Business

Jun212026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

UNIFED, SRA, governor to hold emergency meet Tuesday to tackle RSSI threat

A massive insect infestation threatening thousands of hectares of sugar fields in the Visayas has prompted an emergency meeting on Tuesday, June 23, between sugar producers and Negros Occidental provincial officials.The United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) will sit down with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to tackle the spread of the Red Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), its president Manuel Lamata said Sunday.Lamata said that the figures are alarming and doubling on a weekly basis, leaving planters, particularly small farmers, deeply worried about what this massive infestation will do to their crops.The RSSI infestation has entered an accelerated phase across the Visayas, with affected areas...

Jun202026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

Developer donates 63-hectares of land to Sicogon Island residents

Business

Amelia dela Cruz, FESIFFA President, raises her hand in celebration as Michael Andrew Marañon-Sarrosa, SIDECO President and SITEC Vice Chairman, presents the deed of donation during the formalization of Ayala Land’s 63-hectare land donation in Sicogon Island, Iloilo.*The Sicogon Island Tourism Estate Corp. (SITEC) has formally donated 63 hectares of residential and agricultural lands for a group of beneficiary-families in the resort island of Sicogon in Carles, Iloilo.The signing of the deeds of donation with the Federation of Sicogon Island Farmers and Fisherfolk Association (FESIFFA) was held at Huni Sicogon Hotel on June 17, in a ceremony witnessed by Carles Mayor Arnold Betita II and Sagay City, Negros Occidental Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva.In a statement on Friday, June 19, the...

Jun192026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Yulo calls for creation of prov’l inter-agency task force vs. RSSI, state of calamity assessment

Business, Top Stories

The SRA is battling the RSSI infestation with drone spraying of insecticide.*SRA photoA Negros Occidental lawmaker is pushing for a state of calamity assessment and the immediate formation of a provincial task force to combat a rapidly spreading infestation of the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), which has more than doubled its reach to over 4,800 hectares in the Visayas in less than a week.“We would like the governor to take the lead because this is not just an agricultural problem after a while, it’s going to become an economic and a social order problem,” Rep. Emilio Bernardino L. Yulo (Neg. Occ., 5th District) said on Friday, June 19.“RSSI is no longer an isolated or temporary pest infestation. It has become a perennial problem that continues to threaten the stability ...

Jun192026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

Bacolod SP backs call to protect blue crab industry

Business, Top Stories

Blue crabs in EB Magalona* Ronnie Baldonado photoThe Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City has approved a resolution appealing to national government agencies to take immediate action to address the adverse effects of the United States import ban on the Philippine blue swimming crabs and to protect the livelihood of thousands of workers and families dependent on the industry.The resolution was principally authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito and co-authored by Councilor Celia Flor.It expresses support for the earlier initiative of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental through a resolution authored by Board Member Bambi Depasucat-Sason, which called on the national government to intervene and help restore Philippine access to the U.S. market, Distrito s...

Jun192026 by Nanette GuadalquiverNo Comments

DOLE helps Sagay farm workers claim P800-K underpaid wages

Business, Top Stories

A group of farm workers from Sagay City receive their underpaid wages during the release of claims supervised by the Department of Labor and Employment - Negros Occidental.*The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has successfully assisted 32 farm workers from Sagay City, Negros Occidental, in claiming PHP798,967 in underpaid wages they supposedly earned from 2022 to 2025.In a report on Friday, DOLE-Negros Occidental said the release of the workers’ monetary claims was the result of an amicable settlement reached between the two parties during the conference held on May 19 through the agency’s conciliation-mediation mechanism.“The successful case resolution highlights the value of the DOLE’s single-entry approach (SEnA), a program designed to help workers and employers set...

Jun182026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Highly destructive RSSI hits 4,847 ha. of sugarcane in Visayas, enters accelerated phase: SRA

Business, Top Stories

Highly destructive RSSI hits 4,847 ha. of sugarcane in Visayas, enters accelerated phase: SRABY CARLA P. GOMEZThe Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation has entered an accelerated phase across the Visayas, with affected areas having more than doubled to 4,847.63 hectares in six days, the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) reported on Thursday, June 18.The RSSI has affected 2,587 farmers in 244 barangays across the Visayas as of June 11, the report said.Substantial increases were observed in southern Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Iloilo, the SRA said.It cited the emergence of new hotspots such as Mabinay in Negros Oriental, and Himamaylan and Binalbagan in Negros Occidental, as well as the first recorded case in Leyte.Agriculture Secretar...

Jun172026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

DA orders mass production of fungus ‘army’ against RSSI

Business, Top Stories

Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Sugar Regulatory Administration.* DA photoThe Department of Agriculture is stepping up its battle against the destructive red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI), ordering the mass production of a naturally occurring fungus that can suppress the pest before it inflicts more serious damage on the country’s sugar industry.Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Sugar Regulatory Administration on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. directed the agency to accelerate the production of biological control agents and pledged additional funding to contain the outbreak, a DA press release said.“I told SRA to address the RSSI infestation head on. We have the technology and the ...

Jun172026 by Digicast NegrosNo Comments

GCash Parent Mynt Authorizes Filing for Potential Initial Public Offering on Philippine Stock Exchange

Business, Press Release

Mynt, Inc. (“Mynt” or the “Company”), the fintech pioneer behind the Philippines’ number one finance superapp GCash, today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) and shareholders have authorized the Company’s filing of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a listing application with the Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc. (PSE) in connection with a potential initial public offering (IPO), with the following terms:‍The offer will be equivalent to 12.0% of Mynt’s total outstanding capital stock post-IPO ("Firm Shares"), with each common share having a par value of P0.03 per common share.Firm Shares will consist of both primary and secondary offers.‍This same information has been disclosed by Globe Telecom, Inc. in ac...

Jun162026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

Guv to meet blue crab industry stakeholders

Business, Top Stories

Blue crabs in EB Magalona, Negros Occidental.* Ronnie Baldonado photoNegros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, June 16, that he is aiming to meet with the blue crab industry stakeholders by the end of this month or early July to discuss the United States ban on their products.Lacson said he is waiting for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to prepare the protocols, which could help convince the United States to reopen its market to Philippine blue crabs.“I will know by then if we are addressing it properly,” said Lacson, who has asked BFAR for a report on the required protocols.It is also vital that the stakeholders attend the meeting, Lacson added.A Sangguniang Panlalawigan resolution passed last week clarified that the restriction w...

Jun162026 by Carla P. GomezNo Comments

92.42% of local governments in NIR 2025 Good Financial Housekeeping passers

Business, Top Stories

A total of 61 out of 66 local government units (LGUs) in the Negros Island Region passed the 2025 Good Financial Housekeeping (GFH) Assessment, yielding a 92.42 percent regional passing rate, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced Tuesday, June 16.The passers include the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, the highly urbanized city of Bacolod, 16 component cities, and 41 municipalities, reflecting the region’s steadfast commitment to sound financial management and good governance, the DILG NIR said.The DILG said 13 cities in Negros Occidental and 4 cities in Negros Oriental were among the passers.The recognized cities include Bacolod, Bago, Cadiz, Escalante, Himamaylan, Kabankalan, La Carlota, Sagay, San Carlos, Si...