‘New WV wage hike
will be granted soon’
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board passed a resolution on Labor Day finding supervening conditions to declare a new wage hike in Western Visayas soon, Labor Regional Director Aida Estabillo said yesterday.

The resolution was needed to declare a new wage order in less than a year after the last pay hike was granted. The resolution will be submitted to the National Wages and Productivity Commission for approval, she said.

The supervening conditions that call for a new wage hike are the increase of prices of commodities and fuel in the region, she said..

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap yesterday assured that he will look into the complaints of the farmers in central Negros Occidental about the work slippage at the Bago River Irrigation System that they said is causing a drop in their rice production, and millions of pesos in losses.

Yap, when contacted by the DAILY STAR, directed National Irrigation Administrator Carlos Salazar to act on the concerns raised by the farmers.

Salazar told the DAILY STAR he will evaluate the situation and meet with officials of the China International Water and Electric Corp., and decide next week on action to be taken on the problem.

Top energy officials will hold a dialog with local officials and stakeholders in Talisay City Wednesday and will present the situation of the power supply shortage in Negros Occidental as well as medium and long term plans to mitigate the problem.

National Transmission Corp. president and chief operating officer Arthur Aguilar said in a letter to Negros Occidental officials, a copy of which was obtained by the DAILY STAR yesterday, that, in the light of the prevailing power supply shortage in Western Visayas, top officials of the energy family headed by Secretary Angelo Reyes, together with officials from the National Power Corp. and Transco will hold a briefing with them at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City 6 p.m. on May 7.