Members of the Crusade and Alliance of Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Negros Occidental yesterday called for the stoppage and scrapping of Bureau of Internal Revenue Regulation Number 11-2014, that imposes 1 percent tax on sugar and molasses.

At a press conference in Bacolod City yesterday, James Cabata, an agrarian reform beneficiary in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, said that he and over 400 ARBs in their city, are against the 1 percent tax.

Cabata cited Article 60 of Republic Act 9520 or Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008, that states “Duly registered cooperatives under this Code which do not transact any business with non-members or the general public shall not be subject to any taxes and fees imposed under the internal revenue laws and other tax laws. Cooperatives not falling under this article shall be governed by the succeeding section.”

DA, farmers testing
elite rice varieties

MANILA -- The Department of Agriculture is conducting a National Cooperative Testing to engage farmers in field testing and evaluation of elite rice lines through multi-environment trials in order to accelerate adoption of next generation (next-gen) varieties of rice to boost the country's self-sufficiency bid.

Thelma Padolina, senior consultant of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), said that next-gen rice varieties had been released as early as 2011 but its adoption had been very low.

She said that some of these varieties are for saline, rain-fed, and irrigated lowland and have potential yield ranging from six tons per hectare, even in adverse condition, to 12 tons per hectare (t/ha.).

Ana’s restaurant opens

Ana's Garden Grill and Seafood located at 6th Street in Bacolod City was blessed and inaugurated yesterday.

Owner Ana Maria Ledesma Blardony said her mother and her family are her inspiration for the restaurant.

She said her mother, Ibing Ledesma of Silay City, died when she was 10 years old.

“My mom’s mother owned the first Ilonggo restaurant in New York that was visited by Filipino politicians and movie stars,” she said.

back to top