BACOLOD CITY — We wrote here last week that the economic meltdown in the U.S. was caused by greed. Retired World Bank and later Asian Development Bank executive Jesus Zarandin, who came to Bacolod planning to spend his retirement years here, said greed was aggravated by the financial markets not worrying about the risks and […]

BACOLOD CITY — What lies at the bottom of the dispute between the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the sugar cooperatives is the problem of food security.
Some years ago when government saw our sugar industry facing stiff competition from Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia because of their government industry subsidy, our government saw fit to give […]

BACOLOD CITY — In yesterday’s issue, at the bottom of this column, there was a letter to the editor by Dennis Jalbuena. Dennis asked if it’s true that what was published in the news that the 10.12 kilometers Silay-Bacolod road costs P1.5 billion.
This costs, Dennis said, something like P148,221.34 per kilometer. He asked, is this […]

BACOLOD CITY — Honesty or dishonesty is the product of the environment. We must help promote the development of the culture of honesty. It is tragic that we are lumped with the most corrupt and backward countries of the world.
We are happy our Commission on Audit and the Ombudsman have now shown seriousness. Our job […]

BACOLOD CITY — With my piece last Saturday on Congressman Monico Puentevella’s bill to compel media to air or print the side of any one who has been criticized or accused of doing wrong, media friends twitted me.
They told me, while others ignored Monico and don’t give a hoot to his bill, there I was […]

BACOLOD CITY — I was swamped with questions on Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella’s bill in Congress proposing “penalties for the media executives and owners who refuse ‘equal treatment’ of a news subject’s reply.”
But, I believe that media people know their business and are fair, contrary to the belief of those who wish to dictate upon […]

BACOLOD CITY — It was inspiring to see our leaders, Mayor Bing Leonardia and Congressman Monico Puentevella standing behind President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the public plaza during the launching of MassKara Festival 2008.
Mischievous as I am, the first question I asked myself was, where are their hands? When one time they were with Gov. […]

BACOLOD CITY — Let me give the loudest applause for Visayas Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol. In a country battered by graft and corruption, he stands as a bright star in a dark night.
He is serious and appears to mean business. I throw my full support behind him. He deserves that support. Everybody must support him […]

BACOLOD CITY — As the ninth leaf of the calendar is peeled off the wall today, so goes beautiful September, the harvest month when the sugar milling season starts and the harvest month, too, of rice and corn and fruiting time like lanzones.
To the Christian world, September, too, is known as the holy month with […]

BACOLOD CITY — L’Fisher Hotel celebrates its 18th anniversary today. We greet the Ciocon group of companies big Boss Roseller Ciocon who, working in tandem with his late enterprising mother, Mrs. Lourdes Concha Ciocon, steered the many Ciocon businesses well. And manager Bob Balde, too.
We need business entrepreneurs like Roseller Ciocon. It is people like […]