Tuesday, August 25

Business

Bacolod SMILCE officers inducted at MICE Summit 2026 to boost local tourism industry

Bacolod SMILCE officers inducted at MICE Summit 2026 to boost local tourism industry

Business, Top Stories
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya inducts Bacolod SMILCE officers into office.*Officers of the newly formed Bacolod SMILCE were formally inducted by Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya during the Bacolod MICE Summit 2026, launching a private-sector initiative designed to position the city as a premier destination for Sports, Meetings, Incentives, Leisure, Conventions, and Exhibitions, on Tuesday, August 25.The new organization unites private stakeholders across the tourism, hospitality, travel, events, accommodation, and creative sectors in Bacolod City. Led by President John Go of Roy’s Hotel and Convention, Bacolod SMILCE aims to foster industry collaboration, generate economic opportunities, and deliver integrated end-to-end event solutions, a press release from the group said.T...
Sugar Council, two labor groups welcome DA policy on sugar importations 

Sugar Council, two labor groups welcome DA policy on sugar importations 

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Ronnie Baldonado file photoThe Sugar Council, in collaboration with its two partner labor groups, on Tuesday, August 25, said it appreciates the announcement  of Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. that sugar importations will be enough for what the country needs — “not more, not less”.“This, in essence, is what the sugar industry has been asking for: an importation program that is properly calibrated and timely, and based on a transparent analysis of actual domestic production, consumption and inventory,” their joint statement said.The Sugar Council represents the  Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED), National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PanayFed), and its labor g...
11 Negros Occidental OTOP stores earn P633M in 1st half of 2026

11 Negros Occidental OTOP stores earn P633M in 1st half of 2026

Business
. Calatrava Mayor Marilyn Era (2nd from right) with DTI-Negros Occidental provincial director Lynna Joy Cardinal (3rd from right) and chief trade industry development specialist Engiemar Tupas (left) during the launch of the “One Town, One Product" retail store in the northern Negros town in May.*DTI photo.The 11 “One Town, One Product" (OTOP) retail stores across Negros Occidental have generated PHP663.03 million in sales from January to June this year, data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Monday showed.This was highlighted as part of the agency’s midyear assessment that reviewed the program accomplishments, shared good practices, discussed challenges and aligned priorities and proposed activities for the rest of the year.DTI-Negros Occidental Provincial Dir...
Negros Power compliant with allowable system losses cap, ERC clarifies

Negros Power compliant with allowable system losses cap, ERC clarifies

Business
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Monday clarified that Negros Electric and Power Corp. (NEPC) was operating well within its allowable system losses cap after being wrongly identified as noncompliant with the cap for private distribution utilities (DUs).In a statement, the ERC acknowledged that Negros Power was only recently granted its franchise in 2024 after taking over the distribution system previously owned and operated by the rural electric cooperative which had an applicable cap of 8.5 percent for system losses.This was in line with Negros Power’s legislative franchise under Republic Act No. 12011, which granted it a transition period of five years from the grant of its certificate of public convenience and necessity within which NEPC must achieve the 5.5% cap for pr...
Ejercito pledges equipment for TLJPH, 2027 budget for NIR regional offices

Ejercito pledges equipment for TLJPH, 2027 budget for NIR regional offices

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Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito (second from left) on a tour of TLJPH on Sunday*CPG photoSenator Joseph Victor Ejercito on Sunday, August 23, pledged to provide additional equipment for the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay City and ensure that funds are included in the 2027 budget for the Negros Island Region.Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, met with the heads of the Negros Occidental provincial government hospitals, asked for their wish lists, and toured the TLJPH on Sunday, August 23.“I am not a magician, but we will try to slowly complete the needed equipment of the provincial government hospitals,” he said.Ejercito, who is the primary author of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, said he wants to help improve the provincia...
Sagay intensifies RSSI response

Sagay intensifies RSSI response

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Rep. Alfredo Marañon III*Sagay City is intensifying its campaign against the Red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation as additional agricultural assistance from the national government is expected, alongside the distribution of more than 700 bottles of insecticide to affected sugarcane areas.Updates and next steps were tackled during the recent RSSI Task Force Meeting held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall, a report from Sagay City said Thursday, August 20.Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Negros Occidental, 2nd District) thanked the  barangays,  local sugar industry, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), farmers, and other partners for sustaining coordinated efforts against the infestation.He said he had met with Agricult...
African swine fever cases continue to rise in Negros Oriental

African swine fever cases continue to rise in Negros Oriental

Business
 African swine fever cases in Negros Oriental continue to rise despite containment measures, the Provincial Veterinary Office said on Thursday*Photo courtesy of Jessa FonolleraAfrican swine fever (ASF) cases continued to rise in Negros Oriental, with Bindoy as the latest municipality to detect the disease, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said Thursday, August 20.Acting PVO chief Vernon Lumbania said that Bindoy is among three local government units (LGUs) in the province still with active ASF cases.“As of today, Aug. 20, the three LGUs with active ASF cases are Bindoy, Pamplona, and Siaton, meaning the cases continue to rise,” Lumbania said.Data from the PVO showed that Siaton recorded 31 positive cases out of 34 samples, Amlan 24 of 55, Tanjay City 39 positive and f...
TP in the Philippines secures 9th consecutive Great Place to Work® certification on 30th anniversary

TP in the Philippines secures 9th consecutive Great Place to Work® certification on 30th anniversary

Business
TP in the Philippines CEO Rahul Jolly, GPTW Philippines General Manager Charles Plumley, TP Group CEO Jorge Amar, TP Americas CEO Miranda Collard, Vice President of Human Resources Rachel Cacabelos, and TP India, Philippines and ANZ Regional President Anish Mukker (l-r) during the Philippine Leadership Town Hall to celebrate the company's 30 years of operations in the Philippines and its ninth consecutive Great Place to Work certification..*Global digital business services provider TP in the Philippines has earned its ninth consecutive Great Place to Work® Certification, marking a major milestone as the company celebrates its 30th year of operations in the country.The certification is awarded to organizations that maintain high levels of trust, respect, fairness, pride, and camara...
Bacolod SP calls for strengthening security, gun-free school zones

Bacolod SP calls for strengthening security, gun-free school zones

Business, Top Stories
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City  has approved two resolutions calling for stronger measures to protect students, teachers, school personnel, and visitors in public and private educational institutions throughout the city following recent school shooting incidents in other  parts of the country.Both resolutions were authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, a press release from his office said Thursday, August 20.The first resolution urges the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), Department of Education – Schools Division of Bacolod City, Commission on Higher Education, concerned barangays, and all public and private educational institutions to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of gun-free school zones, consistent with Republic Act No. 10591 or the Compre...
DA secretary allocates ₱300M for bioagent labs to fight sugarcane pest, explains importation stand

DA secretary allocates ₱300M for bioagent labs to fight sugarcane pest, explains importation stand

Business, Top Stories
DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. (center) with SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and Sugar Board member Dave Sanson (right) at the PhilSuTech convention in Cebu.*SRA photoThe Department of Agriculture has allocated a 2027 budget of P300 million for the development of laboratories or incubation centers to create bioagents versus the red-striped soft scale insects per municipality where sugarcane is planted, DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Wednesday, August 19.Tiu Laurel, who made the announcement in his speech at the opening of the 72nd PhilSuTech Annual National Convention in Cebu, said they are also putting on standby chemicals to fight the RSSI spread.The secretary has also mandated all available DA laboratories to augment the production of RSSI bi...
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