Business

The Bacolod City government, together with its business community, is set to convene local entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and key stakeholders for the Bacolod Business Talks 2025, an Investment Board Meeting cum Investment Forum and Networking Event, at L'Fisher Hotel, Thursday afternoon, Dec. 11.The event dubbed "Building the Future Bacolod: Creativity, Connectivity, and Competitiveness," aims to provide a learning and engagement platform where participants can gain insights from national and local experts on the latest trends shaping tourism, IT-BPM, real estate, logistics, and related industries, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) said.Designed as a training–meets–thought leadership program, the forum blends technical knowledge with experient...

Participants of the recent forum workshop*Multisectoral groups in Bacolod City are calling for climate accountability and action following the recent flooding that displaced thousands of people.The groups issued the call at a recent forum workshop on climate crisis, climate finance, and accountability, a press release from the Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE) on Tuesday, Dec. 9, said.The event on “Understanding the Causes, Demanding Climate Accountability, and Advancing Just, Transparent, and Participatory Solutions” aimed to deepen public understanding of the climate crisis, clarify climate finance processes, and strengthen efforts to hold institutions accountable following the recent typhoons.The civil society-led forum-workshop came ahead of t...

The site of the old Bacolod City Hall*”We are confident that the case will be dismissed for lack of merit when all the records and the evidence are examined, “ Bacolod Rep. Alfredo  Abelardo "Albee" Benitez said Monday night, Dec. 8.A complaint was filed against Benitez and eight members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod before the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas on October 27 and released to the media last week.It cited the “demolition” of the old city hall at corner of Luzuriaga and Araneta streets in Bacolod City  and the ongoing construction of a new one.       The complaint was filed by former city executive assistant on market operations Ernesto Novo Pineda, who cited  alleged violations of the Anti-Graft and C...

Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Mayor Greg Gasataya, Undersecretary Charles Calima and other DPWH officials (r-l) at the "Oplan Kontra Baha" launching on Friday.* BCCO photo"Oplan Kontra Baha," a collaborative drive of the  Bacolod City government, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the private sector, was officially launched at Mambulok Creek on Friday morning, December 5. The initiative aims to clear critical waterways and mitigate the impact of flooding on communities throughout Bacolod City.Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said “with the support of our engineers, barangay leaders, and the thousands of river warriors deployed across the city, we are taking concrete steps to restore the flow of our rivers and reinforce the importan...

Mayor Greg Gasataya said a more than P10 million Bacolod City Veterinary Office and Animal Shelter Complex that can house up to 500 dogs will be built on a 2,000-square meter property in Barangay 35, Bacolod City.Gasataya on Monday, Dec. 1, announced the plan for the shelter, as animal rights advocates called for the shutdown the Bacolod City dog pound in Brgy 35 and the removal of the current city veterinarian, Dr. Maria Agueda Trinidad Flores dela Torre.“The dog pound in Bacolod has just become a mass grave for so many dogs and even cats again,” Pawssion Project said in a Facebook post on Friday, Nov. 28.The city government has allocated P10 million from its loan for the animal shelter and additional funds will be added to increase the area where animals can be accommodated, ...

The Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya and SRA Administrator Paul Azcona ride a deep planting machine at a demo farm in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.*The deep planting technology transfer from Japan has shown an increase in sugarcane yield by 20.8 percent from the average yield of 63.92 tons per hectare for manual planting to 77.23 tons per hectare, Sugar Regulatory Administrator Paul Azona said on Monday, Dec. 1.This is equivalent to 28.2 bags of sugar or an increase in income of P68,215 per hectare, according to a study implemented by SRA in collaboration with the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural (JIRCAS), he said.Azcona and Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya rode a deep planting machine at a demo farm in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City, which they...

Boulders and volcanic debris hit farmlands in La Castellana.* Richard Malihan photoThe Department of Agriculture is seeking alternative livelihoods for farmers in Negros Occidental whose fields were destroyed by recent typhoons that caused over P1 billion in agricultural damage, an official reported Friday, Nov. 28.DA Negros Island Region director Jose Albert Barrogo said some farms in La Carlota City and La Castellana have been totally devastated and can no longer be used for farming.The floods caused by the typhoons washed down large boulders and volcanic debris from the slopes of Mt. Kanlaon, which have covered farm lands, Barrogo said.Barrogo said he submitted a proposal to the DA head office for alternative livelihoods for the affected farmers.The proposal is for ...

The City Health Office has intensified its campaign to combat leptospirosis following the Tropical Depression Verbena flash floods that hit Bacolod City.The citywide distribution of free doxycycline and azithromycin, which began during Bagyong Tino, has been expanded due to the widespread exposure of residents to floodwater, the Bacolod City Communications Office said on Friday, Nov. 28.Wading in floodwater can cause leptospirosis because the Leptospira bacteria, shed in the urine of infected animals like rats, can easily enter the body through tiny, unnoticeable cuts and abrasions in the skin or through mucous membranes.Mayor Greg Gasataya has directed the CHO to sustain and broaden the prophylaxis initiative after Verbena submerged 33 barangays, compelling thousands of reside...