Climate change affects
Mexico sugar lands

Perhaps, Negrenses can appreciate it better if it is pointed out that climate change may have made Mexico revise its production estimates from 5.282 million tons to only 5 million. According to the online (sugaronline) dispatcher, Mario Garcia Estrada, head of the government's sugar committee, claimed that the 2006-07 harvest basically is suffering a lot.

"It is readly bad, and Veracruz state, where 40 percent of the harvest normally is produce, is worst hit," the report quoted Estrada as saying.

He reported that it has been raining in the region for five weeks non-stop.

This situation may be reflected from the upward climb of sugar in the US South where as of Jan. 4 to 25, prices rose from P738.93 to P736.56. But the Feb. 1 to 14 prices showed a rapid climb from P745.08, P752.94 to P769.67. That's a meteoric rise.

And the chances are that the United States may increase its quota for the Philippines. That means good news for Philippine government.

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Petron is readying preparations to siphon oil from the sunken tanker, Solar I, below the Guimaras Strait. This will start on Feb. 28.

The International Tanker Owners of Pollution Federation is now mobilizing the equipment to remove the two million liters of the ill-fated fuel lying some 650 feet below sea water.

The extraction project has a time-frame of two months, according to the ITOPF.

Three vessels will be used as platforms - Vega, Wise, and Regulus. All have a total tonnage capacity of 141 tons.

The Philippine Coast Guard has already been contracted to help in the event of need for recovery teams in the area just in case of an oil spill.

The SEAFDEC, meanwhile, also said it has already readied its fish cages and other marine reserves with the necessary protective devices.

Petron, meanwhile, claimed that its insurance firm had paid P117 million to some 17,000 Guimaras fisherfolk. It is still in the process of paying other fishermen, resort and fishpond owners.

The oil corporation claimed it had already shelled out P18 million for its own program in cleaning up the oil spill area.

***

We expect the charges and counter-charges between City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Rep. Monico Puentevella to become more strident with the coming weeks.

Now there is no attempt to hide between the cloak of a potential change of heart insofar as Newks is concerned with his announcement that he definitely is backing former Mayor Joy Valdez for mayor of Bacolod.

That confirms the previous speculative reports that he may have been the reason for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asking Assistant Secretary of Transportation Ricardo (Cano) Tan from the mayoralty race, leaving it on a one-on-one basis.

So, what does this mean? GMA is going to pour in her resources for Joy and her team against Leonardia et al?

On the surface that seems to be the logical conclusion. But remember that Bing is also NPC. And Novero is reportedly the choice of businessman Eduardo Cojuangco for congressman of Bacolod. So what happens? This is clearly a collision course for both political backers.

Both sides seem bracing for a war of exposés with all the evidences that should buttress their charges against each other. Leonardia seems to have the edge in the exchanges. His city legal officer, Allan Zamora seems to have researchers to dig up the evidences against Newks.

The solon, on the other hand, has lost Eric Loretizo. The latter reportedly just came in, packed his things up, and went back to Doha for a reportedly well-paying editorial job in a local paper. And he is the one who can best explain what happened to the BaSoc funds as well as the other facets of the Southeast Asian Games last year.

Unfortunately, Eric seems to have saved his own skin from the trouble. And Alex Paglomutan is already outside the Newks kolambo, if one were to listen to Paglomutan.

Unfortunately, the former Games and Amusement Board officials seem to have also slid into complete silence after harping on alleged exposés against Puentevella.

That's Bacolod for the moment. On the other hand, on the provincial front, except for a minor figure, nobody seems interested in taking on Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon. A testimonial to a charismatic and energetic political leader.

Of course, any contender for the job will have to come up with a powerful master plan that could equal what already had been accomplished by Marañon so far.*

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