Agrarian reform beneficiary organizations and associations will enjoy 8.5 percent interest rates from the Land Bank of Philippines when they avail of the P300 million credit assistance program of the Department of Agrarian Reform for Negros Occidental, Ledabelle Ardiente, DAR Negros-South agrarian reform program officer, said yesterday.

Ardiente said this is one of the biggest benefits that ARBOs will enjoy after they qualify for the application of the credit assistance program.

If farmers go to private lending institutions their interest rates range from 24 percent to 36 percent, which is 15.5 percent higher compared to the interest rate offered by LBP through the CAP, Ardiente said.

‘Business outlook
improves in Q4’

Businesses’ outlook on the economy was more positive in the Fourth Quarter, with the overall confidence index rising to 49.5 percent from 42.5 percent in Q3, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said.

The current quarter CI was the second highest reading since the nationwide survey started in Q4 2006, the BSP said.

The confidence index is computed as the percentage of firms that answered in the affirmative less the percentage of firms that answered in the negative with respect to their views on a given indicator.

Riverside launches
64-slice CT scanner

The Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital in Bacolod City recently acquired a Siemens Somatom Sensation 64-Slice CT scanner that will optimize diagnosis of ailments with the lowest radiation exposure to patients, Dr. Jose Maria Coruña, chief medical officer, said at a press conference yesterday.

The 64-Slice CT scan is the only one of its kind in Western Visayas so patients here no longer have to go to Manila to avail of the same procedure, Coruña said.

Reggie Ng, Siemens vice president for sales, said the equipment is capable of loading around 3000 images with high quality visuals of full body scans.

back to top