The Department of Agrarian Reform in Negros Occidental has, so far, completed P5.10 million in infrastructure projects under the Agrarian Reforms Communities Project 2 this year, records from DAR showed yesterday.

The projects include the construction of a farm-to-market-road valued at P2.5 million in Brgy. Gen. Malvar in Pontevedra, and the building of a health station and two-classroom school buildings in Brgy. Pagbana-ag in Hinoba-an town, valued at P915,000 and P1.6 million, respectively.

Lodovico Guimapang, Rural Infrastructure Engineer of DAR, said there are other ongoing projects this year that include the rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads and the construction of multi-purpose pavements in the towns of Hinoba-an, Candoni and Pontevedra.

‘More rice coming for Negros'

The 130,000 sacks of Vietnam rice intended for Negros Occidental will be delivered next week, National Food Authority Provincial Manager Procopio Trabajo said yesterday.

Trabajo said 99 more sacks will also be delivered to the province later. He said the rice is part of the 500,000 sacks to be given by the NFA main office to Negros Occidental for the next three months to replenish what had been distributed to the victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Panay.

Trabajo also said the rest of the rice will be delivered in February next year.

Joint inspection team to
oversee biz licensing

A Business Permit and Licensing System Technical Working Group and a Joint Inspection Team to oversee the smooth transition and the proper dissemination of information to businesses in the city about business permit processing was formed recently by Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella, a press release from the city said.

The directives are in support of the departments of Trade and Industry and Interior and Local Government initiative to streamline the disbursement of business permits and licenses from city and municipal governments, the press release said.

Both are to comply with Republic Act 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 that mandates all Local Government Units to provide efficient delivery of services to the public by reducing bureaucratic red tape and preventing graft and corruption, the press release said.