OUR PROBLEM on the rice shortage may indeed be serious because, aside from the experts and various consultants that we already have in the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA), the Palace has additionally created a special position of Adviser on Rice and Fish.
It appointed one Pedro Pelagio, who immediately announced his [...]

A RECENT survey showed that people believe there is a rice shortage even in Iloilo City, which is not supposed to be so, considering that Iloilo and the whole of Panay are net rice-producing areas with a total produce said to be capable of feeding even the whole of Visayas.
In fact, a friend in the [...]

SOME BUSINESSMEN are just so conscienceless. Give them a reason, even the slightest reason to speculate, like the recent reckless talks on rice shortage, and they would jack up the prices of their commodities without the least sympathetic thought for the buyers, many of whom could now hardly eat three times a day.
I was at a [...]

ILOILO HAS BEEN known as the “Food Basket and Rice Granary of the Philippines.” We wonder if we still are because now, we see many of our people consuming National Food Authority (NFA) rice. About 50 percent of more than 4,700 square kilometers of our land is devoted to agriculture, with rice as its main product.
We [...]

LAST WEEK, we asked: “What happened to the muscovado sugar industry of Antique?” It used to be a major economic activity in the province.
Antique is a small province of 471,514 people in Western Visayas, but, as previously reported, it has the most number of muscovado mills in the country. Muscovado can become the new “gold” [...]

THE TAXI DRIVER who charged Eleonor, associate editor of FILES Magazine, P350 for a trip from the New Iloilo Airport to their home in Ungka early evening of last Saturday should be taught a lesson. Why?
There is a regulation which mandates that taxicabs may only charge on their fare meter, that’s why. Asking the passengers a charter [...]

THE PROSPECTS of putting up a coal-fired power plant in Iloilo City by Panay Power Corp. appears headed for more trouble with the recent federal appeals court ruling in the United States against 32 coal-fired power plants in 13 states in the United States.
This February 8, 2008 court ruling requires each new coal-fired power plant in [...]

FILES MAGAZINE, a sister publication of Panay News, recently featured on its cover Hon. Salvacion Z. Perez, governor of Antique province, and her State of the Province Address.
When we talk of Antique, we always think of muscovado sugar because the province is our country’s biggest source of the product. There are 141 sugar mills operating in [...]

IN 1805, SIXTY bandits from Alimodian, Iloilo led by Magua-ay attacked the pueblo of Anggoy.
Some inhabitants through prior notice of the coming of the bandits gathered at the convent to help parish priest Padre Nicolas Concepcion defend the church.
When the bandits arrived at night they forced open the church door. Then a strange, very bright light [...]

IN WESTERN VISAYAS, there are some towns named after animals:
Libacao – This place was formerly called Aglangka – from langka (jackfruit). It was said to be ruled by a woman named Abo-ab who spent her fortune on building roads and clearing the forest.