Business

Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez*The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed criminal and administrative complaints filed against Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and 18 other city officials and private individuals in connection with the city's purchase of 74.7 hectares of land in Hacienda Conchita in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City.Th Office of the Ombudsman dismissed the complaints for violation of the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for lack of substantial evidence.The complainant was filed by local radio blocktimer Roger Ledesma who alleged that the property classified as agricultural land and covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law intended for land banking was...

The Bacolod City government, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), distributed fuel subsidies to an additional 3,409 tricycle drivers during a two-day payout held from Friday to Saturday, April 24 to 25.DSSD Head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said the payout was carried out under the directive of Mayor Greg Gasataya, following a review of appeals submitted by tricycle drivers who were initially excluded from the first round of fuel subsidy distribution.Verdeprado-Mangga said that all drivers who formally filed appeals with the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) were accommodated.“The payout last Friday and Saturday covered all tricycle drivers who submitted their documents. Our office endorsed these applications to the De...

The police inspect their new EV vehicles*PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, Police Regional Office Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) director, said Bacolod City’s newly acquired electric vehicle (EV) fleet will further boost police efforts at reducing crime in the city.Bacolod Mayor Greg Gastaya led the turnover of 10 EVs to the Bacolod City Police Office at the Bacolod City Government Center grounds on Monday, April 27.Gasataya cited BCPO’s notable achievement in reducing crime incidents in Bacolod by 50 percent from March to April 2026 compared to the same period last year.The entire Negros Island Region also recorded a 38 percent decline in crime incidents.Gasataya emphasized that the deployment of 10 EVs, with a total cost of ₱14 million, marks a significant st...

The Sagay City government distributed 18,000 tilapia fingerlings to 16 beneficiaries as part of its food security and livelihood support program at the City Agriculture Hatchery in Brgy. Rizal,  recently. Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva, together with City Agriculturist Julie Delima and her staff, led the distribution aimed at helping residents cope with the rising cost of basic commodities, a press release from Sagay City said Monday, April  27. The Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR–NIR) also augmented the city’s supply with an additional 25,000 fingerlings to support the program. Cueva said fish farming is a practical way to strengthen household food supply, especially during times of crisis, and encouraged resident...

The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved a resolution on Wednesday, April 22, requesting Mayor Greg Gasataya to conduct an examination of potential fuel contamination and impurities in Bacolod City.The resolution, authored by Councilor Wilson Gamboa, further calls for the strict enforcement of City Ordinance No. 601, Series of 2012, which mandates the calibration and sealing of dispensing pumps at all liquid petroleum retail outlets within the jurisdiction of Bacolod City.Gamboa emphasized that the resolution is grounded in the existing city ordinance, which serves as a comprehensive guide for the regulation, registration, and sealing of fuel pumps.Under this law, all fuel dispensing units must undergo regular examinations and spot-checks to ensure they meet technical sta...

A truck carrying the cadavers  of the slain rebels out of Sitio Plaringding in   Barangay Salamanca on Monday.*XFM Bacolod  photo Nineteen alleged remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA), including a notorious rebel leader, were killed in a series of encounters with the 79th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, on Sunday, Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade, confirmed on Monday, April 20.The troops of the 79th IB, acting on a tip from residents, encountered the rebels in their temporary encampment at Sitio Sinugmawan, Barangay Salamanca, before dawn on Sunday, he said.As the rebels tried to escape following the initial gunbattle, which started at about 4 a.m., they we...

The Employees' Night at Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod.*Cesar Cagape Jolito III photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he is very happy with the results of the just concluded 30th Panaad sa Negros Festival that drew more than 100,000 visitors and generated sales of P29.4 million in seven days.Lacson against thanked the provincial government employees and festival executive director Charina Magallanes Tan for the success of the festival during the Employees' Night at Capitol Park and Lagoon on Monday, April 20.The appreciation night was held to recognize the collective efforts of the provincial workforce in mounting the massive celebration.Lacson said the festival gave Negrenses respite from the current economic crisis to gather and have fun.The...

The inflation rate in Negros Oriental significantly jumped in March compared to the previous month, largely driven by rising fuel costs and a shortage in local corn supply, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported Monday, April 20.PSA-Negros Oriental chief statistical specialist Ariel Fortuito said the March inflation rate for all income households was pegged at 3.0 percent, a sharp increase from February’s 1.8 percent. The figure is also a stark contrast to the negative 0.7 percent recorded in March last year.“The main drivers of the acceleration are transport, which saw a 9.6 percent inflation rate and contributed 63.7 percent to the upward trend, followed by food and non-alcoholic beverages at 20.4 percent, and restaurants and accommodation services at 12.0 percent,” F...

Inflation rates for both all income and bottom 30 percent households in Negros Occidental decelerated in March, mainly due to the lower prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.Among all income households, headline inflation slowed at 0.0 percent in March, from 0.3 percent in February.Last month's inflation rate was also lower than the 2.8 percent posted in March 2025.In its report, PSA-Negros Occidental said a downtrend in inflation for all income households was primarily brought about by the lower year-on-year growth rate in the indices of food and non-alcoholic beverages index, which was at -3.1 percent in March, from 0.0 percent in February.For the bottom 30 percent income households, inflation decreased to -...