Business

Mar82026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

First Gen marks 50 years of EDC, launches unified brand

First Gen Corporation (First Gen) marked a milestone in the country’s renewable energy journey, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its subsidiary, Energy Development Corporation (EDC), the largest vertically integrated geothermal producer in the world.This year also marks five decades of geothermal energy development in the Philippines, which to date is the only renewable source that can run baseload capacity.“From the very beginning, the mandate of EDC was clear: harness indigenous resources and develop homegrown power supply that will make the country’s energy grid resilient and secure,” First Gen Chairman Federico Lopez said.EDC was created as a state-owned corporation on March 5, 1976, by virtue of Presidential Decree 927. It aimed to develop geothermal power and reduce th...

Mar72026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

PNP Heightens Monitoring of Fuel Supply and Public Safety Measures Amid Global Oil Market Volatility

Business

The Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO NIR) has intensified monitoring and coordination efforts with partner agencies and local government units to ensure the stability of fuel supply and maintain peace and order amid global developments that may affect oil markets.The move follows the directive from the Philippine National Police Directorate for Operations requiring all police units to implement contingency measures in response to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, which may potentially affect domestic fuel security and economic stability.PRO NIR Regional Director PBGEN Arnold Thomas C. Ibay directed all provincial and city police offices across Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor to strengthen coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), ...

Mar62026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOcc provincial government to adopt 4-day work week amid Middle East crisis

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Ten-hour work days at the Capitol are being eyed.* Ronnie Baldonado photoGovernor Eugenio Jose Lacson has approved the implementation of a four-day work week for the Negros Occidental provincial government.The move is intended to help mitigate the impact of expected hikes in fuel prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Friday, May 6.The specific details and the official start date for this new schedule are currently being finalized, Diaz said.The transition could result in 10-hour work days for employees, Diaz said..This local initiative aligns with a broader national directive.President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the temporary implementation of a four-day work week for select government offices u...

Mar62026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

Escalante man shot dead by unidentified gunmen

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Bullets found at the crime scene*A 27-year-old man was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while attending to his poultry outside his home in Sitio Cagayon, Brgy. Paitan, Escalante City, Negros Occidental, on Thursday morning, March 5.Police said the victim, a laborer and resident of the area, was outside his residence at around 6 a.m. when five unidentified men suddenly approached and shot him.Investigators said the victim sustained three gunshot wounds to the head, causing his instantaneous death.The suspects immediately fled toward the mountainous area of Brgy. Malasibog, the police said.Police recovered two fired cartridge cases of a .45 caliber firearm at the crime scene.*

Mar62026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

CONFED urges DA intervention as MidEast conflict drives up costs

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Confed is calling for a “‘Purchase-and-Park’ Sugar Buying Program”.* Ronnie Baldonado file photoThe Confederation of Sugar Producers Association Inc. (CONFED) has issued an urgent appeal to the Department of Agriculture, calling for immediate government intervention to shield the local sugar industry from the "crushing economic impact" of the Middle East conflict.In a letter dated Thursday, March 5, addressed to Agriculture Secretary and Sugar Board Chairman Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr., CONFED President Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. said fuel and fertilizer prices are already rising as a result of the current conflict in the Middle East between the US, Israel and Iran.The letter was received by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA)on Friday.“If not controlled, ...

Mar62026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Negros dev’t workers, NUPL lawyer seek SC temporary protection order

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The petitioners' supporters in front of the Supreme Court on Thursday.* NUPL photoThree development workers from Negros Occidental and their legal counsel elevated their plea for safety to the Supreme Court on Thursday, March 5, amid alleged threats, harassment, and intimidation by state agents.The petitioners also alleged that they are victims of a systemic pattern of "red-tagging" and surveillance.Lawyer Rey A. Gorgonio, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) Negros chairperson, and three members of the Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) are seeking a Temporary Protection Order (TPO) against top military and police officials, alongside the issuance of Writs of Amparo and Habeas Data.The petitioners, including Joselito B. Macapobre, Analyn Mirano, and Ma. A...

Mar52026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

AIDFI turns over metering equipment to Murcia Water District

Business

As part of the Holistic Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Management Program funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation Inc., the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI) handed over an initial set of water meters and data loggers to the Murcia Water District (MWD) last February 23 at the MWD Office in Murcia, Negros Occidental.The equipment were handed over by AIDFI Chief Executive Officer Auke Idzenga and were received by MWD General Manager Engr. Winston Makilan. Witnessing the ceremony were MWD Board of Director Edgardo Alcantara, Senior Engineer Lean Arriesgado, Enrg. Rhemark Lava, AIDFI Enterprises CEO Che Idzenga, and technical personnel from both organizations.After the handover of the equipment, a joint MWD and AIDFI technical team inspected the area where the ...

Mar52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Sugar Board to endorse gov’t buying of sugar, as millgate prices further drop

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SRA Administrator Pablo Azcona (center) with CONFED President Aurelio Valderrama, Jr. (left), and NACUSIP President Roland de la Cruz at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.* The Sugar Board will endorse a government sugar buying program and issue an order to regulate the entry of artificial sugar, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona confirmed on Wednesday, March 4. The moves are geared towards addressing the low millgate sugar prices that dropped further last week after a Congressional hearing held to address the concerns of the industry. Prices dropped by P150 to 250 per 50 LKg bag, and no bidders were reported in some mills last week. On the sidelines of a meeting at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Azc...

Mar52026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

BIPA warns of almost total market collapse as sugar prices plummet

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“We are witnessing the systematic destruction of the Philippine sugar industry," BIPA said.*Ronnie Baldonado photoThe Binalbagan-Isabela Planters’ Association (BIPA) has issued an urgent call for immediate government intervention and a comprehensive leadership audit of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).BIPA, in its statement of “indignation” issued on Tuesday, March 3, said “we are witnessing the systematic destruction of the Philippine sugar industry—a pillar of our national economy and the lifeblood of millions—while the very government agencies mandated to protect us stand by in a state of paralyzed indifference."The situation has transitioned from a "crisis" to almost total market collapse, it said.Sugar prices in the Philippines have plummeted to their lowest...

Mar52026 by Mary Judaline PartlowNo Comments

DTI acts vs. prices hikes amid Mid-East tensions

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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - Negros Oriental said on Tuesday, March 3, that it is coordinating with major retailers in the province to ensure that prices of basic necessities and prime commodities would not spike due to the conflict in the Middle East.Krystle Jade Bato, DTI-Negros Oriental spokesperson, said that so far, major retailers, such as Prince Warehouse and Lee Super Plaza, have assured them that there has been no price movement in essential goods.Bato said that DTI provincial chief Juliet Banogon has ordered them to collect data from larger businesses in anticipation of a price hike in the coming weeks.“We agree that if fuel prices go up, the prices of basic necessities and prime commodities will likely follow, although this will not happen overnight,”...