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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 ...

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...

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...

"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...

The Tampalon Rainfed Upland Farmers Association of Barangay Tampalon, Kabankalan City, in Negros Occidental, receives assistance amounting to PHP5.2 million under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program.The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) turned over a total of PHP9.72 million in livelihood and financial aid to three groups of recipients in Negros Occidental on Friday, May 1.The release of assistance, led by DOLE-Negros Occidental officer-in-charge Gretchen Pasiolan and DOLE-Negros Island Region Internal Management and Services Division head Nona Grace Gamboa, was held alongside the 124th Labor Day Job Fair held at SM City Bacolod.Under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP), the AMIA Village Organic Farmers Association (AVOFA) of Barangay San Isidro, Pontevedra...

Eric Bendoy and Rodolfo Gardoce of UNDOC-PISTON, Lilian Sembrano of KNETCO-NPTC, Noli Rosales of KMU Negros, Inday Goco of Partido Manggagawa, Berlita Ante of BAYAN Negros, Mario Tapion of the National Federation of Sugar Workers, and Ben Fernandez of PAMALAKAYA Negros at the press conference Thursday.*About 2,000 to 2,500 workers and members of progressive groups are expected to join a Labor Day march-rally in Bacolod City Friday afternoon, May 1, to demand a P1,200 legislated daily wage hike.They will assemble at the South Capitol Road, the Rizal Park and in front of the San Sebastian Cathedral at noon for a march to the front of the Bacolod City Government Center replica at the public plaza for a rally at 2 p.m., Noli Rosales, Kilusang Mayo Uno -Negros secretary general,...

Roland de la Cruz, national president of the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (left) at the gathering of small farmers and sugar workers Thursday afternoon.*Small farmers, agrarian reform beneficiaries, and sugar industry workers have launched a signature drive demanding the immediate resignation of all members of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Board, including Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., for “betraying” them.Included in their call to resign, contained in a letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., are SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, Sugar Board planters' representative Dave Andrew Sanson, and millers' representative Ma. Mitzi Mangwag, they said at a press conference in...

Senator Risa Hontiveros and former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Cocolluela (4th and 7th from left)  and the  Negros Sugar Workers Forum  members.* Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday, April 29, pledged to push for government sugar buying to address the current oversupply and  for Senate action on the demands raised by Negros sugar workers, small farmers, and agrarian reform beneficiaries. The proposed "Purchase and Park Program" seeks to reduce the volume of “imported sugar” currently saturating the market, which stakeholders blame for the drastic drop in millgate prices. Hontiveros has filed Senate Resolution 298, directing the Committee on Agricul...

Bacolod City has hired 975 students as beneficiaries of this year's Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) starting May 15. Through the Public Employment Services Office (PESO), the city government is implementing the program in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). In a statement on Wednesday, Mayor Greg Gasataya said the SPES enables students to earn income during summer vacation and helps them develop discipline, responsibility, and a deeper appreciation for public service. “This program is more than just providing financial assistance. It is about shaping our young people to become responsible, hardworking, and service-oriented individuals,” he added. The initial batch of student hires at...

Mayor Greg Gasataya listening to the drivers complaints.*To address the economic strain of rising fuel prices driven by ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Mayor Greg Gasataya has formally transmitted a verified list of 10,551 local drivers to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the expedited processing of national fuel subsidies.The submission is designed to deliver immediate financial relief to the city's transport sector to cushion the impacts of the fuel crisis, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said.The consolidated list represents a broad and verified cross-section of Bacolod’s transport landscape, ensuring that relief reaches those most affected by rising operational costs, the BCCO said.“This already include...