

‘If the court rules that we must pay, then we will pay. The case remains ongoing,’ he added.

The implementation of the expanded number coding scheme will be suspended on Monday, November 2, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

The MMDA noted that it automatically suspends its number coding scheme during regular and special non-working holidays.

‘Awtomatikong sinususpinde ang pagpapatupad ng Expanded Number Coding Scheme sa Lunes, November 2, 2026, isang special non-working day, bilang paggunita sa All Souls’ Day,’ sabi ng MMDA sa isang advisory.

(The implementation of Expanded Number Coding Scheme is automatically suspended on Monday, November 2, 2026, as a special non-working day in commemoration of All Souls’ Day.)

The agency then advised commuters and motorists to plan their travel ahead to avoid inconvenience.

A former Public Works and Highways official on Thursday said 25 percent of the budget allocated for infrastructure projects in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) are given as ‘commitments’ to certain proponents, including senators.

This was according to former Public Works and Highways Regional Director Gerard Opulencia, who testified as a prosecution witness before the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday during the continuation of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s bail hearing for a plunder case.

‘Question 64 of your judicial affidavit states the method by which the commitment is computed. It states that a commitment is 25 percent of the GAA allocations for the projects your office submitted,’ the defense told the ex-official of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), who confirmed the statement.

When Associate Justice Gener Gito asked how his office accounted for these commitments, Opulencia said they had a ‘strategy’ for adjusting government project budgets to accommodate them.

‘Before, in my time, we had a strategy on how we would adjust the program report. So, we will have an adjustment or allowance, where we add qualifications, to consider the commitments. There was a time that there was a 5 to 10-percent allowance,’ he said.

Opulencia also said contractors gave commitments as ‘pasasalamat’ or expressions of gratitude. He confirmed that a winning contractor was usually already identified even before a project was put out for bidding.

Despite his revelations, Opulencia told the court that he had never personally delivered commitments to a proponent or witnessed money being handed to Estrada or other accused DPWH officials.

Opulencia also confirmed to the defense that he previously instructed three district engineering offices to each prepare and deliver P120 million, for a total of P360 million, to be given to former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

Opulencia said Bernardo had instructed him to collect the amount sometime last year, to be given as a ‘commitment’ to a proponent. Opulencia said he initially did not know who the money was for, but noted that Bernardo later revealed in his affidavit that the commitment was given to Estrada.

When asked by justices if he ever sought for a share of the commitments from the district engineering offices, Opulencia said never thought of making such a request because of the promotions he had received.

‘CASH FLOW’ FROM DPWH The Department of Justice receives P40 million in cash sent by Metro Manila Public Works Director Gerard Opulencia (second from right), part of the P150 million in alleged kickbacks that he vowed to return. Present at the turnover are Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon and Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida (5th and 6th from left), among other officials. (File photo from TETCH TORRES-TUPAS / INQUIRER.net)

‘Because, truthfully, with the gratitude for the promotions I received, I really just followed the instructions of Usec. Bernardo,’ he said.

After Opulencia, the prosecution also presented Vergel Nino Garcia, Bernardo’s former driver and aide, as a witness.

Garcia testified that he helped deliver 12 boxes to Estrada at the Atriaga building in San Juan City, although he did not know what these boxes contained.

According to Garcia, he personally saw Estrada during the delivery, whom he said was wearing leather shoes and a collared shirt.Aside from Estrada, Garcia said he also made deliveries to former Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar, former Sen. Bong Revilla, the now-deceased former DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and at a Cherry Mobile building.

Caritas Philippines has expressed support for Batangas Archbishop Emeritus Ramon Arguelles and residents of Lobo who have raised concerns over a proposed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal and refilling plant.

San Carlos Bishop and Caritas Philippines President Gerardo Alminaza said ‘this is not simply about one project,’ stressing that the issue touches on the core of Christian vocation – ‘the development we choose, the risks communities are asked to carry, and the responsibility we bear to protect life, livelihood, and creation.’

Located in Barangay Talahib Pandayan in Batangas City, the proposed facility is said to threaten the safety, resources and livelihoods of communities along the boundary of Lobo and Batangas City.

‘Where there are legitimate concerns about possible harm, precaution is not an obstacle to development. It is a profound moral responsibility,’ Alminaza said in a statement issued by the Caritas Philippines-Integral Ecology Ministry.

He stressed that ‘our faith teaches us that human dignity, community life, and the integrity of creation cannot be separated.’

‘We cannot claim to protect people while allowing the destruction of the environment that sustains them,’ he said.

Threat

The Sangguniang Bayan of Lobo, in a resolution, expressed strong opposition to the project, citing alleged ‘several violations’ affecting residents of Barangay Banalo.

It alleged that there was no public consultation or even an invitation to an official meeting, ‘despite the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) having identified the barangay … as an adjacent community that would be directly affected by the project.’

The resolution also stated that an assessment by Pryce Gases Inc. found that the project is only 42.3 meters from Banalo Elementary School, significantly short of the recommended minimum distance of 100 meters mandated under Section 40 of Department of Energy Circular No. DC2020-01-0001.

Likewise, the coastal waters of Lobo are part of the Verde Island Passage, while Barangay Banalo is home to a designated coral reef sanctuary, both of which could be significantly affected by potential waste discharges.

There is also a high risk of oil spill contamination from vessels that would dock at the facility to load LPG, the Sangguniang Bayan of Lobo said, as quoted in a press release issued by the provincial government of Batangas.

For Alminaza, ‘we cannot speak of progress when families are left anxious about their safety, their livelihoods, and the future of their children,’ adding that ‘the concerns of the people of Lobo must be heard with seriousness and respect.’

He said this is especially important because the Verde Island Passage must be protected with the highest degree of care.

‘It is not simply a body of water. It is a living ecosystem, a source of food and livelihood, and part of the shared natural heritage of communities across Batangas and neighboring provinces,’ he said.

‘To place it at unnecessary risk is to place both marine life and coastal communities at risk,’ he said.

A rich fishing ground with a thriving marine ecosystem spanning 1.14 million hectares, the corridor is home to numerous species of fish, sea turtles, mangroves, seagrass, opisthobranchs and corals, some of which have been described as ‘extremely rare.’

The bishop said ‘any project that may affect communities, coastal resources, and ecosystems must undergo transparent and independent assessment, rigorous scientific scrutiny, meaningful public consultation, and strict compliance with environmental and safety standards.’

Beyond Lobo

Alminaza said that beyond the single proposal, Batangas and nearby provinces ‘have already carried the weight of numerous projects linked to fossil fuels and other polluting energy sources.’

‘Communities in these areas have repeatedly faced the environmental, health, and livelihood risks that come with such development. These cumulative pressures cannot be ignored,’ he said, stressing the Church’s preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.

For Alminaza, ‘development cannot be called just when vulnerable communities are made to bear a disproportionate share of its costs.’

‘This is why we stand with Archbishop Arguelles and the people of Lobo. Because the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor converge, the Church cannot remain silent when communities are asking to be heard and when the integrity of creation is at stake,’ he said.

He said accompanying them does not mean opposing development but insisting that development must be safe, just, transparent and truly for the common good.

‘We must reject any model of progress that places economic interests above human dignity or treats ecological damage as an acceptable price to pay,’ the bishop said. ‘Those who raise legitimate concerns for their communities and for the environment must be respected.’

For Alminaza, their voices are not obstacles to development but are essential to honest, responsible and democratic decision-making.

‘To defend Lobo is to defend life. To protect the Verde Island Passage is to protect our common home. To stand with communities at risk is to live our faith with courage. May we continue to choose life, justice, and creation,’ he added

Several local governments have suspended face-to-face classes or shifted to asynchronous learning on Friday, Oct. 30, ahead of the observance of All Souls’ Day and Saints’ Day and other events.

Below are the following areas with class suspensions:

Tuguegarao, Cagayan – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools, including law, medicine, and graduate studies; and work in government offices starting Friday afternoon (12 p.m.), Oct. 30, to Saturday, Oct. 31.

Tabuk, Kalinga – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools; and work in government offices starting Friday afternoon (12 p.m.), Oct. 30, to Saturday, Oct. 31.

Zamboanga City – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools on Friday, Oct. 30; and work in government offices (starting 12 p.m.), due to the low pressure area and preparation for Undas.

Dalaguete, Cebu – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools; and work in government offices starting Friday afternoon (12 p.m.), Oct. 30, to Saturday, Oct. 31.

San Carlos, Pangasinan – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools; and work in government offices starting Friday afternoon (12 p.m.), Oct. 30.

Baguio City – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools; work in government offices starting Friday afternoon (12 p.m.), Oct. 30, to Saturday, Oct. 31.

Magsingal, Ilocos Sur – suspension of in-person classes, all levels in private and public schools on Friday, Oct. 30.

Meanwhile, the Lapu-Lapu City government also suspended face-to-face classes and shifted to asynchronous learning modes in Brgy. Ibo, Buaya, Mactan, and P. Engaño.

The following schools and universities are also covered by the order:

Sto. Niño International School

EMD Carmelite School Foundation

Jose Alwins Learning School

B Cebu Dream Foundation, Inc.

Cebu International Language TVI Center

Global Leaders International School

Newtown School of Excellence

St. Joseph’s School of Mactan

Sto. Niño Child Academy

Lapu-Lapu City College

Lapu-Lapu Cebu International College

Sto. Niño Mactan College

The temporary learning setup was implemented from Oct. 26 to 30, as the city hosts the 20th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and 13th ADMM-Plus and related meetings.

The Cotabato City government also shifted classes in all levels, including graduate and professional programs, to asynchronous learning setup until Oct. 31.

The local government enforced the temporary learning arrangement as part of its preparations and security measures for the first inaugural session of the Bangsamoro Parliament

State witness Roberto Bernardo, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary, said on Thursday that he never had any dealings with former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Bernardo said this in his testimony before the Sandiganbayan Third Division during the bail hearing of Romualdez for plunder over alleged kickbacks worth P7.44 billion.

Romualdez’s lawyer, Thea Daep, asked Bernardo if he had dealings with the Leyte lawmaker, and the witness responded: ‘There is nothing like that.’

He added that he mentioned Romualdez only once in his affidavit.

‘I remember I stated him in one of my affidavits when [I said] I met him on Mark Villar daughter’s birthday,’ he said.

Daep asked if he referred to Romualdez as a project proponent, and Bernardo said: ‘As far as I remember, no.’

Bernardo said, however, he mentioned in his affidavit former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, who was the chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations when Romualdez was speaker.

But Bernardo said he was not ‘personally aware’ of Co’s dealings with ex-Bulacan district engineer (DE) Henry Alcantara, another state witness.

In his testimony, Alcantara’s said he was delivering alleged kickbacks from contractors intended for Co.

Bernardo said he talked with Co over the phone when the latter asked him if Alcantara was ‘maayos kausap’ (easy to deal with).

Asked what he meant by this, Bernardo said: ‘He was professional, and I know as DE [district engineer] he can do his duties.’

Meanwhile, Bernardo said he has known Co since 1993, or back when the lawmaker was still a contractor.

Bernardo, who was appointed by Villar as DPWH’s undersecretary for operations in 2018, said he had been under the agency for around four decades.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will deploy 1,848 personnel for its Undas Operation 2026, including 248 staff members and 1,600 volunteers.

The agency will also deploy 314 first aid stations, 149 welfare desks, 103 mobile units, 104 foot patrol teams, 65 ambulances and 19 emergency vehicles.

These resources will be stationed at cemeteries, bus terminals, seaports, airports and command posts.

Of the first aid stations, 35 will be set up in the National Capital Region, 149 in Luzon, 38 in the Visayas and 29 in Mindanao.

The PRC also reminded the public to observe home safety measures, including locking all entry points, keeping emergency contact numbers accessible and preparing for emergencies.

For road safety, it urged motorists to stay alert, follow traffic rules, check schedules and plan their routes ahead of time.

Earlier, the Department of Health placed Metro Manila under code white alert status, directing hospitals and emergency response teams in the region to remain on heightened alert in anticipation of a possible increase in patients requiring immediate medical attention.

The measure aims to help ensure public safety and preparedness during the Undas period.

Mindanao is on track to achieve a balance between renewable energy (RE) and ‘dirty’ and expensive fossil fuels – mostly coal – by 2030, with the Department of Energy (DOE) announcing the potential delivery of at least 1,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy within the next three years.

Speaking during the 4th Mindanao Clean Energy Forum here last week, Energy Assistant Secretary Sabine Marie Romero acknowledged Mindanao’s ‘strong renewable energy foundation,’ citing the large combined capacity of state-owned hydroelectric power plants along the Agus and Pulangi rivers, which generate about 1,000 MW.

‘Mindanao is where RE can thrive,’ Romero said, noting that the region can lead the way for a clean energy future for the country.

Under the country’s nationally determined contribution to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, Mindanao had set a target of making RE constitute half of the region’s energy mix by 2030, at par with fossil fuels, mainly coal.

The Mindanao target is more ambitious than the national goal of getting RE at 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.

According to a study by the multistakeholder Mindanao Renewable Energy Acceleration and Coordination Hub, the region requires 1,400 MW of additional installed RE capacity to achieve the 50:50 goal by 2030.

Romero noted that as of July this year, the DOE had recorded 25 committed RE projects that have a total potential capacity of 1,026 MW, expected to be delivered between 2026 and 2029. Of these, the bulk-or some 675.96 MW-are solar capacities.

She said the DOE forecast RE to reach 56 percent of Mindanao’s energy mix by 2030 ‘if all committed and green energy auction projects come online as scheduled.’

Attracting investments

Based on DOE data, RE share in Mindanao’s total installed energy capacity is 32.5 percent in 2025, while 35 percent in gross power generation, 20 percent coming from hydro.

According to Romero, the agency had put in place policies and programs to further attract RE investments in the country, such as easing foreign ownership limit, preferential dispatch of all RE resources in the wholesale electricity spot market, and coming up with a framework for the development of offshore wind resources.

Throughout the country, the DOE set a 10-year green energy auction plan that will offer a cumulative total of 25 gigawatts (GW) of RE capacity that will deliver power from 2027 to 2035.

For Mindanao, Romero cited the 20 GW integrated renewable energy and energy storage system, 20 MW roof-mounted solar, and 175 MW run-of-river hydro, which will be offered in upcoming green energy auctions.

She emphasized that there is a need to ensure that the energy is ‘reliable, affordable and sustainable’ so that it can power Mindanao’s industrialization, agribusiness expansion, urbanization and the rise of micro, small and medium enterprises.

‘Every megawatt we build must answer’ the needs of the people, she said, adding the need for transmission and distribution assets in the region to be ready to handle the increased generation capacity.

Cheap option

Ben Cyrus Ellorin, project director of Consumers for Renewable Energy Action in Mindanao, welcomed the ‘DOE buy-in’ of the push to accelerate the building of RE capacities in Mindanao and throughout the country.

Ellorin noted that Mindanao became dependent on coal-fed capacities in 2016, when the aging Agus and Pulangi plants could no longer cater to the region’s expanding needs, prompting distribution utilities to forge long-term supply contracts with coal-fired plants that sidelined RE capacities.

The shift to RE acquired a backdrop of urgency as fossil fuel prices had steadily climbed, especially due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, raising electricity rates in the region, he added.

‘Renewable energy is the cheapest option today,’ said energy planner Alberto Dalusung III, energy transition adviser of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

Dalusung said that moving forward, energy planning in the region must be sensitive to the needs of industries that support massive job creation, citing, for one, the planned expansion of a steel-making plant in Davao.

Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro, Mindanao Development Authority deputy executive director, emphasized the need for reliable and affordable energy to further drive Mindanao’s ‘phenomenal growth,’ inviting RE investors to locate on the island to help sustain its development

Dalusung noted that several path-breaking efforts for RE were started in Mindanao, such as the first solar power farm and a hydropower plant designed to run in tandem with a solar capacity, all in Misamis Oriental, and a biomass power facility in Maguindanao del Norte.

Families of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) gathered for a Mass ahead of Undas on Oct. 29 to honor their departed loved ones and pray for justice.

The Mass was held at the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus the Divine Word-Christ the King Mission Seminary and led by Fr. Flaviano ‘Flavie’ Villanueva, a priest who has spoken out against the war on drugs.

Villanueva said the Mass was scheduled ahead of Undas to accommodate the expected busy schedules of families and the Church during the season.

‘The Mass is an act of honoring and thanking God for the gift of life, honoring the families whose loved ones were killed, and continuing to pray to God for justice and healing,’ Villanueva told the Inquirer.

Remembering the dead

Villanueva said families of EJK victims observe Undas like other Filipinos, visiting the graves of their departed loved ones and keeping their stories alive.

‘Undas is a tradition deeply rooted in Filipino culture. During this time, we visit the graves of our departed loved ones. It is no different for Filipinos who were killed-they had families, and those they left behind have stories that deserve to be told continuously,’ he said.

Undas is observed on Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day, and Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, when families traditionally visit cemeteries to remember their departed relatives.

Villanueva said the Mass also remembered those killed during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

‘This is a tradition that expresses the faith of Catholics, Filipinos and all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, especially those who were killed,’ he said.

After the Mass, families offered flowers at a makeshift altar displaying photographs of their loved ones alongside their names, dates of death and final words