Business

Senator Risa Hontiveros (3rd from left) with Visayas government and business leaders at the VABC  opening on Thursday.*Richard Malihan photo  “May this conference inspire stronger partnerships, bolder ideas, and meaningful action toward a Visayas that is more resilient, more competitive, and more inclusive.” That was the challenge posed by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson at the opening of the 35th Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC) at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Thursday, May 14. This year’s conference theme, “Future Forward: Shaping Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Smarter Business,” reflects the realities and responsibilities of our time,  the governor said. He said  r...

Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District)*Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said a House Committee on Agriculture meeting to tackle his bill seeking amendments to the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015 is  being finalized. The measure is on the agenda for the next Committee on Agriculture meeting, Benitez said on Thursday, May 14.  He said  committee meeting will definitely take place to tackle the initial SIDA amendments before the House adjourns in June. Benitez filed House Bill No. 9088 on 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” (Tu...

Public utility jeepney drivers in Bacolod City queue up to receive cash relief assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development - Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) at SM City Bacolod on  Thursday* At least 2,111 public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers in Bacolod City received cash relief assistance (CRA) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development - Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) starting Thursday, May 14.The three-day payout is being held at SM City Bacolod with assistance from the city’s Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD).Each beneficiary is entitled to receive P5,000 to help ease the impact of rising fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict.In an interview, DSSD head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said those included in the payroll ar...

Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has not given any instructions for the Negros Occidental provincial government to revert back to a five-day workweek, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said on Wednesday, May 13.He said under the four-day work week the provincial government employees have continued to carry out the work and serve the public.“I’m trying to get a feel from our employees on how they are performing under the four-day work week. What I heard is they can do more,” Diaz said.“In terms of delivery of services, I believe we’re equally efficient. There has been no delay, no one suffered among those being served by the province. If that is the barometer then, there is no difference,” Diaz said.The Capitol employees have said that having three days off from work...

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...