Business

Technical personnel of Tolong Mill District together with farmers affected by RSSI in Brgy. Sto. Nino, Tanjay City, Negros Oriental.*SRA photoThe Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. (CONFED) on Thursday, June 25, raised concerns over the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) response to the Red Scale Soft Insect (RSSI) infestation on Negros Island, stating that its status report offers no assurance that the situation is under control and that adequate measures are in place to prevent further damage.In a statement released Thursday,  June 25 CONFED  called for a more effective anti-RSSI campaign, questioning both the accuracy of government data and the utilization of over ₱200 million to battle the infestation.The SRA reported that approximately 76,607...

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. *Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the halt to the importation  of feedstock — including molasses, sugar, sugarcane, and sugar syrups — for bioethanol production to protect the domestic sugar industry and local farmers.Laurel,  in Sugar Order No.4, Series of 2025-2026 dated May 22 but  released to the media Thursday, June 25,  said the  directive introduces a strict prohibition to correct a long-standing policy gap.The amendment explicitly addresses loopholes found in the original Sugar Order No. 14, Series of 2008-09, which had previously allowed for the importation of molasses, sugar, sugarcane, and sugar syrups for use as feedstock in manufacturing bioethanol ...

Three men were arrested hours after the body of a 48-year-old laborer was found in a creek in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday, June 24.Police identified the victim as  “Sonny,” a resident of Sitio Marta, Brgy. Masulog.The suspects were identified as  “Rey,” 30, “Rom,” 20, and “Jon,” 18.The victim’s body was discovered at around 4 p.m. in Sitio Balingasag by a resident who was on his way to hunt frogs.Police said the body, which was found beneath the creek, was immediately retrieved by barangay rescue personnel due to unfavorable weather conditions and the risks posed by the area.The victim’s remains were brought to the barangay hall before being transported to a funeral home in Moises Padilla.La Castellana police said the three suspects were...

Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr., Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, with sugar leaders Rafael Coscolluela and Gina Martin.*Richard Malihan photoNegros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has agreed to issue an executive order creating a province-wide task force to prevent the spread of highly destructive red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI), which have now spread from sugarcane to other crops.This development was disclosed by former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, who currently serves as adviser to the president of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc.Coscolluela, along with Gina Martin, director general of the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation Inc. (PHILSURIN), and other industry stak...

Gerrard Joseph Sarrosa, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and United Sugar Producers Federation president Manuel Lamata (l-r) meet with Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Tuesday.*CPG photoA state of calamity over Negros Occidental will remain in effect amid reports that 32.18 percent of its sugarcane fields have already been hit by the highly destructive Red Striped Soft-Scale Insects (RSSI), Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Tuesday, June 23.Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and United Sugar Producers Federation president Manuel Lamata briefed the governor and members of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan on the extent of the RSSI damage at the SP session hall at the Capitol in Bacolod City on Tuesday.A state of calamity is necessary to hast...

 A pump attendant refills the fuel tank of a motorcycle at a gas station on Monday.*PNA/Yancy Lim photoThe Department of Energy (DOE) announced a big-time price rollback in fuel prices beginning Tuesday, Jube 23.Data released by the DOE on Monday showed that for this week, gasoline prices are set to decline between PHP3.90 to PHP5.90 per liter, while diesel will also decline by PHP9.04 to PHP11.04 per liter.Kerosene prices, meanwhile, will also be slashed by PHP9.82 to PHP11.82 per liter.In an advisory, Seaoil said it will cut diesel prices by PHP9.04 per liter, gasoline by PHP3.90 per liter, and kerosene by PHP9.82 per liter.Shell said it will also reduce gasoline prices by PHP3.90 per liter, kerosene by PHP11 per liter, and diesel by PHP9.04 per liter."The adjust...

DA NIR file photoThe Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod has approved a resolution calling for the strict monitoring and enforcement of Executive Order No. 118, which imposes a ₱50 per kilogram price ceiling on imported rice, Councilor  Caesar Distrito said Monday, June 22.The resolution, authored by  Distrito and co-authored by Councilor Celia Flor requests the Bacolod City Price Monitoring Council, the three market supervisors under the Office of the City Administrator, the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Office of Mayor Greg Gasataya, to intensify inspections and take appropriate action against violators.“Rice is a basic necessity for every Filipino family. The ₱50 rice price ceiling was established to make rice ...

A massive insect infestation threatening thousands of hectares of sugar fields in the Visayas has prompted an emergency meeting on Tuesday, June 23,  between sugar producers and Negros Occidental provincial officials.The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) will sit down with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to tackle the spread of the Red Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), its president Manuel Lamata said Sunday.Lamata said  that the figures are alarming and doubling on a weekly basis, leaving planters, particularly small farmers, deeply worried about what this massive infestation will do to their crops.The RSSI infestation has entered an accelerated phase across the Visayas, with affected areas...