Labor groups in Negros Occidental vowed to continue to push for the P125 across-the-board pay increase for private sector workers despite the move of the House of Representatives to put on hold the bill for the legislated wage hike.

Malacañang said it supports the move to allow further consultations. Priscilla Goco, coordinator of Partido ng Manggagawa-Negros, said yesterday they believe politics figured in the decision of the House.

She said Malacañang supposedly offered election funds to those who supported the move.

Mayor, contractor to meet February 7 to
finalize slaughterhouse agreement

The manager of AVM Bernardo will meet with Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia on February 7 for the final review and signing of the memorandum of agreement for the rehabilitation and operation of the slaughterhouse in Brgy. Handumanan, Bacolod City.

In his letter to the Mayor dated Jan. 15, Antonio Bernardo said he, and two of his senior staff, will attend a seminar workshop in "Process Automation Systems" in Singapore from Jan. 23 to 30 and he will be back in Manila first week of February. Bernardo said the new automated control system in meat processing is to be applied in the operations of slaughterhouse and meat processing plants under their service contracts including the future operation of the slaughterhouse in Bacolod City.

The Task Force Abattoir had earlier said that, in the MOA, the contractor has proposed to operate the slaughterhouse for 20 years and is investing P54 million in the project.

DA forms task force for
biofuel investments

The Department of Agriculture has created a Task Force on Agribusiness Lands for Biofuels in response to the growing global market for biofuels.

DA said in a press statement that the task force, headed by Director Carlos Mendoza, will identify existing and new lands suitable for ethanol and coco biodiesel production. Secretary Arthur Yap said the DA Executive Committee met this week after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9367 or the Biofuels Act.

He said that cashing in on the global trend towards the use of crop-based alternative fuels will help the DA propel the growth of our agriculture sector, the press release also said.

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