Business

Parents buying school supplies in Bacolod City.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe Department of Trade and Industry-Negros Occidental has released the “Gabay sa Pamimili ng School Supplies” to guide consumers in buying school supplies for the opening of classes.DTI said the price guide aims to help parents, guardians, and students make informed choices as they prepare for the upcoming school year.Based on the guide for school year 2026-2027, writing notebooks and composition notebooks with 80 leaves and 148mm x 200mm size range from P13 to P52.Spiral notebooks range from P14 to P49, while yarn notebooks range from P14 to P47.Grade pad paper ranges from P13 to P37, while intermediate pad paper ranges from P22 to P69.75.Pencils range from P12 to P18 per piece and P15 to P24 ...

A team from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental inspects prices of goods and other commodities at a major retail outlet in Dumaguete City.*DTI photo The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental is closely monitoring big retail stores in the province to ensure that prices of school supplies and other commodities remain at acceptable levels, an official said Thursday, June 4.Krystle Jade Bato, DTI spokesperson and officer-in-charge of the Consumer Protection Division, said in a media interview that they have teams visiting these retail outlets and keeping track of the prices of school supplies.“As early as April, we already started our monitoring and surveillance of Balik Eskwela items, such as notebooks, ballpens, pencils, and oth...

The Negros Occidental provincial veterinarian on Tuesday, June 2, reminded livestock and poultry raisers in the province to strengthen their biosecurity measures to protect their animals from the adverse effects of climate change.Dr. Placeda Lemana said the changes in weather conditions could endanger animals with low resistance, which is why biosecurity is important.Farm biosecurity is a strategic system of sanitation, quarantine, and access control designed to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases within a livestock population.Livestock must have proper housing and footbaths, Lemana said. Animals must also be properly fed and given the necessary supplements and vitamins, she added.She said there were few farm animal casualties from the extrem...

 The payout of PHP5,000 cash relief assistance to transport network vehicle service and delivery service drivers in Negros Occidental at SM City Bacolod.*DSWS NIR photo At least 5,401 transport network vehicle service (TNVS) and service delivery drivers in Negros Occidental received cash relief assistance (CRA) amounting to PHP27.005 million during the two-day payout last week.Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) on Tuesday showed the beneficiaries from Negros Occidental are among the 5,992 drivers served across the region."The government's relief program is aimed at helping transport and delivery workers cope with the effects of rising fuel prices and increasing operational expenses," the DSWD-NIR said in a statement.In...

The Department of Labor and Employment – Negros Island Region (DOLE-NIR) has begun distributing financial assistance under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) to sugarcane workers adversely affected by Typhoon Tino. A total of ₱9.97 million is slated for distribution to 9,970 sugar mill and field workers, who will receive ₱1,000 each, DOLE-Negros Occidental Officer-in-Charge Gretchen Pasiolan said on Monday, June 1.So far, ₱3.75 million has been distributed across eight mill districts in Negros Occidental, while ₱65,000 remains unclaimed from the first tranche.The beneficiaries covered by this initial rollout belong to the mill districts of BISCOM (Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Co.) in Binalbagan, Universal Robina Corporation – Southern Negros Development Corporation (URC-SON...

PNA/Joan Bondoc file photoFuel prices are projected to drop by as much as PHP10 per liter in the coming week following consecutive increases in recent weeks, partly due to optimism over a possible outcome in peace negotiations between the United States and Iran.Citing price developments during the first four trading days this week, Department of Energy (DOE) Director Rino Abad on Friday said gasoline prices may decrease by as much as PHP4 per liter, diesel by as much as PHP8 per liter, and kerosene by as much as PHP10 per liter.The projected rollback would reverse this week’s price increases of around PHP1.90 per liter for diesel, PHP1.95 per liter for gasoline and PHP1.45 per liter for kerosene.Abad said that while fuel prices remain elevated, they have eased to around PHP...

 MaryAnn Colmenares, NTF chairperson, at the launch at SM City Bacolod on Friday, May 29.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe Association of Negros Producers (ANP) is holding its milestone 40th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) at SM Aura Premier in Taguig City on September 22 to 27.Developed in collaboration with the Design Center of the Philippines, the theme for this milestone year is Butlak. The term refers to the "first light" or the initial glow of a new day, signaling a phase of maturity and abundance for the island’s producers, Mary Ann Colmenares, NTF chairperson, said at the launch at SM City Bacolod on Friday, May 29.Colmenares said the Bulawan grand winners on Friday were:Fine Jewelry Handicrafts Jewelry: The Unfolding – ChiEVs Stone and CrystalGarments Category: Bing Gonza...

(Images courtesy of Noceco, Razel Jane Sobusa)The Negros Occidental Electric Cooperative (Noceco) admitted on Thursday, May 28,  that it erroneously charged a consumer in Hinigaran town PHP958,334.94 for electricity consumption in May, an error that went viral after the consumer posted her bill on Facebook, saying it gave her a "mini-heart attack." In a statement, the Noceco management said the consumer's "concern was caused by an encoding error following a meter replacement and has already been corrected." The consumer, located in Barangay Tagda, operates a water refilling station and a laundry shop. On May 18, Noceco received a complaint about a burned electric meter caused by damaged terminals. The followi...

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson today, May 26, thanked members of the Association of Negros Producers (ANP) for their steadfast commitment to empowering micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and for sustaining programs that open doors for local industries.Lacson joined the ANP for the opening of the 33rd Bulawan Design Award and Innovative Food Competition, the 4th Pilak Awards, and the 3rd Balik Salig Crafts Competition, as well as the launch of the 40th Negros Trade Fair (NTF) at SM City Bacolod.Also present at the launch were ANP chairperson Arlene Infante and NTF chairperson Mary Ann Colmenares.“As we launch the 40th Negros Trade Fair, may this milestone remind us of how far the Negrense entrepreneurial spirit has come—and how much more we can achieve toge...