BIR closes down HLJ
chain of stores
BY LISA GATAC

The Bureau of Internal Revenue Region No. 12 temporarily closed 14 business establishments in Negros Occidental yesterday.

Twelve of these establishments are under revenue district officer RD 78 Arturo Acabal and two from RD 76 under Cynthia Cabuguas.

RD 78 temporarily closed the head office of the HLJ Marketing in Kabankalan City and its 11 branches in Binalbagan, Bacolod , La Carlota, Cadiz , and Bayawan.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental has sought the opinion of the Departments of Agriculture as well as Interior and Local Government on its proposal to amend an ordinance banning the entry of genetically-modified organisms into the province.

Vice Governor Emilio Yulo III yesterday said the SP will deliberate on the proposed amendments to the GMO ordinance as soon as they receive a reply from DILG and DA, and raise the concerns aired by environmentalists who ended their nine days of hunger strike last week.

Before the SP decided to propose an amendment to the controversial ordinance, it invited scientists and experts on GMO, to enlighten them on bio-technology.

The 30 th MassKara Festival will be formally declared open at about 8 p.m. today by Mayor Evelio Leonardia at the Bacolod City Public Plaza , MassKara Festival director Eli Francis Tajanlangit said yesterday.

“We are celebrating 30 years of smiles and this year's festival is designed to be light, cheerful and fun-filled,” Tajanlangit said.

The opening will be followed by fireworks display and two concerts which, hopefully, will develop into street parties in the plaza, which is the festival site, he added.