Business

Sep32026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Mayor leads Bacolod toward climate-sensitive, resilient urban development

Mayor Greg Gasataya (center) during the ceremonial handover of Urban-Act outputs from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), represented by Heinrich Gudenus, Project Director of the Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low-Carbon and Resilient Cities (left), and Nicole Kranz, Head of the Climate Action and Disaster Resilience Cluster (right), at Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center.*Mayor Greg Gasataya reaffirmed Bacolod City’s commitment to evidence-based and climate-sensitive urban development as the city hosted the Urban-Act Knowledge Handover at Roy’s Hotel and Convention Center on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 1–2.The two-day event marked the formal turnover of planning toolkits, policy briefs, and climate risk assessment reports developed unde...

Sep22026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

NegOcc resumes hog exports to Iloilo

Business

Negros Occidental has resumed shipping pigs to Iloilo province after maintaining a 40-day African Swine Fever (ASF) free status, Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Placeda Lemana said on Wednesday, September 2.Lemana said the 40-day ASF-free status meets one of Iloilo province's import requirements.Local government units across Negros Occidental have not reported recent cases of ASF in their areas, she said.However, Lemana said that swine shipments from Negros Occidental remain banned in neighboring Cebu.Meanwhile, local pork prices currently range from a low of ₱220 per kilogram to a high of ₱300 per kilogram in public markets, she added.*

Sep22026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

Over 500 pigs culled in NegOr to contain ASF spread

Business

The Provincial Veterinary Office in Negros Oriental said healthy hogs (as shown in the file photo) that have not been exposed to those affected by African swine fever (ASF) will not be depopulated.*BM Woodrow Maquiling Sr. photoThe Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) in Negros Oriental has culled 539 pigs in July and August as part of efforts to contain the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), an official said Tuesday, Sept . 1.Vernon Lumbania, PVO officer-in-charge, said that ASF cases continue to be detected in the province despite ongoing containment measures.He said the depopulation included both pigs that tested positive for ASF and those that were not infected but were housed with infected animals.According to the latest weekly report on Aug. 28, active ASF cases were ...

Sep12026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

RSSI remains major threat to sugarcane as infestation spreads to 134,385 hectares, Negros worst hit

Business, Top Stories

A RSSI hit sugarcane field.*SRA photoA total of 134,386.10 hectares have been reported to be affected by the Red Striped Soft-Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation, representing 31.90 percent of the country’s sugarcane plantations nationwide.The Visayas, specifically Negros Occidental, was the worst hit, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) reported on Tuesday, Sept. 1.The SRA said the reported RSSI-affected areas in the Visayas cover 131,475.66 hectares, or 47.77 percent of its sugarcane fields. This is followed by Mindanao with 2,274.51 hectares (2.32 percent) and Luzon with 753.93 hectares (1.63 percent).Of the total affected area reported as of August 14, the SRA has validated 67,443.76 hectares across 1,093 barangays, affecting 39,281 farmers.Within the ...

Sep12026 by Judy F. PartlowNo Comments

Business chamber, groups seek congressional probe into NORECO II

Business, Top Stories

Edward Du, president of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said at a press conference on Tuesday.*PNA/Judy Flores Partlow photoThe Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) and other business and sectoral groups are seeking a congressional inquiry into the operations of the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative (NORECO II) due to concerns about power reliability and service quality.NOCCI president Edward Du said at a press conference Tuesday, September 1, that they had submitted a position paper to Congress opposing the early renewal of NORECO II’s legislative franchise, which is set to expire in February 2033.“We have three issues: System loss and brownouts, but for the business sector, our primary concern is low voltage, which is the ...

Sep12026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Globe empowers student innovators through Launchpad 2026

Business

Globe leaders join student innovators at Globe Launchpad 2026, where youth-led organizations gain mentorship, funding, and access to Globe 5G and AI-enabled tools to bring their ideas to life.Globe is strengthening its commitment to the youth and their innovation opportunities through Globe Launchpad 2026, a platform under the Globe Student Program that helps youth-led organizations turn bold ideas into real-world solutions. Bringing together 120 student leaders from 50 organizations nationwide, the program provides mentorship from Globe experts, live pitching opportunities, funding, and access to Globe 5G and AI-enabled tools to help participants create meaningful impact in their campuses and communities.The program offered participants hands-on learning experience that mirror...

Aug312026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Bacolod ranks 3rd among PH’s fastest-growing economies

Business, Top Stories

Bacolod recorded a 6.8 percent economic growth rate.*Ronnie Baldonado file photoBacolod City ranked third among more than 33 highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in the country with the fastest-growing economies in 2025, Mayor Greg Gasataya announced.Citing the 2025 Provincial Product Accounts (PPA) report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Gasataya said in a Facebook post Saturday, August 29, that Bacolod recorded a 6.8 percent economic growth rate, outpacing most cities nationwide.General Santos City topped the list with an 8.0 percent growth rate, followed by Cagayan de Oro City in second place at 7.4 percent.Iloilo City placed fourth at 6.1 percent, while Pasig City and Cebu City tied for fifth at 5.8 percent. Baguio City ranked sixth with 5.6 percent.Bacolod c...

Aug312026 by Mark L. GarciaNo Comments

7-year-old boy, 2 others wounded in Hinigaran shooting over parked vehicle

Business, Top Stories

Three people, including a seven-year-old boy, were wounded after a man allegedly opened fire following an argument over a vehicle parked along a roadside in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental on Sunday morning, Aug. 30.The Hinigaran police said the shooting happened at around 11:25 a.m. along Osmeña Street in Brgy. 2.The victims were a 37-year-old woman, a 64-year-old man and the seven-year-old boy, all residents of the area.Police identified the suspect only as alias “Lino,” 52, a job order employee of the municipal water district and a resident of Brgy. Gargato.Initial investigation showed that the suspect allegedly asked the victims to move their family vehicle slightly to give way to his vehicle.A heated argument followed, after which the suspect allegedly went to his veh...

Aug312026 by Darryl John EsguerraNo Comments

Recto: New ecozones in Dumaguete, 3 other areas to draw P9.7-B investments

Business, Top Stories

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto*PNA file photoFour newly proclaimed economic zones are expected to attract nearly PHP9.7 billion in fresh investments and generate new jobs, bringing to 46 the total number of economic zones created or expanded under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.In a statement Monday, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the four latest proclamations cover economic zones in Cavite, Batangas and Negros Oriental, supporting the administration’s thrust to spread investments and employment opportunities beyond Metro Manila.The 46 economic zones are projected to generate PHP141.2 billion in investments and nearly 189,000 jobs, according to Recto.Twenty-nine of the zones are in Luzon, 12 in the Visayas, and five in Mindanao. Only three are...

Aug302026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

UNIFED thanks national government for RSSI subsidy

Business, Top Stories

UNIFED President Manuel Lamata (right) with allied sugar federations, Mindanao Federation's Manuel Zubiri (left) and Cornelio Toreja (center) of LuzonFed during the recent Philsutech Convention in Cebu City*UNIFED photoThe United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines (UNIFED) on Saturday, August 29, thanked the national government for its timely assistance to sugar farmers who were affected by the Red-striped soft scale insects (RSSI) infestationUNIFED President Manuel Lamata said he personally sent a message of thanks to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza for giving importance to the sugar industry."Their continued support to the industry is laudable despite the incessant criticisms from some sectors," Lamata said.UNIFED also...