DOLE in Region 6 girding for lay-offs
BUT SAYS GLOBAL
CRISIS EFFECTS MINIMAL SO FAR
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Department of Labor and Employment is girding for the impact of the global economic crisis on workers from Western Visayas, but said so far, layoffs involving those working overseas has been very minimal.

James Mendiola, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration 6 head, yesterday said since October last year they have recorded only 16 land-based skilled Overseas Filipino Workers from Western Visayas who have been laid off because of the global economic crisis.

Of the three female and 13 male displaced OFWs, 10 were working in Qatar, three in Taiwan and one each in South Korea, Kuwait and Nigeria, Mendiola told the DAILY STAR.

A Parreño family corporation claiming ownership of the property supposedly donated to Brgy. Alangilan by one of its members has asked the court to nullify the donation.

In a 20-page complaint, the Amado B. Parreño Agricultural Corp., represented by Angeles Parreño, also sought the nullity of the Sangguniang Panlungsod resolution that declared the wall she has constructed around the property as nuisance, and a declaration that the wall that was demolished by the city government, was not a nuisance.

The complainant also asked, among others, actual damages of P45,000 for the cost of the wall construction.

The National Food Authority is doubling its supply of rice in Negros Occidental next week to mitigate reports that wholesale prices of commercial rice have gone up, NFA provincial head Pablito Gemarino said yesterday.

He said that, aside from the NFA’s doubling the  supply of rice in the  market, 120,000 additional bags of the staple from Vietnam is set to arrive in Negros Occidental in mid-February.

Nonilo Nacion, president of the Grains  Retailers Confederation - Negros Occidental chapter,  said a sack of regular milled rice that  at the start of the month cost about P1,200 now costs P1,390 to P1,400, which is expected to cause its retail price of P28 a kilo to go up.