BACOLOD City — The Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System is set to establish its largest campus in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City, after its Board of Trustees approved a nearly 10-hectare property for the Philippine Science High School–Negros Island Region (PSHS-NIR) Campus.
The board resolution approving the site was presented by officials of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the PSHS System Board of Trustees to Mayor Greg Gasataya during a meeting at the Bacolod City Government Center on Wednesday, August 5.
Gasataya welcomed the development and assured DOST and PSHS officials of the city government’s full support for the establishment and operation of the campus, with groundbreaking targeted for November 2026.
PSHS System Executive Director Ronnalee Orteza said the Negros Island Region campus will be the largest in the history of the PSHS System.
“This will complete our 17 campuses all over the country based on the law. This will be the biggest campus so far—bigger than our seven-hectare main campus in Quezon City—and we want to start things right,” Orteza said.
The nearly 10-hectare campus is expected to accommodate up to 720 students and is scheduled to begin operations in July 2027.
For School Year 2027–2028, the campus will initially admit 120 Grade 7 students who will be selected through the PSHS National Competitive Examination scheduled on January 30, 2027.
DOST and PSHS officials are expected to conduct information campaigns in public and private schools across the Negros Island Region toward the end of 2026 to encourage qualified Grade 6 pupils to apply for the entrance examination.
Students admitted to the PSHS will receive full government scholarships, including free tuition, textbooks, monthly stipends, and other educational benefits.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Education, said the city government will provide the property for the project, while the national government will finance the construction of the campus.
Espino said the property was acquired by the city during the administration of former mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, now the city’s lone district representative.
He added that the city’s participation in the project, including the provision of the property, will still require approval from the Sangguniang Panlungsod before implementation.
Gasataya said the establishment of the PSHS-NIR campus would further strengthen Bacolod’s position as an emerging center for education, research, and innovation.
He said the project would also expand access to quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for academically gifted students from Bacolod and other parts of the Negros Island Region.
The mayor added that the campus would help prepare young students to pursue careers as scientists, engineers and innovators while contributing to the development of future national leaders.
“We continue to work toward making quality and accessible education available to every Bacolodnon,” Gasataya said./PN
