Bacolod to host largest Philippine Science High School

BACOLOD CITY — Mayor Greg Gasataya welcomed the establishment of the country’s largest Philippine Science High School campus in Bacolod City after the PSHS System Board of Trustees approved the site through a board resolution presented during a meeting with Department of Science and Technology officials Wednesday.

The nearly 10-hectare PSHS-Negros Island Region campus will rise in Barangay Granada.

The planned campus will be larger than the roughly 7-hectare PSHS Main Campus in Quezon City, making it the biggest in the system by land area.

The campus is scheduled to begin operations in July 2027 and will eventually accommodate up to 720 students.

It is expected to provide students in the Negros Island Region greater access to specialized education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Gasataya said the project would further strengthen Bacolod’s position as an emerging hub for education, research, and innovation.

He said the campus would also help prepare more young people to become future scientists, engineers, innovators, and national leaders.

Gasataya assured PSHS and DOST officials of the city government’s full support for the establishment and operation of the new campus.

The groundbreaking is targeted for November 2026.

PSHS System Executive Director Ronnalee Orteza expressed optimism about what is expected to become the system’s biggest expansion project to date.

Orteza said the Negros Island Region campus would bring the PSHS System to 17 campuses nationwide.

“We want to start things right,” she added.

For School Year 2027-2028, the campus is expected to admit its first batch of 120 Grade 7 students.

DOST and PSHS officials are expected to conduct school-to-school information campaigns in public and private schools across the region toward the end of 2026.

The campaign will encourage qualified Grade 6 pupils to apply for the PSHS National Competitive Examination scheduled for Jan. 30, 2027.

Successful applicants will receive full government scholarships covering tuition, textbooks, monthly stipends, and other educational benefits.

The Negros Island Region campus is mandated under Republic Act No. 12310, or the Expanded Philippine Science High School System Act, signed into law in October 2025.

The law provides for the establishment of a PSHS campus in the Negros Island Region and expands the system beyond its 16 existing campuses.

The Negros Island Region, reestablished under Republic Act No. 12000 in 2024, comprises Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.