Business

The fire in Brgy 2 a week before Christmas.*BCCO photoFire destroyed 20 houses leaving 50 residents homeless in Purok Tahong, Barangay 2 in Bacolod City, at about 2:14 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, a week before Christmas.The fire quickly spread because the houses were made of light materials, Fire Officer 2 Rolin Paulan, chief investigator of the Bacolod City Fire Station, said.There were 20 families affected with 50 members, Richelle H. Verdeprado, Bacolod Department of Social Services and Development head, said.There were 20 houses destroyed, not 26 as initially reported by the Bacolod Fire Station, the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) clarified.The fire started at the house of Marcelino Pitogo rented by a certain Gerald Nessia.The fire damage was estimated...

The collapsed portion of the lagoon wall of the URC Bais Distillery in Negros Oriental is being reinforced and its height is being increased, as seen in this photo taken on Wednesday.*The operations of Universal Robina Corp. (URC) Bais Distillery in Bais City, Negros Oriental, remain suspended until the Environmental Management Bureau -Pollution Adjudication Board (EMB-PAB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) lifts its suspension order, an official said on Wednesday, Dec. 17.DENR-Negros Island Region (NIR) Executive Director Charlie Fabre said it is the PAB that has the authority to decide whether the distillery can resume operations.Fabre said the firm has lodged an appeal with the PAB for the lifting of the suspension order against the Bais Distiller...

Mayor Greg Gasataya (right) tells job order worker Ronnie Cordova that he has been made a regular employee during their meeting at the Bacolod City Government Center on Tuesday.* BCCO photoFour job order (JO) workers got regular positions this month after more than three decades of serving the Bacolod City government.They are among the eight JO personnel regularized since November, data from the Human Resources Management Services Office released on Wednesday showed.Ronnie Cordova, 57, who has worked for 34 years at the City Engineer's Office (CEO) - Special Services Division, learned about his new employment status when he and his fellow workers were asked to meet with Mayor Greg Gasataya on Tuesday.Thinking they were summoned for something else, Cordova said he was surpri...

The jellyfish-shaped Christmas tree in Sagay City.*Sagay City is celebrating the holiday season with an “under the sea” themed Christmas Fair at its public plaza that will run until Dec. 23.A jellyfish-themed Christmas tree stands at the center, next to a giant parol (lantern) and nativity scene.Marine creature-inspired décor, soft blue, white, and yellow lights, and coastal elements at the plaza pay tribute to Sagay’s identity as a coastal and creative city.Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva said this year’s theme, “Keep on Shining,” reflects the character and compassion Sagaynons show even in difficult times.He said the true light of Sagay does not come from decorations but from its people, whose unity and dedication continue to brighten the city’s path forward.Vice Mayor Na...

Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez at the Bicameral Conference Committee meeting.* Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) welcomed the Bicameral Conference Committee’s approval of P1 billion for Project NOAH under the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UP RI) as deliberations opened on the proposed 2026 National Budget. He cited the program’s role in strengthening disaster preparedness and protecting communities, a press release from his office said Monday, Dec. 15. Benitez said the funding would boost science-based, real-time early warning systems that enable local governments to act before disasters strike. “Preparedness, not just response, must always be the priority,” he said, adding that investments in hazard monitoring and risk information save lives ...

"We should petition government for immediate action, so that we can avert the impending economic catastrophe and social unrest in the sugar farms," the NFSP and PanayFed leaders warn.*Ronnie Baldonado photoTwo groups are calling for direct government buying of surplus sugar stocks to ease the congestion in the domestic market and arrest the downward spiral of millgate sugar and molasses prices.National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) president Enrique D. Rojas and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PanayFed) president Danilo A. Abelita issued the call for immediate intervention by the national government in a joint statement on Sunday, Dec. 14.They also called for the provision by government financial institutions of easily accessible quedan financing for sugar fa...

Negros Occidental officials and sugar leaders are calling for a unified position from stakeholders and for government action against the plummeting sugar prices.Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, in a statement on Friday, Dec. 12, said, "Given the current crisis in the sugar industry, marked by low prices and limited buying, I, together with the mayors of Negros Occidental, am calling on all sugar groups, federations, and industry leaders in Negros Occidental to come together and agree on a unified position."As the country’s sugar capital and as a province whose economy is significantly anchored on the strength and stability of the sugar industry, Lacson said it is vital "that we present a single and cohesive stand before elevating our concerns to the national government."...

Mayor Greg Gasataya (5th from left) receiving the 2025 SOLAIA IT-BPM Awards as Outstanding LGU Partner (Regional Category) from IBPAP Chief Operating Officer Celeste Ilagan during the Bacolod Business Talks 2025 forum.*The Bacolod City Local Investment Board has approved the adoption of Executive Order No. 080, series of 2025, which mandates the reconstitution of the Bacolod City Local Investment Board and designates the Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions (DLEDIP) as the Board Secretariat.The approval was made during the Bacolod Business Talks 2025, an Investment Board Meeting and Networking Forum held at L’Fisher Hotel on Thursday, December 11, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.Issued by Mayor Greg Gasataya, the e...

Mayor Marina Javellana-Yao (center) meets with Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Undersecretary Henry Yap (right) and Environmental, Land Use, and Urban Planning and Development Director Ibani Padao during their courtesy visit at the City Hall on Tuesday.*Bago City in Negros Occidental is set to pioneer the use of the Automated Land Use and Zoning Compliance Assessment and Monitoring (AutoCAM) tool in the Visayas in 2026.Implemented by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the AutoCAM project utilizes remote sensing, geographic information systems, and artificial intelligence to create an automated, efficient system for assessing and monitoring land use and zoning compliance."The City of Bago has achieved a significant milestone,...