Business

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and finance superapp GCash have renewed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to strengthen efforts against financial cybercrime and other illicit financial activities.First formalized in September 2023, the partnership enables close coordination between the SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department (SEC-EIPD) and GCash during investigations into online fraud, illegal investment solicitation, unlawful lending, and other offenses.From left: Sheara Lupango-Tamaya, SEC Enforcement and Investor Protection Department Director; Rogelio Quevedo, SEC Commissioner; Ren-ren Reyes, G-Xchange Inc. President and CEO; and Atty. Cef Sison, Mynt Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer"Maintaining a secure digital environment and protecting the public fr...

Sugar industry leaders are still against exporting domestic sugar this crop year despite the Philippines receiving an additional 9,151 metric tons of raw sugar export quota from the United States for fiscal year 2027, bringing its total to 154,386 metric tons.This allocation is part of the 1.12 million metric tons under the US tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system for fiscal year 2027, which runs from Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027. The Philippines holds the second-largest export quota share from Washington, after the Dominican Republic.The Sugar Board in October approved Sugar Order No. 1, classifying 100 percent of the Philippines’ sugar production for Crop Year 2026–2027 as “B” or Domestic Market, Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona of the Sugar Regulatory Administration pointed out on We...

Vice Gov Jose Benito Alonso at the Cinco de Noviembre rites*Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jose Benito Alonso urged Negrenses on Thursday, Nov. 5, to honor the legacy of Cinco de Noviembre by tackling modern-day challenges, emphasizing the need for unity and public service.Alonso issued the call during the 128th Cinco de Noviembre rites at the Provincial Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod City in the morning. The annual commemoration marks the 1898 bloodless revolution where local heroes bluffed Spanish forces into surrendering using fake weapons—crafting "cannons" out of bamboo and rolled amakan, and "rifles" carved from wood and coconut fronds.Recalling the victory, Alonso highlighted how the people of Negros peacefully overthrew colonial rule through strategy and c...

The Department of Tourism (DOT) and GCash, through its mobile wallet operator G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), have partnered to promote cashless payments among tourists and DOT-accredited micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Local merchants will receive digital payment tools and training so they can serve visitors more conveniently.The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on November 3. Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay and Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications, Armand Lorenze Sapitan, signed for the DOT. Paul Albano, General Manager of GCash for Business, and Juan Carlos “Caloy” Bauza, Vice President and International Payments Head of GCash International. The MOU sets a framework for joint campaigns, merchant onboarding, and financial literacy initia...

No major security incidents were recorded across the Negros Island Region during the five-day observance of Undas from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) reported.In a press release, PRO-NIR said a total of 377,587 people visited cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria across the region during the period.The highest turnout was recorded on Nov. 2, with 182,592 visitors,  police monitoring data shows.A total of 3,119 personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP), partner agencies, and force multipliers were deployed to cemeteries, transportation hubs, major roads, and other public areas to maintain security and assist visitors.PRO-NIR Regional Director Brig. Gen. Rudecindo Reales also conducted inspections of police dep...

Sagay City is targeting to assist up to 6,000 learners through its School-Based Civil Registration Assistance Program as the initiative enters its third year of bringing birth certificates and other civil registration services directly to students.As of Nov. 3, 4,377 learners have been identified as beneficiaries, while some schools have yet to submit the names of students who need to avail themselves of the service, City Civil Registrar Engr. Vivencio Flores said in a press release from Sagay City said Tuesday .Of the identified beneficiaries, the Local Civil Registrar’s Office has already released 1,974 birth certificates, with the remaining documents scheduled for distribution through continuing school visits.Flores said LCR teams have been visiting schools across Sagay to p...

Joint on‑site assessment by the City Agriculture Office  and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources yielded no evidence of human‑caused injury or abuse on the whale shark’s body found stranded along the shoreline of Brgy. 35 on Friday, October 30.Minor scrapes seen on the animal’s head and body were only from its desperate attempts to free itself after it became disoriented and trapped upside‑down in shallow waters as the tide receded, the team noted. The whale shark weighed an estimated 3‑4 tons, a statement from the Bacolod City Communications Office said Sunday, Nov. 1.“Most likely, it swam into the shallow area to feed on plankton and small fish before it got stranded. The cause of death is undetermined,” Bacolod City Agriculturist Maricar Quiro said.Some residents,...