Business

May62026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

35th Visayas Area Business Conference Set to Convene in Bacolod City

Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and industry stakeholders from across the Visayas region are set to gather for the 35th Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC) at its new venue at L’Fisher Hotel, Bacolod City, on May 13 to 15.Hosted by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), this year’s conference highlights Bacolod’s growing role as a center for commerce, innovation, and collaboration in the Negros Island Region.With just days to go before the highly anticipated event, excitement continues to build as the conference marks another milestone in fostering regional economic growth and partnerships. Now on its 35th year, VABC remains one of the premier business gatherings in the Visayas, bringing together key players from various sectors to discuss pressing economi...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Javi files ‘TUBO Act’ to overhaul sugar industry, protect farmers

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Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez after filing the “TUBO Act of 2026” bill at the House of Representatives on Tuesday.*Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) filed House Bill No. 9088 on Tuesday, May 5, seeking a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s sugar industry to protect farmers from market volatility and over-importation.Dubbed the “TUBO Act of 2026” (Tunay na Ugnayan, Buhay, at Oportunidad sa Asukal), the measure proposes sweeping amendments to the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015 to stabilize production and supply.Benitez said that the legislation aims to establish a more responsive, data-driven, and inclusive framework for the sugar industry, which remains a vital source of livelihood for rural communities.The bill addresse...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

TUCP pushes bill to democratize SRA Board with labor, farmer seats

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TUCP President Raymond Democrito Mendoza and Vice President Roland C. de la Cruz (right)*The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has intensified its call for the immediate overhaul of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), citing an "avalanche" of imported sugar and unregulated substitutes as proof of the agency's failure to protect local producers.House Deputy Speaker and TUCP Party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza is pushing for the urgent passage of House Bill No. 8376, which seeks to democratize the SRA Board by institutionalizing seats for workers, farmers, and agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs).The move comes as the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) spearheads a massive signature campaign demanding the...

May52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Two groups hit back at Sugar Council, reaffirm support for DA chief, Sugar Board

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“We call on all stakeholders to move forward with responsibility and unity", UNIFED Chairman Manuel Lamata said.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoTwo major sugar federations on Tuesday, May 5, accused the Sugar Council of "counterproductive agitation" and sabotaging industry unity by seeking to oust Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel and the current Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) leadership.The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) and the Luzon Federation of Sugarcane Growers Association (LuzonFed) issued a joint statement reaffirming their full support for Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel, SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona and the Sugar Board members, arguing that the recent drop in sugar prices is a result of systemic "structural gaps" rather than a ...

May52026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Bacolod launches digital upskilling for women

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The 20 beneficiaries of the “EleVAte AIDA” digital upskilling initiative with Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya.*The Bacolod City government, in partnership with the Aboitiz Foundation, has launched the “Elevate Aida” program to strengthen local economic empowerment by training 20 women in high-demand digital skills.Part of Mayor Greg Gasataya’s Pag-eskwela to Pagtrabaho (P2P) initiative, the program targets students, job-seekers, and single mothers from various barangays, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said.Participants will undergo free training in virtual assistance (VA), artificial intelligence (AI) integration, and data annotation, it said.The 20-day course, which began on Monday, May 4, includes four-hour daily sessions. Each particip...

May42026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Gasataya inks property lease agreement for waste-to-energy facility in Brgy Felisa

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Mayor Greg Gasataya and Forza Development Corp. President Sheryl Chua signing the agreement on MOnday.*BCCO photoMayor Greg Gasataya signed a contract of lease with Forza Development Corp. for the use of a 10-hectare property for the development of a waste-to-energy (WTE) project within the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa, Monday, May 4.The leased city government property, designated as a WTE Industrial Zone, will be utilized for 25 years with an annual rental fee of ₱1.01 million.Forza Development Corp. President Sheryl Chua signed the agreement on behalf of the company.Gasataya clarified that the agreement covers only the lease of the property, noting that the Department of Energy has yet to determine the specific technology to be used for the WTE initiativ...

May42026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Industry stakeholders reiterate demand for ouster of Sugar Board members

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The industry stakeholders are also urging the government to immediately implement a government-funded “Purchase and Park” program to temporarily reduce excess sugar inventory.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoA massive coalition of sugar industry stakeholders issued a manifesto on Monday, May 4, calling for the replacement of the Sugar Board members and the immediate implementation of a government sugar-buying program.They also called for adherence to the Department of Agriculture’s declaration of “no sugar importation for 2026” and the resumption of congressional investigations into the collapse of millgate prices of sugar.The manifesto signatories include the Sugar Council, represented by officials of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc., the National ...

May32026 by Priam NepomucenoNo Comments

Teodoro says no to peace talks; Shows lack of sincerity – KMP

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Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.*DND photoDepartment of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Saturday, May 2, said he will not resume peace talks with the New People's Army (NPA) despite suggestions from former negotiators. Holding peace talks will elevate the NPA’s cause “to something legitimate,” which Teodoro said is unacceptable. Following the April 19 encounter between the military and insurgents in Toboso, Negros Occidental, that left 19 people dead, calls mounted to hold a new round of negotiations. "I object to any peace talks with the NPA. The Filipinos are at peace. They are the ones disturbing the peace. So, why should we talk to them?" Teodoro said in an ambush interview i...

May12026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Labor Day rallyists press for P1,200 wage hike, removal of tax on fuel, justice for RJ Ledesma

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The Labor Day Rally at Araneta Street in Bacolod City.* Ronnie Baldonado photoLabor Day rallyists in Bacolod City pressed for a P1,200 legislated daily wage hike and government action to bring down the rise in fuel prices to aid the suffering transport sector.Workers and members of progressive groups who joined the rally in front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at Araneta Street Friday afternoon, May 1, also called for justice for community journalist RJ Ledesma who was among the 19 killed in Toboso, Negros Occidental, on April 19.They also called for the release of labor organizer Julie Ann Balora of the National Federation of Sugar Workers who was arrested in Talisay City on April 22.Kilusang Mayo Uno is calling on government to remove Value Added...

May12026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Exclusion of minimum wage earners from government ‘ayuda’ slammed

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"The government cannot invoke 'employment' as proof of sufficiency when the minimum wage no longer satisfies the basic needs of a family of five," Wennie Sancho said.*PNA file photoThe General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) issued a formal letter of protest on Friday, May 1, condemning the national government for excluding private minimum wage earners from emergency cash assistance, or "ayuda," despite the ongoing economic crisis.GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho, signed the protest letter on behalf of the private sector employees in the Negros Island Region (NIR) and Western Visayas on Labor Day, a press statement from GAWA said.The "Open Letter of Protest and Indignation," is addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he said.The labor group asserted that th...