The Task Force Mapalad claimed yesterday that Negros Occidental is the worst in land reform implementation, based on last year's data, but a local agrarian reform official brushed such claim aside.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer I Gideon Yunque said that in terms of the services being delivered by the Department of Agrarian Reform, including land acquisition, training and land survey, they have good accomplishments.

We help them, but they are still negative towards DAR, he said.

Petron allots over P200M
for 2007 ethanol program

Petron Corp. has confirmed in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange yesterday that it has allotted more than P200 million for its ethanol program for 2007.

Virginia Ruivivar, manager of Petron Public Affairs Department, said in a letter to the PSE that the budget will cover the oil firm's investments in storage, handling, loading and marketing facilities. The amount, she said, is part of the capital expenditures amounting to P5.022 billion for 2007 approved by Petron Board during its meeting in November last year.

Petron Corp., the country's biggest oil refinery which is 40 percent owned by the government, signed a memorandum of understanding with San Carlos Bioenergy Inc. on May, 30 2005, expressing intent to buy its entire ethanol production.

DA earmarks P3B for
irrigation projects

The national government has earmarked P3 billion for irrigation projects servicing 98,000 hectares of croplands to boost farm production and reach the projected agricultural sector growth of four to five percent for 2007.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said in a press statement that with the proposed P3 billion outlay for irrigation, the Department of Agriculture expects the National Irrigation Administration to repair and rehabilitate irrigation facilities servicing a total of 97,000 to 98,000 hectares this year.

Yap said the P3-billion rehabilitation work is, so far, the biggest reform program for Philippine irrigation in 30 years The P3-billion allocation for irrigation is anchored on the congressional approval of the proposed 2007 General Appropriations Act, including the DA outlay of about P5 billion.

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