Business

Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya and DSSD Head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga announced the three-day payout at a press conference at the Bacolod City Government Center on Tuesday.*Mayor Greg Gasataya announced that the Bacolod City government will conduct a three-day payout of fuel assistance for 9,617 tricycle drivers from Wednesday to Friday, April 8 to 10.In coordination with the City Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD),the four venues designated for the distribution are the Bacolod City College Activity Center, Bacolod City National High School Arts Center, SM City Bacolod, and Ayala Malls Capitol Central.A help desk will also be available at the Bacolod City Government Center to address inquiries.Each qualified beneficiary will receive ₱5,000 in fuel assist...

Overall industry productivity could drop precipitously in Crop Year 2026-2007 if farmers reduce their planted hectarage now, Valderrama said.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoSugar industry stakeholders are hoping President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will approve a proposed government-led sugar buying program soon to address the problem of oversupply.They were informed that Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. has endorsed the proposal of the sugar industry stakeholders to President Marcos, Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr., president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association (CONFED), said in a press statement on Tuesday, April 7.“We are hopeful that because Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Azcona has assured me that DA Sec. Tiu-Laurel has submitted our manifesto to Ma...

Rising costs of fuel did not deter tourists from going to the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia on Holy Week.*Rising fuel prices failed to deter Negrenses and tourists who flocked to the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia and the beaches of Sipalay City in Negros Occidental, for the Holy Week break.The Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia, Negros Occidental, had close to 7,000 guests from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Monday, April 6.The bulk of the guests, 2,416, visited on Easter Sunday. The resort was so full some guests picnicked under trees for shades as all the picnic huts were occupied, Diaz said.The resort’s guests on Maunday Thursday were 1,420 , Good Friday - 1,377...

A fiesta in Bacolod City*Andrew Altarejos file photoThe Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod has approved a resolution urging all barangays in the city to suspend, scale down, or defer fiesta celebrations and prioritize essential services in response to the ongoing global oil crisis.The measure, authored by authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, highlights the impact of escalating fuel prices brought about by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which continue to disrupt global oil supply and drive up the cost of living.The burden is especially felt by public utility drivers, minimum wage earners, and low-income families, Distrito said.“While fiestas are an important part of our culture, we must respond to the urgent realities faced by our people. This is a time to prior...

A total of 1,193 Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ) drivers in Bacolod City received rice assistance from the city government on Easter Sunday, April 5.For many drivers the rice subsidy comes at a time when their income has been stretched thin due to fuel price increases triggered by tensions in the Middle East, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.More fuel price increases are expected on Tuesday, April 7.The distribution effort was led by the city government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO), which moved swiftly to ensure that assistance reached beneficiaries without delay.To make the process more accessible, the city deployed pick-up trucks to various PUJ terminals across Bacolod, allowing drivers to receive the rice directly at their re...

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, Iranian Ambassador to the Philippines Yousef Esmaeilzadeh and Energy Secretary Sharon Garin (from left) after a meeting on Wednesday.*Iran will allow the “safe, unhindered, and expeditious” passage of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources, and all Filipino seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz, its top diplomat told the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday.The DFA, in a statement, said the assurance was made during a phone call between Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. The DFA said the development is vital for the Philippines, as it will not only secure the safety of Filipino seafarers operating in the area but “also help ensure energy security for t...

The scenic Don Salvador Benedicto road.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe impact of rising fuel prices is beginning to weigh on local tourism, with fewer travelers expected to hit the road this Holy Week, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, March 31.The governor noted a visible decline in weekend traffic to Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB), a popular destination for road trippers.Definitely there are fewer vehicles, especially motorcycles, parked on the side of the road at coffee shops and areas frequented by local tourists on weekends, Lacson said.The surge in fuel costs is also hitting the maritime sector, and a drop in interisland sea travelers is likely, Frank Carbon, a consultant for Weesam Express, said.He said that fast craft fares are expected to rise further.A...

Personnel of the Northern Negros Natural Park conduct trail resource assessment and monitoring within the Tinagong Dagat on March 17.*The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has documented several notable fauna and flora species within Tinagong Dagat of the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) based on the results of a recent assessment.In a report on Tuesday, the NNNP management said from that March 16 to 20, its personnel conducted a trail resource assessment and monitoring across the four official trails of Tinagong Dagat.They observed the presence of birds such as the endangered Visayan tarictic hornbill (Penelopides panini) and the Visayan bulbul (Hypsipetes guimarasensis).Among the recorded flora were the Tetrastigma spp., pointed-tooth slipper orchi...

Mayor Greg Gasataya (right) with Jack Ng, Head of Commercial at Shopee Philippines at the Bacolod City Government Center on Monday.*Bacolod City is collaborating with online shopping platform Shopee to empower local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and strengthen its digital economy.Mayor Greg Gasataya and Shopee Philippines head of commercial Jack Ng formalized the partnership with a ceremonial handshake held at the City Mayor’s Office on Monday, March 30.“Through this partnership, MSMEs in Bacolod City will be given more opportunities to present their products and improve their sales. Bacolod has always been a city that champions the spirit of local enterprise,” Gasataya said in his message.Bacolod is one of the stops of Shopee’s Tatak Pinoy MSME Roadshow, wh...