Bohol Light reminds consumers of monthly electric bill fluctuations
Bohol Light reminded consumers Wednesday that electric bills fluctuate monthly due to price changes in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.
Sheryl Paga, a Bohol Light representative, told Ardy Araneta-Batoy that bills are not static and can be higher or lower than the previous month depending on market conditions.
Paga recommended energy-saving measures to help reduce electric bills.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has issued yellow alerts indicating low power supply due to plant shutdowns.
The reduced supply could affect electricity prices and generation charges, Paga said.
Electric bills may increase in September based on final billing from electricity generators at WESM, she added.
As a distribution utility, Bohol Light passes increases from generators directly to consumers.
Bohol Water
In another news development, Bohol Water Utilities Inc. announced plans to expand its pipeline network as part of an ongoing water line upgrade program.
The utility will install new pipes in Barangay Dao along Darunday Street to P. Castillo Street, continuing to the Dao health center and extending to Dominic Drive in Barangay Tiptip.
The project includes Lindaville Phase 1, with pipes spanning slightly more than one kilometer.
Victor Tambis of BWUI said Wednesday on “Newsmakers ug Uban Pa” that pipe upgrades along Zamora Street are planned to replace 2-inch diameter pipes with 4-inch pipes.
The 1,650-meter project will run from JA Clarin to Bohol Technical Training Center.
Additional pipe installation will cover Toledo Street for nearly one kilometer.
Work will begin once BWUI receives an excavation permit from the City Engineering Office.
The utility also plans to install 485 meters of pipe along CPG North Avenue from Baguio Drive to Salazar Street in Barangay Ubujan.
SSS implements pension hike, warns public against scammers
The Social Security System (SSS) implemented pension increases for 3.8 million retirees this month while warning the public against scammers impersonating agency officers to steal personal information.
SSS pensioners began receiving increases as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s program to protect retirees’ interests.
The pension reform program provides 10% annual increases for regular and disability pensioners and 5% annual increases for survivor pensioners through 2027.
The SSS hopes the additional income will stimulate economic growth through increased consumer spending, though some pensioners expressed dissatisfaction with the amounts, saying they are insufficient to offset inflation effects and cover maintenance medication costs.
Under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, pensioners received a 1,000-peso increase, while current increases may not reach P500 pesos.
Separately, the state pension fund warned members against fraudsters who contact them through text messages, phone calls and social media, requesting Social Security numbers, online account usernames and passwords, and other sensitive data.
The agency advised the public to avoid providing personal information when uncertain whether the requester is a legitimate SSS employee and urged members to conduct transactions only through official channels.
Pension Reform
Social Security System officials explained the rationale behind recent pension increases during a Thursday briefing.
Christopher Hapay, assistant head of SSS Tagbilaran, said the agency implemented the Pension Reform Program in September, providing substantial assistance to pensioners and survivor benefit recipients.
The program increases pensions by 10% for regular and disability pensioners and 5% for survivor pensioners, with additional increases scheduled for next year and 2027.
The increases are reflected in this month’s pension payments.
Hapay acknowledged the increases will minimally impact the pension fund’s financial position.
Without the increases, the fund was projected to last until 2053; with the increases, the fund life is shortened to 2049.
The SSS is working to restore the fund’s longevity to 2053 through efficient contribution collection and sound investments, Hapay said.
He said the SSS law mandates pension increases and fund managers determined the increases were necessary to follow Marcos’ directives.
The agency decided survivor pensioners deserved only a 5% increase.
Despite the pension increases, the SSS will not raise member contributions.
The third tranche of contribution increases took effect in January 2025, with no additional increases planned.
Hapay said the SSS has implemented reforms to accelerate transactions and reduce wait times.
Batuan vice mayor clarifies project as DPWH denies contractor allegations
Batuan Vice Mayor Dodo Jumawid has clarified reports linking a supposed flood control project in the town to contractors allegedly connected to the Discaya family.
In an interview with DyTR News, Jumawid, a former mayor, said he was contacted by an engineer from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to explain the project.
Based on online posts, Jumawid initially thought the project referred to the Makapiko flood control, but DPWH confirmed it was a different undertaking.
The project in question involved the concreting, widening and rehabilitation of a section of the national highway in Poblacion Norte along the Loay Interior Road, starting at the Batuan-Carmen boundary and passing through the town market. Jumawid confirmed the project has already been completed.
The vice mayor added that while such national road projects do not go through the local government, the LGU is consulted. He said they submitted proposals, but these were not adopted since the DPWH followed its own plans.
Meanwhile, the DPWH Bohol Third District Engineering Office issued a statement on Sept. 2 denying social media claims that infrastructure projects in the district were awarded to companies linked to Sara Discaya.
District Engineer Magiting Cruz said none of the contractors mentioned in the viral post had been awarded contracts. He clarified that the Batuan project, with Contract ID 24HB0016, was awarded to Fuentbuilt Construction Corp., not Great Pacific Builders & General Contractor Inc.
Cruz stressed that the office upholds transparency and accountability and urged the public to seek information directly from the DPWH for accurate updates and clarifications.
Provincial board backs public control of Inabanga river water rights
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Tuesday approved a resolution supporting the provincial and Inabanga local governments’ decision to retain public control of Inabanga river water rights rather than granting them to private companies.
The resolution states that water rights should remain with the provincial government instead of being transferred to private water utility firms.
The provincial government plans to develop Bohol’s water resources by extracting water from the Inabanga river using a World Bank loan facility.
The World Bank is financing the proposed Bohol Bulk Water Supply and Sanitation Project, a flagship initiative under the Accelerated Water and Sanitation Project in Selected Areas.
If implemented, the project would improve water infrastructure across the province and enhance the quality, efficiency and resilience of water, sanitation and hygiene services.
Officials discussed implementation details during the meeting, particularly the proposed water tariff structure.
They emphasized the need to balance the project’s financial viability with affordability for local government units and residents.
Tagbilaran to begin 2026 budget deliberations Monday
The Tagbilaran city government will begin deliberations Monday on its proposed 2026 budget of 1.5 billion pesos.
The proposed budget represents a 175 million peso increase from the city’s 2025 budget, according to City Budget Officer Marysol Perocho.
Department heads are expected to present their budget proposals to lawmakers during the deliberations, Perocho said.
She added that the budget will focus on development projects.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod plans to begin budget hearings in November.
City Vice Mayor Adam Relson Jala has urged councilors to participate in the budget deliberations.
Loay mayor seeks probe into alleged corruption in flood control projects
Loay Mayor Hilario Ayuban
Loay Mayor Hilario Ayuban has called for an investigation into alleged corruption in government infrastructure projects, particularly flood control programs under the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Ayuban said the allegations, which include reports of ghost projects and substandard construction, are “hair-raising” and must be thoroughly probed.
“It does not matter if one is a member of the Mayors for Good Governance,” Ayuban said. “It is only fitting to clamor for accountability and justice.”
The manifesto seeking accountability was initiated by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, joined by Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and other local leaders. Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap was the first in Bohol to sign on to the group.
Ayuban stressed that while flood control projects are necessary, officials must be held accountable for substandard or non-existent projects that were allegedly funded by taxpayers.
“The people deserve justice for the misuse of their money,” he said.
Dismissed Dauis Mayor Refuses to Step Down Despite Successor’s Swearing-In
Mayor Marietta “Miriam” Sumaylo
A power struggle has emerged in Dauis, Bohol after Mayor Marietta “Miriam” Sumaylo refused to vacate her office despite being dismissed from service by the Office of the Ombudsman and her successor being sworn in.
Vice Mayor Marie Nickie Bolos-Delgado formally assumed office as mayor on Friday after the Department of the Interior and Local Government served the Office of the Ombudsman’s order dismissing Mayor Marietta Tocmo-Sumaylo from government service.
However, Sumaylo issued a memorandum on Monday declaring she would continue performing her duties as mayor until she receives an implementing order directly from the Ombudsman or the Department of Interior and Local Government.
“The Office of the Municipal Mayor, under the leadership of MARIETTA T. SUMAYLO, wrote to DILG Region VII hoping to recall or reconsider the said MEMORANDUM due to the absence of the implementation order from the Office of the Ombudsman,” the memorandum stated.
The Ombudsman found Sumaylo guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty for issuing a business permit to the Dauis Cockpit Arena in June 2022 despite the absence of a valid legislative franchise.
The case stemmed from a complaint by Antonio Aranjuez Sumobay, a former town employee.
Sumaylo was dismissed from service following a decision by the Office of the Ombudsman, which triggered the rule of succession allowing Delgado, as the next qualified official, to assume the vacant post.
The memorandum, dated Monday and addressed to all department heads and employees of the local government, instructs municipal workers to continue following Sumaylo’s leadership.
She argues that without a proper implementation order, she remains the legitimate mayor.
“As far as the incumbent mayor-elect is concerned, she which had caused and stirred the public confused and alarmed the public,” the memorandum stated, referring to the situation created by the Ombudsman’s decision.