Business

The distribution of aid at the Capitol Park and  Lagoon in Bacolod City*Ronnie Baldonado photoMultiple national government agencies gathered at the Capitol Park and  Lagoon in Bacolod City and key sites across Negros Occidental to deliver essential public services and over ₱261.5 million  in aid  to Negrenses as part of the "Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat" initiative on Monday, Sept. 14.The  "Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat"  was a nationwide activity held  as  President Ferdinand Marcos marked his 69th birthday,The multi-agency event accounted for a total allocation of over ₱261.5 million in turned-over funds, projects, equipment  and financial assistance benefiting thousands of residents, farmers, st...

Mayor Greg Gasataya and City Engineer’s Office (CEO) representatives  inspected the newly rehabilitated footbridge connecting Barangay Singcang-Airport and Barangay 35 on Monday, September 14.Gasataya highlighted the structural reliability of the project, which benefits thousands of daily commuters, particularly students traveling to nearby downtown schools, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.“The structure is crucial for residents here. Based on the assessment of the City Engineer’s Office, it can withstand up to 20 years. The funds allocated upon the request of residents will definitely benefit both Barangay Singcang-Airport and Barangay 35,” Gasataya said.The mayor was welcomed by City Councilor and former Punong Barangay Caesar Distrito, c...

Mary Judaline Partlow file photoSome 31,900 residents of Dumaguete City have been identified to receive 10 kilos of government rice each under the Bawat Bayan Makikinabang (BBMP) program funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF), an official said.Lilibeth Filipinas, chief of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO),  said that 1,776 beneficiaries will receive their rice assistance during the “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat” service caravan on Monday, Sept. 14.“The beneficiaries during the Handog ng Pangulo are from Barangays 1 to 7. The rest of the beneficiaries from the city’s 30 barangays will receive their free rice during subsequent distribution activities,” Filipinas said.Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare an...

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office was named the top performing police unit under the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region’s Bottom-up Balanced Scorecard System.NOCPPO Provincial Director Col. Dennis Wenceslao received the award on behalf of the provincial police command, Sept. 7.The scorecard evaluates police units based on key performance areas including operational readiness, community engagement, crime prevention and implementation of police programs.PRO-NIR said NOCPPO ranked highest among the provincial and city police offices in the region under the assessment.Wenceslao credited the recognition to the collective work of personnel across the provincial police office.“This award belongs to every officer and staff of NOCPPO,” Wenceslao said.He...

The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City has approved a resolution expressing its full support, and that of the people of Bacolod, for the initiative of Deputy Speaker Alfredo “Albee” B. Benitez calling for a congressional inquiry into the recurring power interruptions, rotational brownouts, and red and yellow alerts affecting Negros Island and the entire Visayas, Councilor Ceasar Distrito said Thursday, Sept. 10.Authored by Distrito, the resolution urges the House Committee on Visayas Development, the House Committee on Energy, and other appropriate congressional committees to conduct hearings at the earliest opportunity and pursue legislative and policy measures toward a reliable, adequate and affordable electricity supply.Distrito, in a press release,  said the repeated p...

The provincial government employees at the Capitol going home after work was suspended Wednesday afternoon.* Barbara Mijares photoGov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered the immediate suspension of work across all offices inside and surrounding the Negros Occidental  Provincial Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 9, following an alleged  direct shooting threat targeted at government personnel.The emergency shutdown was prompted by a security breach involving a private  individual who allegedly threatened to shoot provincial government workers, the governor’s memorandum said.In issuing the order, Lacson emphasized that the immediate danger posed to staff, officials, and visitors demanded paramount consideration, noting that the incident had already severely disrupted t...

RSSI hit sugarcane*SRA file photoA nationwide multi-sectoral group of sugarcane producers and workers slammed the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) on Tuesday, Sept. 8, calling its dismal production forecast a “complete admission of failure” of its own pest control programs.The group, in a press statement, rejected the SRA’s claim that the projected drop in raw sugar output for Crop Year 2026–2027 is due mainly to the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation, pointing instead to deeper economic and policy missteps.Their statement follows a BusinessMirror report on September 4, 2026, where SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona projected raw sugar output for Crop Year 2026–2027 to sink to a 20-year low of 1.662 million metric tons (MMT).While Azcona blamed the drop ...