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Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez (l-r) at the Negros 3rd District Coastal Resources Management and Development Council meeting.*The Negros Occidental Third District is gearing up integrated plans of various stakeholders for the restoration and conservation of coastal resources, and to create more opportunities for marginal fishermen.Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez, Metro 3rd coastal management alliance chairman, held a special meeting of the Negros 3rd District Coastal Resources Management and Development Council (N3DCRMDC) in Talisay City on Tuesday, January 17, a press release said.The congressman underscored the importance of taking an eco-system a...

The four Negros Occidental provincial government employees who were dismissed from service can file a motion for reconsideration before the Office of the Governor, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Tuesday, January 17.The 15-day period from the time the dismissal orders were served will end on Thursday, January 19, he added.They can also opt to directly file an appeal before the Civil Service Commission regional office, Nellas said.Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson dismissed engineers Ramelo Letran, German Abihay and Rezin Palacios, and project development assistant Maria Luisa Abaño of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist for grave misconduct on January 3.“We are waiting for their course of action, because if they do not avail of any option their terminatio...

The Bacolod City government has accepted the proposal of the SM Group to develop and manage the Manokan Country through a Public Private Partnership, City Administrator Pacifico Maghari III said Tuesday, January 17.The SM Group bid will be open to a Swiss challenge where counter-proposals can be made against the original bid, Maghari said.The SM Group is proposing to build a two-storey Manokan structure. It will elevate the quality of food served and make the site a tourist attraction for Bacolod, Maghari said.It will also ensure that there is adequate parking for visitors at the Manokan, he added.The city government has a responsibility to the public to ensure that they are served quality and healthy food in a good facility, Maghari said.The PPP will allow the city gov...

There are 59 newly reported dengue cases in Western Visayas as 2023 begins, the Department of Health said Tuesday, January 17.The report said for Morbidity Week 1 from January 1 to 7 there were 57 cases, which are 7 percent higher compared to 55 in the same period in 2022.The top three areas in WV with the highest number of newly-reported dengue cases are Negros Occidental – 21, Aklan - 17 and Bacolod - 9.Antique had 7 cases, Capiz – 5, and Iloilo City, Guimaras and Iloilo province - 0, the DOH reported.No new dengue deaths were reported.The dengue virus is transmitted by day biting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the DOH said.*

The heavy rain caused by a Low Pressure Area last week caused P30.4 million in damage to crops in Negros Occidental, Provincial Agriculturist Edmundo Raul Causing said Tuesday, January 17.The total amount of damage to rice crops was P29,774,965.06, corn - P136,800 and high value commercial crops (HVCC) - P553,600, he said in an initial report submitted to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.The LPA triggered rain damaged the rice crops of 1,489 farmers on 1, 471.12 hectares in Escalante City – P3 million, Cadiz City – 1.9 million, Sagay City – P1.2 million, Silay City – P547, 475, Valladolid – P5.5 million, La Carlota City – P411,383, Bago City – P13.3 million, San Enrique – P1 million, Cauayan - P1.9 million and Candoni – P635,520.There were 145 affected HVCC farmers in Escalante City an...

Danilo A. Abelita of PANAYFED, Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. of CONFED and Enrique D. Rojas of NFSP (l-r, seated) sign the agreement for the establishment of a Sugar Producers Coalition, which was witnessed by federation officers Emil Reyes, Francis dela Rama, Manuel Puey, Bernard Trebol, Dr. Miller Serondo, Paolo Severino, Jaime G. Golez and Dr. Mel Serondo (l-r, standing).*After collaborating on key issues affecting the sugar industry, three planters federations representing the majority of the national sugar production formalized their coalition with the signing of a memorandum of agreement in Bacolod City Tuesday, January 17.Enrique D. Rojas of the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP), Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. of the Confederation of Sugar Producers’ As...

The smuggled sugar seized at the Port of Batangas*Sugar Regulatory Administrator David Alba said on Tuesday, January 17, that he will recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to allow the sale of 80,000 bags of seized smuggled sugar to the public through Kadiwa rolling stores.The Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized the about 4,000 metric tons of refined sugar from Thailand valued at P240 million on board MV Sunward at the Port of Batangas on Friday, Alba said.The BOC earlier estimated the cost of the seized sugar, which had no import permit, at P261 million.Alba thanked the BOC enforcement unit and Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz for their “vigilance that led to the seizure of the smuggled sugar.”Alba said that he will ask the President to have the seized sugar sold throug...