Business

The evacuees in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental*The majority of the flood victims in Negros Occidental have gone home and the local government units are conducting their damage assessments, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson Jr. said on Wednesday, Nov. 26. There were 50,409 families with 186,965 members who were affected by Tropical Depression ‘Verbena’ in 21 local government units in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported on Wednesday. Persons still in evacuation centers on Wednesday were 4,356, it added. An initial report said eight houses were destroyed and 21 were damaged, the PDRRMO said.*

The Negros Island Region (NIR) recorded the highest goat population in the Philippines as of Sept. 30, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.The 3rd quarter Livestock and Poultry Quarterly Bulletin of PSA report showed that the NIR had 460,090 goats, the largest inventory among all regions.It was followed by Central Luzon with 419,920 heads and Central Visayas with 369,300 heads.Together, the top three regions accounted for more than one-third of the country’s total goat population.PSA also reported that the country’s total goat inventory stood at 3.61 million heads in late September, a decline of 5.1 percent from last year’s 3.80 million.Of this population, 99.7 percent came from small hold farms.Despite having the largest inventory, NIR was not among ...

Negros Island Region (NIR) ranked second in the country in carabao production for the third quarter of 2025, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Thursday, Nov. 20.From July to September, the region produced 2,920 metric tons of carabao (liveweight), placing it behind Northern Mindanao, which recorded the highest output at 3,000 metric tons during the same period.The other top-producing regions were Davao Region with 2,500 metric tons, Eastern Visayas with 2,360 metric tons, and SOCCSKSARGEN with 2,300 metric tons.Combined, these areas accounted for nearly half of the country’s total carabao production in the third quarter.Nationwide output reached 27,920 metric tons, reflecting a 9-percent decline from the previous year.As of Sept. 30, the country’s total ca...

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is encouraging employers in Western Visayas (WV) and Negros Occidental to comply with the new wage increase that took Wednesday, Nov. 19."We are urging them to comply voluntarily to avoid labor cases," DOLE WV Regional Director Sixto Rodriguez Jr. said on Thursday.Employers who cannot afford the wage hikes need to file a petitition for exemption that will be subject for review prior to approval, he said."There are no automatic exemptions," Rodriquez said.The daily minimum wage increase for Western Visayas, including Negros Occidental and Bacolod City , is P37 to P40 effective Nov. 19, the National Wages and Productivity Commission announced earlier.The monthly minimum wage of kasambahays (domestic workers) for the region als...

A Typhoon "Tino" damaged house in Moises Padilla* Joel de Vera Sr. photoThe Negros Occidental provincial government is determining how to apportion the P50 million allocated by the national government for Negrenses whose houses were destroyed and damaged by Typhoon “Tino”.There were 13,036 destroyed houses and 105, 936 damaged.Lacson said he will consult with the mayors to determine how best to apportion the funds.“What we will do is decide whether to give it to those with totally damaged or partially damaged houses. We will prorate how much will go to each LGU based on the reports that we have,” he said.“It is very difficult to distribute this money because the amount is not enough to cover the actual damages”, Lacson said.As much as possible the funds should be d...

Mayor Greg Gasataya meets members of traditional jeepney organizations after the flag-raising ceremony at the Bacolod City Government Center on Monday.*Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya has scheduled a dialog with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), and members of the city’s transport sector on Tuesday, November 18, to address concerns surrounding the ongoing implementation of the Department of Transportation’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization program.Gasataya met with representatives of the Bacolod Alliance of Commuters, Operators and Drivers (BACOD), the Kabacod Negros Transport Coalition (KNETCO), and the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC) on Monday to hear their concerns, a press release fro...

A damaged sugarcane field in southern Negros* SRA photo The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Friday, Nov. 14, estimated the losses to the sugar industry in the Visayas alone at more than P1.2 billion, based on a partial assessment of the devastating damage caused by Typhoon “Tino”.“Tino” wreaked havoc in over 53,000 hectares covering the mill districts in Negros Island, Capiz, Iloilo, Leyte and Cebu, affecting more than 16,000 sugar farmers, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said.The assessment was conducted “after our research facilities and employees were able to recover from the destruction brought about by Tino”, he said.Azcona said that the SRA has mobilized field personnel to conduct a full assessment of all areas including farmlands that were in the pa...

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office personnel clearing fallen trees at the  Andres Bonifacio Elementary School 1.*CDRRMO photo Mayor Greg Gasataya said the recent typhoons inflicted major damage on 134 classrooms and minor damage on 189 others in Bacolod City.The data is based on a Rapid Damage Analysis and Needs Assessment (RDANA), he said.The city has sought the assistance of Education Secretary Sonny Angara for the urgent repair and rehabilitation of the affected classrooms, Gasataya said."We also met with the local DepEd to discuss and implement alternative learning arrangements to minimize the effects of the damage and (power) outages on education in Bacolod City," he said.City Administrator Mark Mayo said on Thursday, Nov. 1...

Typhoon "Tino" damage in La Castellana, Negros Occidental.* Richard Malihan photo   Typhoon Tino’s damage to agriculture in Negros Island has hit P207.8 million, a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said on Thursday, Nov. 13. Jose Albert Barrogo, DA Negros Island Region executive director, said in Negros Occidental the damage to rice was P81 million, corn – P4  million, high value crops – P62 million and livestock and poultry – P830,000. Damage to rice in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, was  P60 million, he added. DA Deputy Spokesperson Joycel Panlilio said rice crops were most affected by “Tino” in Iloilo and Negros Occidental. Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and  Management Office (PDRRMO)  has placed the damage to fisheries  at P39,828,142 and l...