Business

The Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) turned over P14,882,710 worth of multi-functional power sprayers to beneficiaries from 193 block farms in the Visayas during rites held at the SRA–La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, on Tuesday, May 12. The distribution was led by SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and Sugar Board Member-Planter Representative Dave Sanson. Sanson said  protective gear was also distributed to ensure the safety of those using the equipment to apply insecticides.  He explained that the power sprayers are intended to strengthen sugarcane farm productivity and assist in the battle against the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), which can cause widespread damage to crops. ...

Crater glow or banaag at Kanlaon Volcano observed with the naked eye on Sunday evening could be a precursor to a magmatic eruption, a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) official warned.“We are not taking any chances because at Mayon Volcano before it erupted there was also a crater glow,” Ma. Antonia Bornas, Phivolcs Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief, said on Monday, May 11.Netizens on Sunday evening posted photos of a red glow at the crater of Kanlaon.Phivolcs will be observing Kanlaon for the next few evenings to determine if the crater glow becomes sustained and intensifies, which would mean that magma is close to or at the crater indicating increasing chances of magmatic unrest within days, Bornas said.This would th...

Five-day work weeks in the cities of Bacolod, Bago and Silay, and the municipality of Toboso resume this week.But the Negros Occidental provincial government will remain on a 4-day work week schedule, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday, March 11.The provincial government and the towns and cities of Negros Occidental shifted to 4-day work weeks in early March after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered its temporary implementation as part of the government’s efforts to conserve energy and reduce fuel use amid rising global oil prices triggered by the Middle East crisis.Lacson said that the Negros Occidental provincial government will maintain its 4-day work week for now.Lacson said he met with Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesus Vi...

Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez at the Cong. Albee Sportsfest on Saturday*Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez said in all likelihood the House of Representatives will vote to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, May 11.If the House approves the motion, it will pave the way for the transmittal of the four Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, which will then convene as an impeachment court to determine her guilt or innocence.“A lot of congressmen have signified that they will vote for the impeachment, so in all likelihood, she will be impeached,” Benitez said in an interview at the opening of the Cong. Albee Sportsfest 2026 in Bacolod on Saturday, May 9.Benitez clarified that the Lower House would...

Sugar producers and labor groups on Sunday, May 10, thanked Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito for his decisive "one-two-three" legislative strike aimed at addressing over-importation and revitalizing the struggling sugar industry.They said in a rare display of legislative speed, Sen. Ejercito filed two resolutions and a landmark bill within just 20 days:• Senate Resolution No. 369 (April 16): Initiating a probe into alleged sugar over-importation;• Senate Resolution No. 380 (May 4): Investigating the underutilization of the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA); and• Senate Bill No. 2114 / TUBO Act of 2026 (May 6): Proposing comprehensive reforms to modernize mills, protect farmers, and to hike annual SIDA funding to ₱5 Billion.In a joint statement the Sugar Cou...

Under the new directive, Negros Power will halt all disconnection activities for unpaid bills specifically covering the May to July 2026 billing cycles.The measure, authorized under Executive Order No. 110, is designed to provide immediate financial relief to consumers struggling under the weight of a prolonged regional energy crisis, Negros Power said.The protections will remain in effect from May 2026 through July 2026.Under the new directive, Negros Power will halt all disconnection activities for unpaid bills specifically covering the May to July 2026 billing cycles.This moratorium applies to both residential households and non-residential establishments, including local businesses.However, the utility firm clarified that this "grace period" is not retroactive.A...

UNIFED Chairman Manuel Lamata*United Sugar Producers Federation Chairman Manuel Lamata on Friday, May 8, slammed the Sugar Council for being “adversarial”.“They are desperate for a change of leadership, hoping they can place their own allies in the Sugar Board”, Lamata said in a press release.Everybody knows the one dictating their so-called council has a personal agenda and will always be in opposition against this government because of their political alliance, Lamata added.He also said it is insulting to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel to be asked that the DA needs to re-affirm his earlier pronouncements that no importation will happen until end of 2026 if there is no need to do in the hope that sugar prices will stabilize.“If they cannot believe a p...

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.*Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Friday, May 8, that he will seek clarification from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on whether local government units (LGUs) may return to the standard five-day work week.Lacson stated he intends to consult directly with DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla on the matter.The provincial government transitioned to a compressed four-day work week on March 16.The move was designed to align with national mandates, specifically the Office of the President’s Memorandum Circular No. 114 aimed to mitigate the economic impact of rising fuel prices triggered by volatility in the Middle East, Lacson had said.However, some municipalities are already shi...

Ronnie Baldonado file photoThe Sugar Council on Thursday, May 7, rallied industry stakeholders to unite behind House Bill No. 9088, introduced by Rep. Javier Miguel L. Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District).The TUBO Act of 2026 (Tunay na Ugnayan Buhay at Oportunidad sa Asukal), which aims to strengthen the sugar industry by expanding the mandate and composition of the sugar regulatory administration, rationalizing the allocation of the sugar industry development fund, and institutionalizing systems for trade remedies and climate adaptation, is seen as a way forward for the sugarcane industry in the wake of the current injurious crisis, the Sugar Council said in a press statement.“The TUBO Act of 2026 advocates additional safeguards in order to protect the industry from opportu...