A promising future for Negrenses

Normally, as we reach the end of the year, most of us review the past and prognosticate about the incoming year. The end-run usually gives us the outline of the outcome and provides us a glimpse of the future.

Negrenses have reason for optimism. Somehow, there is the feeling that the bases for a takeoff of the provincial economy have already been put in place. All that is needed now is for things and plans to be activated. And the future will be certainly better than in the past year.

As the year headed to a close, Bacolod hosted some games of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games. They drew to the capital city of Negros Occidental a host of foreign delegates as well as interseed sportsmen and enthusiasts from various parts of the country.

The event injected what one calls a "massive infusion of money." But that was a temporary phenomenon. There were some permanent improvements, but these were minimal in terms of future gains and impact on the lives of people.

The games, however, laid the basis for friendly ties that could bear fruit in the future. This was telescoped by Cambodian Prince Norodom Buddhapong last Monday when he said that the best thing about the Philippines is its people, who are warm and friendly.

The leader of Cambodia’s 41-man delegation even bared that some of the members of his country’s football team were in tears. "They knew they were going to leave behind some friends," he said.

The Cambodian price was easily the most visible head of the various delegations to the SEAG. He was literally all over. He even went shopping at the Robinson’s Mall and watched the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

But the more significant statement for Bacolod folks was his revelation that he had "told my friends and cousins to come and visit." "Maybe we will come back and visit together," he added.

But as I had earlier said, all these gains are prospective, except for the immediate impact of the dollar inflow on the local economy. The major gainers were, of course, hotels and pension houses as well as eateries and restaurants.

US sugar quota hike

Since the Negros economy is dependent on the sugar industry, the brightest news this weekend was the confirmation by Luis Tongoy, chairman of the Negros-Panay Chapter of the Confederation of Sugar Producers Association, that the US agriculture department has just approved an increase in its quota of imported raw sugar for next year.

Earlier, Sugar Administrator James Ledesma said on television that the sugar industry leaders had been tipped of by Harry Kopp, the industry’s representative in the US, of the anticipated quota hike. Acting on that, Ledesma expanded the "A" sugar allocation from seven to 10 percent.

The "A" sugar is the stock intended for the US market. The additional Philippine share of the quota amounts to about 35,000 metric tons.

That certainly is expected to boost the millgate prices of raw sugar which hover close to the P900 per Lkg. As traders scramble for the "A" sugar, some sugarmen have been encouraged by the Sugar Regulatory Administration to convert their domestic sugar to "A" to cover for the deficit in the US-bound sugar stocks. Besides, the SRA also egged traders to ship out their last quarter "A" sugar early.

Reynaldo Bantug, national president of Confed, admitted that the federation officials have been tracking for a while the US sugar situation. This, post hurricanes "Katrina" and "Rita," which virtually devastated the sugarcane plantations and mills in both Louisiana and Florida.

The US sugar situation was aggravated by the inability by processors to produce enough to meet their domestic demand.

Thus, the US not only increased its quota for the second time and issued a call for refined sugar imports on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mexico, its NAFTA partner, enjoyed the bonanza. So did the Caribbean countries.

P400 M in a new refinery

For Negrense sugar producers, especially those in southern Negros Occidental, the big news was the announcement of taipan John Gokongwei that his firm, the Southern Occidental Negros Development Co., is investing something like P400 million to establish a refinery in Kabankalan City as well as expand its milling capacity to more than double its present capacity.

For Kabankalan City Mayor Pedro Zayco, that was certainly welcome news, especially following the announcement of Western Visayas Presidential Adviser Lito Coscolluela that the Dacongcogon sugar and farmers cooperative has inked a contract with the National Power Corp. to put up a multimillion-peso "Kasla" bio-diesel processing plant in the upper Kabankalan area.

The Sonedco refinery and expansion project will go along way in helping sugar producers from the south to cut down on milling expenses. For now, they have to truck their crops some 125 kilometers to the Victorias Milling Co. in the north for refining. With the cost of fuel having gone up several times last year, that has become prohibitive. Even mills no longer seem to favor giving additional trucking allowance.

P600-M SM mall in January

Already, Henry Sy’s SM Mall started clearing its six-hectare landholding at the Bacolod Realty Development Corp.’s (BREDCO) reclamation area just in front of Bacolod’s downtown area.

Simplicio Palanca, BREDCO chairman, admitted that the Sy family has already set into motion its long-planned construction of another SM mall in Bacolod.

Later, former vice mayor Ramiro Garcia, consultant of the construction firm that will handle the project, explained some details of the planned mall which will be the most modern in the city.

Off the cuff, he explained that it would have an area much bigger than Robinson’s. And it will boast a sprawling parking area and will regale visitors with an overhead walkway between the Rizal and Burgos buildings. These overpasses will address the problems of the handicapped.

Actually, that has long been the dream of Bacolodnons. But this time, despite some objections from some of his subalterns, Henry Sy reportedly stressed that he wants the mall to be completed in time for the MassKara festival.

Another thing which promises to further enthuse local businessman was the admission by Palanca that his staff had already completed their study of the proposed esplanade (about two kilometers) from the Burgos end of the reclamation area to the Capitol area.

I got hold of the perspective, and its shows a very ambitious plan. The esplanade, Palanca said, would equal if not exceed the Roxas Boulevard of Manila.

ADDENDUM. While work on the Silay alternative international airport is going on unimpeded, that of Sta. Barbara in Iloilo has been in the vortex of a controversy. Rep. Rex Suplico (fifth district) insists that the government cancel its contract for Taisei-Shimizu joint venture, the contractor of the P6.3-billion New Iloilo Airport Development Project. Suplico, during the TV program Reklamo Publiko, said the construction slippage hit 59.32 percent as of August, thus the call for the cancellation of the contract. That definitely stirred a major controversy. Abangan ang kasunod.