Investors bringing in
P15B for 4 Negros power plants
BY CARLA GOMEZ

A total of $345 million (P15 billion) is being invested in Negros Occidental for the construction of three biomass power plants and the country’s first solar farm that will bring 91 megawatts of power to the province, with the first two plants to be  operational by next year, Jose Maria Zabaleta Jr., president of Bronzeoak Philippines Inc., said last night.

The four power plants that will use indigenous renewable power will create more than 2,000 jobs in Negros Occidental, and an added annual income of over P250 million for sugarcane farmers from the sale of their agricultural waste called bagasse to fuel the biomass power plants, Zabaleta also said.

About 36-investor representatives of the ThomasLloyd Group from Zurich, London, Prague and major cities of Germany, as well as investors from China, arrived in Bacolod City yesterday for the launching of the projects in San Carlos City today and in La Carlota City tomorrow.

Flood victims need help,
losses P39.2M and rising
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Farmers and residents of the flood-hit areas of southern Negros Occidental still need help.

The floods caused losses of P39.2 million in crops, fisheries and farm animals, partial updated reports from the provincial Capitol showed yesterday.

Provincial Agriculturist Igmedio Tabianan said palay losses in 11 towns and cities reached P38,554,960 while damage to fisheries in three local government units was P314,285.

He said 2,669.60 hectares of palay farms in Himamaylan, Kabankalan and Sipalay cities, and Hinigaran, Moises Padilla, Isabela, Binalbagan, Cauayan, Ilog, Candoni and Hinoba-an towns were hit by the floods.

SP to tackle guv’s request
for calamity declaration
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan today will deliberate on the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council resolution   recommending the declaration of a state of calamity in the province.

It will also discuss the utilization of the 30 percent quick response fund to assist flood-hit local government units in Negros Occidental, Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said.

The fund will come from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund for 2013, the resolution, approved by the PDRRMC Monday and forwarded to the SP by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday, showed.