The future of the Philippine sugarcane industry is very upbeat with an annual increase of sugar consumption worldwide and growing markets in neighboring Asian and developing countries, Dr. Peter Baron, executive director of the International Sugar Organization, said Saturday night.

But Baron, whose London based ISO that has 86-member countries, making it the biggest commodity organization in the world, stressed the need for the Philippine sugar industry to also pursue diversification into the production of ethanol, electricity from its bagasse, and biochemicals to ensure its competitiveness in the future.

Baron, whose ISO does market analysis for its members to indicate what to expect, told the DAILY STAR that while there is a current 4 million tons of sugar surplus in the world market, it is not bad because over the last two years there have been deficits, and the stocks of sugar producing and consuming countries are rather low.

A total of 37,513 out of 78,135 passed the July Nurse Licensure Examination, with three from two Bacolod schools making it to the top ten, the Professional Regulation Commission announced on Saturday.

The PRC said Nadine Cedeño Sameon of the University of Saint La Salle was in fourth place with a grade of 87 percent, Frances Mae Tupas Baquillos of Riverside College — 86.40 percent in seventh place, and Argee Abunda Alonsabe of USLS —86.20 percent in eighth place

Meanwhile, the passing rate of Negros Occidental nursing schools were: University of St. La Salle - 75.62 percent, Riverside College - 50.26 percent, Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology - 38.89 percent, Collegio de San Agustin - 33.58 percent, Central Philippine Adventist College in Murcia – 33 percent, West Negros College - 20.53 percent, and University of Negros Occidental Recoletos - 20.45 percent.

Bacolod Councilor Dindo Ramos has authored a resolution calling on the City Legal Office to conduct an inquiry concerning the continued destruction of roads in Bacolod City that are still in good condition, and without coordination with the city government.

Ramos, chairman of the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Transportation and Traffic Management, yesterday said he is also asking the CLO to file appropriate legal action or impose appropriate sanction against the violator if the destruction of the roads is unwarranted.

He said the local government unit is mandated by the Local Government Code to protect the properties of the government, be it locally funded or nationally funded properties.