Business

Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya has ordered a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis.*Ronnie Baldonado photoMayor Greg Gasataya ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes in all public primary and secondary schools in Bacolod City on Tuesday, October 14, to allow for the continuation of the inspection of school buildings following Monday's earthquake.A Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) being jointly conducted by the City Engineer’s Office, Office of the Building Official, and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office started Monday and was still ongoing, the mayor said.The suspension of classes was also ordered on the recommendation of the Department of Education-Division of Bacolod City, he said.The public schools concerned are encouraged ...

Sugar leaders Aurelio Valderamma and Manuel Lamata (l-r)*“If there is someone to be blamed for the low price of sugar at the start of the milling season, we should look at the very people who have been agitating the market through their grandstanding.”That was the statement of Manuel Lamata, United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) chairman, on Sunday, Oct 12,  who lashed out at Aurelio Valderamma, Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. (CONFED) president,  for an open letter against Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona over the low price of sugar at the start of this milling season.“I feel this was all orchestrated because up until they started talking of importation, over importation, over supply, the market was quiet and we were expecting better pr...

Sugar prices dropped from PhP 2,800 to PhP 2,700 per bag last crop year to only PhP 2,200 to PhP 2,300 last week.*Ronnie Baldonado file photo“Sugarcane farmers deserve an explanation why sugar and molasses prices have dropped to a level much lower than during the milling season’s opening last crop year,” National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) president Enrique D. Rojas and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PANAYFED) president Danilo A. Abelita  said in  a  joint statement on  Sunday, Oct . 12.The statement was in reaction to the open letter from the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations (CONFED) president Aurelio Gerardo J. Javellana Jr. issued  Friday (October 10) and addressed to Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis S. Azcona, ...

The ground subsidence (hole) in Barangay Talaptap.*La Castellana MDRRMO photoA reported ground subsidence (hole) in Barangay Talaptap, La Castellana, is being investigated by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), Remuel Lajo, La Castellana Incident Command Team head, said on Sunday, Oct. 12.Ground subsidence is defined as the gradual or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface.The incident was reported to local authorities Sunday and initial assessments by the MDRRM personnel in coordination with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau has been initiated for technical evaluation.The MDRRMO instructed residents to avoid the area until experts declare it safe.Residents were also a...

Nineteen mendicants reportedly begging on the streets were rescued by Bacolod City government joint surveillance and rescue operatives on Saturday, October 11.The interagency Badjao Operation took in nine mendicants from the Badjao community (seven adults and two minors), seven minors classified as children-at-risk (CARS), two elderly persons with disabilities (PWDs), and one individual showing signs of mental health issues, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said.The operation ensued after Mayor Greg Gasataya ordered the creation of two surveillance and apprehension teams, including the rescue of children at risk or exploited minor mendicants, following a recent incident of Badjaos or mendicants allegedly harassing women in public spaces.There w...

Expect fuel prices to have mixed movements on Tuesday, October 14.Diesel prices are expected to go down by P0.20 to P0.40 per liter, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said on Saturday.Gasoline prices are forecasted to have no change to an increase by P0.10 per liter, it added.*

The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. (CONFED) on Friday, Oct. 10, issued an urgent call to the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for transparency and action on the decline in millgate prices of sugar and molasses.CONFED president Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. in an open letter to SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona expressed concern over the worsening state of the sugar industry, particularly the steep decline in both sugar and molasses prices compared to last year.This has had a severe impact on the livelihoods of planters, millers, and stakeholders across the country, Valderrama said.“Given the recent corruption scandals that have rocked the country, we strongly urge you to act decisively, in full view and with the interest of the people who stand to...

The Bacolod SP session on Wednesday.* Councilor Em Ang FB pageThe Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) is urging the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to ensure that Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies and other large private establishments have comprehensive emergency and disaster response plans, in line with the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHS) under the Labor Code.Councilor Caesar Z. Distrito, author of the SP resolution, said it seeks to protect thousands of workers, particularly in BPOs that operate 24/7, from risks during earthquakes, fires, and other disasters."The safety and well-being of employees should always come first. Companies must have clear, tested, and regularly updated emergency and disaster response plans to safeguard the...

PNA file photoThe National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) is seeking clarification on the importation of 424,000 metric tons of refined sugar, its president Enrique D. Rojas said on Thursday, Oct. 9.“While SRA assures there will be no talks of importation until May or June 2026, SRA somehow failed to mention it has already approved the importation of 424,000 metric tons refined sugar to arrive starting July 15, 2025 and not later than November 30, 2025, under Sugar Order No. 8, Series of 2024-2025,” Rojas said in a press release.Rojas was reacting to SRA’s statement that there will be no talks of sugar importation until May or June next year, and that statements on importation will likely affect sugar prices and destabilize the sugar industry.He reiterated that NFS...

SRA Aministrator Pablo Luis Azcona at the Senate Committee on Finance subcommitte hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 8*Congress is expected to allocate P2.4 billion for the sugar industry in the 2026 national budget, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said on Wednesday, October 8.Laurel, speaking at a Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee J hearing, said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allocated P1 billion for the industry in the National Expenditure Program for 2026 and the Lower House approved an additional P1.4 billion.If the Senate approves it the industry will be granted P2.4 billion in 2026.Laurel told the senators that the Sugarcane Industry Development Act of 2015 needs amendments for more flexibility in the use the funds approved by Congress ...