The Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association yesterday decided to freeze their product prices next week to allow victims of torrential rains and floods to get back on their feet.

IPPCA Chairman Fernando Martinez said the 10-member group agreed not to raise prices temporarily in the spirit of solidarity.

The IPPCA’s price freeze will be enforced on a nationwide scale.

‘Agriculture is the future’

Gov. Alferdo Marañon, Jr. told the farmer-graduates of the Eskwelahan sa Kahanginan on Organic Agriculture yesterday that they made the right choice for their livelihood because the way of the future is agriculture.

Marañon spoke at the graduation rites of 464 farmer-listeners who completed the four-month radio-class on organic agriculture at the Bacolod Pavillon in Bacolod City.

He said Negros Occidental is ahead in the country today, and faster in the implementation of organic farming, and that provinces visit Negros to learn about organic agriculture.

40 get agri-bus grants

Agricultural Training Institute director Asterio Saliot said yesterday that Negros Occidental is the fourth province to implement the ladderized course for agri-entrepreneurship and to receive scholarship grants for its 40 out-of-school-youths.

Saliot was in Bacolod City for the graduation rites of student-listeners of the Eskwelahan sa Kahaninan on Organic Agriculture.

He said this is a program of ATI and the Foundation for People’s Development to help and give a chance to out of school youth to go to school and this is in partnership with a religious group in Murcia.