The members of the First Arrastre and Stevedoring Services Employees yesterday called for the replacement of Labor and Employment regional director Ponciano Ligutom for what they claim as his anti-labor computation of payment of back wages from their former employer First Farmers Holding Corp. in Brgy. Dos Hermanas in Talisay City.

At the press conference held at the Negros Press Club building in Bacolod City, FASSEU chairman Armando Alecante said that with Ligutom, the rights of workers in Western Visayas will never be protected.

Alecante said Ligutom computed a two-year payment of backwages for the 72 members of FASSEU.

Pizza firm bargains
with union on benefits

The management of Shakey’s Pizza Robinsons Place Bacolod, known as Island Pizza Inc., and the United Employees of Shakey’s Pizza have agreed in principle to reduce the P1,119,305.02 that the Department of Labor and Employment had ordered the pizza firm to pay its former workers.

Union president Edbert Patria, said yesterday that the amount in the original order handed down by DOLE Region 6 director Ponciano Ligutom was lowered by 15 percent in principle.

He said the agreement was made in the presence of Ligutom but they are yet to formally sign documents on it.

Guv leads groundbreaking
for P20-M CIPs

The dream of making Bacolod and Negros Occidental an information technology hub is very good because the future of change is in that direction, but an execution plan, skills and infrastructure must be in place to boost its growth, an IT expert said yesterday.

Negros Occidentalneeds to focus and harness its IT potential to attract investors and jump start growth, Nora Terrado, president of the Philippine Software Industry Association, said.

Terrado, a Talisay native at a press conference in Bacolod City, said that there are two ways to influence growth in the provinces.

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