The Central Negros Electric Cooperative Inc. in Bacolod City launched yesterday a new program to help consumers inquiring about their billings and provide them with power interruption updates through the use of their cellphones.

CENECO president Arnel Lapore said the SMS program is an innovation to improve their services to consumers.

Lapore said text messaging is convenient and less expensive, so if there are questions about brownouts or billings, consumers can just send their inquiry through SMS or text messaging.

LBP set to
award P3 million

The Land Bank of the Philippines in Bacolod City will award today the P3 million loans to the Carmenchika Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Association of Pontevedra.

It will be the first organization to benefit the credit assistance program of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Ronald Gareza, DAR-South chief agrarian reform program officer, said.

Gareza said the association will enjoy 8.5 percent interest rates from LBP that is much lower than private financing institutions.

IN KABANKALAN CITY
Micro financing
coop opens

KABANKALAN CITY – A micro financing cooperative managed by agrarian reform beneficiaries was opened yesterday with Kabankalan Mayor Isidro Zayco as guest at HLJ Building, Lirazan Street, here.

The Minaba Multipurpose Cooperative is in partnership with the National Confederation of Cooperatives, Occidental Negros Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Planters' Association, and the Negros Occidental Department of Agrarian Reform-South.

Zayco said he is very happy that small farmers worked hard to put up their own cooperative and solely manage it with the assistance from NATCCO.