The application of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative and the Panay Energy Development Corp. to collect and charge P204 million to consumers has no basis, lawyer Vicente Petierre, said yesterday.

A hearing on the settlement agreement between CENECO and PEDC's application to collect the P204 million was held at the office of the Energy Regulation Commission in Manila yesterday, where Petierre represented the Bacolod City government, which opposes the agreement.

During the hearing, Jaime Azurin, the executive vice president and the chief finance officer of the Global Power Corporation, who sat as a witness, said that the PEDC delivered power to CENECO following a letter request from the firm's general manager, Suplicio Lagarde, dated Dec. 21, 2010.

Random tests done
on 9 milling stations

The National Food Authority in Negros Occidental recently conducted random test milling at nine milling stations in Negros Occidental to determine the rice recovery of local mills, NFA provincial manager Procopio Trabajo II, said yesterday.

The tests were done at rice mills in Bago and Himamaylan cities, Pulupandan and Ilog towns, Trabajo said.

The millers were DSK, Inc., Elizabeth Rice Mill, Filipinas Abundance Rice Mill, Farmworld Rice Mill, Melanie Rice Mill, and M&E Rice Mill, all in Bago City, NOFAC-New Ubay Rice Mill in Pulupandan town, A.G. Rice Mill in Ilog town, and GMT Rice Mill and Ayala Rice Mill in Himamaylan City.

Ordinance to benefit
present stall occupants

An ordinance amending Section 2 of City Ordinance 541, Series of 2011, or “An ordinance allowing for the transfer of awards to the present market block/stall/table occupants,” was passed by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on first reading yesterday.

Authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, the ordinance extended the acceptance of application for transfer of awards to the present market block/stall occupants until June 30, to give them ample time to avail of the privileges provided in the ordinance, as agreed from during a public hearing cheld by the SP Committee on Markets and Slaughterhouse .

T he legislation was an offshoot of the public hearing conducted by the committee chaired by Distrito on the request of the vendors for the extension of the time for acceptance of applications for transfer of awards to present occupants.