Business

May222022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Prices of diesel to drop, gasoline to go up on May 24

Diesel prices are expected to go down, but gasoline prices are likely to increase on Tuesday, May 24.Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. said diesel prices should go down by P2 to P2.20 per liter from May 24 to 30.Gasoline prices are expected to increase by P3.80 to P4 per liter, it added.The price of gasoline dropped by 40 centavos per liter and diesel P3.10 per liter last week.*

May202022 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Small farmers receive organic certification

Business

National Organic Agriculture Program photoThe Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (DA-BAFS), led by Director Vivencio R. Mamaril and DA-National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP) Director Bernadette F. San Juan, awarded the accreditation to the first Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Organic Certifying Body (OCB) core group in the Philippines on May 16 at DA Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) Regional Field Office (RFO).Concepcion M. Sotero, Agnes F. Duyao, Anita P. Sinakay, Ben S. Domingo, and Isko C. Buslay are the five organic farmers from Tublay, Benguet who undergone series of PGS training and became the first PGS OCB core group members.The establishment of the PGS OCB core group is in accordance with Republic Act No. 11511 or ...

May202022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Wage hike recall sought, labor group slams move

Business, Top Stories

DOLE-6 photoThe labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed the call of employers for the deferment of the minimum wage hike for workers in Western Visayas on Thursday, May 19.PM is also opposing plans of some businesses to seek exemptions from the wage hike.The National Wages and Productivity Commission chaired by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III affirmed the P55 to P110 minimum wage increase for Western Visayas, which is expected to take effect on June 5.The Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry is filing a notice of appeal before the Western Visayas Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) seeking the recall of its Wage Order No. RBVI-26 granting the pay hike, Frank Carbon, MBCCI chief executive officer, said Thursday.He said they will fil...

May192022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

P55 to P110 wage hike ok’d, takes effect in early June

Business, Top Stories

DOLE-6 photoThe National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) chaired by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has affirmed the P55 to P110 minimum wage increase for Western Visayas, which will take effect in early June.The DOLE national office in a post on its website Wednesday, May 18, initially announced that the Western Visayas wage hike would take effect on June 3 but latter corrected the date to June 5.Labor Regional Director Sixto Rodriquez Jr. said the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) wage hike order for Western Visayas will take effect 15 days from its publication.They are aiming to publish the order on Thursday or Friday, May 19 or 20, and the new wage hike will take effect in 15 days thereafter, he said.The Western Visayas RTWPB appr...

May172022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Distressed Western Visayas businesses can seek exemptions when wage order final

Business, Top Stories

DOLE-6 photoDistressed businesses can file for exemptions from the new wage order when it becomes final, Labor Regional Director 6 Sixto Rodriquez Jr. said on Monday, May 16.It is premature for business groups to file an appeal to the new Western Visayas wage order or for establishments to seek exemptions until it becomes final and effective, Rodriquez, who also heads the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), said.The RTWPB last week approved a daily wage increase of from P55 to P110 in Western Visayas but it is subject to review by the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) before it becomes final.The NWPC rules state that businesses that can apply for exemption from a new wage order are distressed establishments, new business enterprises...

May172022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Power rates drop

Business, Top Stories

The average residential electricity rate of Central Negros Electric Cooperative for May is P11.1401/kWh, a decrease of P0.2917/kWh, from last month’s rate of P11.4318/kWh, Ceneco acting general manager Ervin Stan Leo Ticar said Monday, May 16.The P0.2917/kWh rate decrease is attributed to the net reduction in generation, transmission and system loss charges, as well as other pass-through charges, he said.The pass-through charges equivalent to P9.9535/kWh of the total power rate include the Generation and Transmission charges, ERC-approved adjustments, government subsidies and taxes, he added.Only P1.1866/kWh of the power rate goes to CENECO through Distribution, Supply, Metering (DSM) Charges and Reinvestment Fund for Sustainable CAPEX (RFSC) for its administrative and operatio...

May162022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bello lauds wage hike ruling, Western Visayas biz sector studies appeal

Business, Top Stories

DOLE-6 photoThe business sector is holding meetings to get a consensus on action they will take following the approval by the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) of the highest wage increase so far in Western Visayas.Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Sunday, May, 15, thanked the wage boards in Western Visayas and the National Capital Region for heading his call to expedite the review of the current minimum wage in their regions.“Let me cite the good job done by the NCR and Region VI wage boards for taking the extra mile in resolving with dispatch the petitions for wage adjustments in their jurisdictions,” he said.Following the lead of the NCR and Western Visayas, Bello said he expects the other regional wage boards to issue their respect...

May162022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Slight drop in oil prices seen

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A slight decrease in oil prices is expected starting Tuesday, March 17.Unioil Philippines in a post on its Facebook page Saturday said fuel prices are expected to go down for the period May 17 to 23.Diesel prices should go down by P2.90 to P3 and gasoline by P0.40 to P0.60 per liter, it said.Another forecast said diesel prices are expected to drop by P3.10 to P3.30 per liter, and gasoline by P0.50 to P0.75, and kerosene from P2.10 to P2.30.*

May142022 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Highest Western Visayas wage hike approved, mgmt objects

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DOLE-6 photoThe Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) approved the highest wage increase so far in Western Visayas on Thursday, Labor Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. said Friday, May 13.The daily wage increase for workers in private establishments will range from P55 to P110, he said.The RTWPB in a separate order also increased the wages of “kasambahays (domestic help)” from P4,000 to P4,500 a month, he added.The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) will review the wage increase in the region before it becomes final, Rodriguez said.The RTWPB increased the daily wages of employees in private establishments employing 10 workers and below from P310 to P420 or by P110, and for those employing more than 10 workers from P395 to P450 or by...

May132022 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Planters threaten boycott, file graft raps vs. SRA chief

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The biggest sugar planters’ aggrupation has threatened to “boycott” products, particularly of beverage companies who will take part in the sugar importation program of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) through Sugar Order No. 3 (SO3).Associacion de Agricultores de la Carlota y Pontevedra Inc. (AALCPI) general manager, David Alba, said in a press release that they earlier issued a call to all traders and importers that they will file technical smuggling charges if imported sugar is brought into the country under SO3.“It seems our appeal has not been heeded and so, we are now preparing to call on our members and other stakeholders in the sugar industry to boycott products of those who will use technically smuggled sugar,” Alba said.AALCPI is an independent sugar group whi...