Business

Jul272026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Neg. Occ. leaders welcome Marcos’ SONA, back power reforms, disaster measures

Rep.Javier Miguel Benitez at the SONA.*QUEZON CITY— Leaders from Negros Occidental generally welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), with many expressing support for his proposals to lower electricity costs, strengthen disaster resilience, and continue economic reforms.Reacting after the SONA on July 27, Deputy Speaker and Bacolod Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez described the speech as “very grounded,” saying it addressed the issues ordinary Filipinos face every day.“He answered the questions of the people,” Benitez said, pointing to the President’s proposals on electricity prices and other high-impact programs.Benitez particularly backed the proposed amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), saying...

Jul272026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Negros sugar farmers, workers urge government to prioritize rural recovery post-SONA

Business, Top Stories

Sugar farm workers in Negros.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoFarm workers, agrarian reform beneficiaries, and small sugarcane farmers in Negros on Monday, July 27, called on government to ensure that post-SONA economic recovery reaches rural communities, citing persistent poverty, unemployment, and widespread hunger.Speaking in the wake of the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), Joel Pasigado, chairperson of the Tib-ng Obreros Federation, said rural residents have yet to experience meaningful improvements in their daily lives as sugar-dependent communities grapple with overlapping crises. Pasigado noted that these challenges include the spread of the Red Stripe Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), rising production costs, unstable sugar prices, the climate crisis, a...

Jul262026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Globe and TM Starlink Satellite-to-Mobile Service Now Available Starting at P99Available for Platinum, Postpaid, Prepaid, and TM, customers, the service extends connectivity beyond traditional mobile network coverage.

Business

Globe is making connectivity more accessible to Filipinos through Globe Starlink, satellite-powered mobile service, now available starting at P99 for Globe Prepaid and TM users. Globe Postpaid customers on Plan 1499 and up, along with Globe Platinum subscribers, can access the service at no additional cost, extending connectivity to areas beyond traditional mobile network coverage.The launch expands connectivity options for communities, travelers, field workers, and individuals in remote locations where terrestrial mobile signals may be limited or unavailable. Through Globe Starlink, users on compatible devices can stay connected through messaging, app-based calls, navigation, digital payments, and essential online services even outside the reach of traditional mobile inf...

Jul242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

DA races to contain ‘epidemic’ sugarcane infestation, deploying drones, ₱235M to battle RSSI

Business, Top Stories

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. (center) with Sugar Board Member David Andrew Sanson and SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona (right) at the dialog with the Negros mayors and congressmen.*CPG photoAgriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced the downloading of ₱235 million in aid to small farmers and for the deployment of more drones to speed up the urgently needed chemical spraying of sugarcane fields in Negros Occidental hit by the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insects (RSSI).Laurel and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona met with the congressmen and mayors of Negros Occidental, who are alarmed by the widespread RSSI destruction to sugarcane crops, at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City on Friday, July 24....

Jul242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Negros Occidental mayors adopt tiered response in fight vs. RSSI: Escalante

Business

The Negros Occidental Biosecurity Task Force mobile spraying of bio-control fungi to prevent the spread of RSSI in the sugarcane fields of Murcia on Thursday.* photo courtesy of Provincial Administrator Rayfrando DiazThe Negros Occidental mayors have agreed to implement a uniform approach in their fight against the red-striped soft scale insects that have been rapidly spreading and destroying sugarcane crops, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said on Thursday.Escalante, who is also the president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, said they agreed that if the RSSI infestation is still at level 1 or moderate, enzymes that are also proposed by the province will be used.The challenge is that there is very little supply available, he said.If the damage is at leve...

Jul242026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Negros Oriental ASF cases contained; La Libertad tests negative

Business

The Negros Oriental Provincial Veterinary Office said on Thursday that no new hog deaths have been reported in the province recently following the culling of infected pigs in some local government units.*photo courtesy of Jessa FonolleraAfrican swine fever (ASF) cases in affected local government units in Negros Oriental have been contained following the culling of infected hogs, although authorities continue to monitor the province for possible new infections, the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) said Thursday, July 23.Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Melody Vilan said all 66 blood samples collected from pigs in La Libertad town tested negative for ASF based on laboratory results from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI)."The BAI confirmed that all blood samples collected from the...

Jul232026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Valley of Peace Park of Life expands, offers new mausoleum, garden lots

Business

Cathrina and Ginnette Yanson-Dumancas explaining the Valley of Peace Park of Life expansion.*The Valley of Peace Park of Life along Carlos Hilado Avenue (Circumferential Road) in Brgy. Mandalagan, Bacolod City, is expanding and now has more mausoleum and garden lots up for sale.Cathrina Yanson-Dumancas, general manager of Valley of Peace Park of Life by Proxima Centauri Realty And Development Corp., announced the expansion at its launch attended by their brokers at Maria Kucina, La Salle Avenue, Bacolod City, Thursday afternoon, July 23.The mausoleums available when the park first opened were swiftly sold out, and they have had a five-year wait list for more, she said.She said with their expansion, lots are now available at Azure 1 at 35 square meters for one-story m...

Jul232026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Globe boosts 5G connectivity in Dumaguete City

Business, Negros Oriental, Top Stories

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — Globe has strengthened its 5G connectivity in Dumaguete City through network enhancements that improve performance, capacity and customer experience. The city is now served by more than 30 5G sites, bringing its total mobile sites in the area to over 40 cellsites. Globe has also expanded its fiber infrastructure, with more than 330,000 kilometers of Globe Fiber coverage helping meet the increasing demand for reliable connectivity and high-speed internet services for households and businesses.The network enhancement benefits Dumaguete City's approximately 145,000 residents by strengthening the digital infrastructure that supports education, tourism, public services, and economic activity. With enhanced 5G performance, re...

Jul222026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Aerial spraying vs. RSSI urgently needed, it’s safe, fast, and cost efficient: Lamata

Business, Top Stories

United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) President Manuel Lamata at a press conference on RSSI on Wednesday.* Ronnie Baldonado photoAerial spraying of pesticides to stop the devastating destruction of sugarcane crops by Red-Striped Soft Scale Insects (RSSI) across Negros Island will be safe, fast, and cost-efficient.This was assured by pesticide suppliers at a press conference called by United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) President Manuel Lamata in Bacolod City on Wednesday afternoon, July 22.Lamata said he welcomed Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson’s announcement that he is leaving it to the mayors of Negros Occidental to decide whether they will support aerial spraying of pesticides in the sugarcane fields of their respective towns and ci...

Jul212026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

NegOr under state of calamity as pest hits 17K hectares of sugarcane

Business, Top Stories

Farmers inspect sugarcane leaves affected by the red-striped soft scale insect at a farm in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental.*SRA file photoAll sugarcane fields in Negros Oriental, including those not yet affected by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), will undergo chemical spraying following the province's declaration of a state of calamity.Provincial Agriculture Office Chief Emmanuel Caduyac said the preventive spraying aims to contain the spread of the sap-sucking pest and protect unaffected plantations from infestation."We will be coordinating with the local government units down to the barangay level and the farmers to help us in the spraying as the PAO does not have enough manpower to do this," Caduyac told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday."The spraying must b...