Data released by the agency showed that food and non-alcoholic beverages posted a 1.1-percent inflation rate during the month, a sharp turnaround from the -2.1 percent recorded in March. The commodity group accounted for the biggest share in the province’s inflation uptrend at 57.9 percent.

Transport emerged as the second-largest contributor, registering a steep 31.2-percent inflation rate from 18.2 percent in the previous month. The sector contributed 32.5 percent to the overall increase in inflation.

Meanwhile, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels also recorded higher prices, posting a 3.3-percent inflation rate.

Despite the uptick, Guimaras Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida Losare noted that the province’s inflation rate remained lower compared to the national level and the overall inflation rate in Western Visayas.

Losare said the inflation monitoring report aims to provide the public with timely and accurate information on price movements and their impact on the cost of goods and services in the province.IMT

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PSA Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said the PSA’s latest price statistics showed that rice prices in Guimaras recorded erratic trends for the past 13 months. From the lowest point of 0.6 percent in July 2022, rice value soared to 6.4 percent the following month and slowed to 2.0 percent in September, and back its way up to 5.5 percent in October. After which, the rice price trend slowed until January 2023 at 1.6 percent, however, its value swayed up again to 4.3 percent a month.

“A price drop was seen in March 2023 at 2.4 percent, before it continuously grew until 8.9 percent in May, the fastest rice inflation recorded in 2023. From then, the annual price indices of rice slowed down to 8.5 in June until 3.2 percent in July,” added Losare.

The data further showed that rice shared 45.9 percent of the 4.0 percent food inflation in July 2023, followed by Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses with 9.0 percent inflation, and Meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals with -3.1 percent inflation, which also showed a

significant share of 19.4 and 18.1 percent, respectively, to the Guimaras food inflation.

Inflation rates of Fruits and nuts (5.3%); Sugar, confectionery, and desserts (20.0%); Milk, other dairy products, and eggs (9.9%); and Corn (8.6%) were the other food items that pulled down food inflation in July 2023 to a slower rate.

“Only four food items showed faster rate than the previous month’s level, these are Flour, Bread, and Other Bakery Products, Pasta Products, and Other Cereals with 6.1 percent inflation; Fish and other seafood with 1.4 percent inflation; Oils and fats with 16.0 percent inflation; and Ready-made food and other food products n.e.c. with 9.7 percent inflation,” Losare said.

The trends in food groups started at 11.9 percent in July 2022, then rose to 12.1 percent in August, the highest level for 13 months.

There was also a slower movement in the food inflation in September 2022 with 9.2 percent, then it speedily moved in the ensuing months, reaching 11.8 percent in December 2022.

“Food inflation in Guimaras began at a slower pace of 9.2 percent in 2023 and spiked to 12.0 in February. From then, the food inflation in Guimaras decelerated until April, and slightly inched-up to 8.2 percent in May, eased to 6.9 percent in June and 4.0 percent in July 2023,” Losare said.AAL/LAF/PIA6-Iloilo/ PSAGuimaras

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Lawyer Dennis Ausan, COMELEC regional director, said that as far as he can remember, Inampulogan — the biggest island village of Sibunag — has never participated in the barangay polls since the creation of the municipality on Feb. 20, 1995.

“It is the only barangay in the country with no elections in the past barangay elections, I can recall (that this is the situation) since the time Sibunag was created by the Local Government Code of 1991,” he said in an interview.

To date, the privately-owned island village has close to 200 eligible voting population.

“There is only one reason why there is no election — no one files their certificates of candidacy. In short, there are no candidates. How I wish this time around our electoral exercises will push through in that island barangay,” he said

Ausan said COMELEC has established voting centers in the area, but residents only exercise their right of suffrage during the national and midterm elections.

He said an electoral board has been created in the area and is even provided with supplies and funds every barangay election, which, in turn, remain unused since there are no polls due to the lack of candidates.

“If they want to run, our office is just there waiting for them to submit their certificate of candidacy. If they want. It is their right guaranteed by our Constitution,” he said.

Meanwhile, COMELEC has gathered BSKE aspirants from the city and the province of Iloilo on Wednesday, Aug. 9, for a forum to raise awareness of the rules and regulations for the upcoming polls.

Ausan said that except for some administrative policies that are more of an internal concern, the same laws govern the conduct of elections at the national and barangay levels.

“What we expect from them is that they will also do their part; they have their obligations and responsibilities to observe as to the prohibited acts,” he said.

From the start of the election period on Aug. 28 until Nov. 29, the gun ban and the prohibition on the transfer and detail of public officials and employees will be in effect.

There will also be regulations to be observed during the campaign period and on the election day.PNA

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Francisco Gentoral, Guimaras Provincial Economic Development (PED) officer, said on Friday, Aug. 4, even if their plantation in the province is small, they would like to produce a world-class quality dragon fruit, the way they emphasized efforts for their mango products.

“The festival is one way to spread awareness about this product. Here in Guimaras, the festival is not only to attract tourists but also to ensure that investors will also be attracted to put in their investments,” Gentoral said in a press conference at the opening of the festival in the municipality of Jordan.

He added that from six hectares when the province staged its first dragon festival in 2022, the area planted has increased to 28 hectares this year.

Provincial agriculturist Alvin Nava said the production of the dragon fruit steadily increased since 2019. From almost eight tons in 2019, the production jumped to around 10 to 12 tons in 2020 and 15 tons this 2023.

“The areas planted with dragon fruit are almost scattered in the province. The good dragon fruit farms are established in slope areas with no stagnant water and exposed to sunlight,” he said.

Aside from the agri-trade fair that opened on Friday, there will be a blended international business forum on dragon fruit farming on Aug. 10 that will gather farmers, members of the Guimaras Dragon Fruit Growers Association (GDFGA), interested participants from outside of the province and abroad, and expert-scientists on dragon fruit.

GDFGA president Bonifacio Tespoer said the forum will focus on three issues, including pests and diseases, general management, and proper selection of planting materials.

The festival, which will end Aug. 13, has other activities like the “Taste the dragon” where various delicacies made of the fruit will be made available to the public for a fee, a dragon fruit classroom, a dragon fruit kitchen where a chef will present innovative recipes, a farm tour, and a bangus and seafood market on various dates.

Guimaras senior tourism operations officer Liberty Ferrer said they targeted weekends for the events because the foot traffic in the province is always heavy towards the end of the week.Perla Lena/PNA

The post Guimaras lures more investors, tourists with dragon fruit fest first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

The ten-day event will kick off on Friday, August 4, 2023 at the Provincial Capitol Grounds.

Taking advantage of the influx of tourists on the island, festival events are slated on weekends.

A first in Western Visayas, the Guimaras Dragon Fruit Fest desires to position dragon fruit as an emerging agriculture high value crop and tourism event destination attraction in the island province.

Also, the provincial government of Guimaras and partner organizers aim to increase awareness of the dragon fruit which may increase the income of the local growers.

This year, festival events include a fun run, trade fair, farm tour, dragon fruit tasting and forum, among others.

The Dragon Fruit Costume FunRun and motorcade that will showcase the creativity and innovation in dragon fruit-inspired costume will kick off the celebration.

Dragon fruit products such as fresh fruits, processed or value-added products, planting materials, and other major agricultural products of Guimaras will be on display at the trade fair.

The festivities will likewise feature a dragon fruit farm tour which will showcase different dragon fruit farms in Guimaras while demonstration of dragon fruit cuisine and dragon fruit-based value-added products will take the spotlight at “Dragon Fruit Kulinarya”.

“Taste the Dragon Fruit” will provide a venue for visitors and guests to enjoy the flavors of Guimaras’ dragon fruit products while visitors at the trade fair can look forward to the “Dragon Fruit Classroom”.

An international business forum on dragon fruit farming will present opportunities to exchange knowledge on the update on technology on dragon fruit farming that could contribute to economic recovery of Guimaras particularly employment creation, increase household income, and increase local revenue focus on dragon fruit farming.

There will be busking sessions and bands which will provide nightly entertainment during the festival.AAL/LAF/PIA6-Iloilo/ GuimarasPIO

The post Guimaras gears up for 2nd Dragon Fruit Fest first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

Climate Change Commissioner Albert dela Cruz, in his prerecorded message, said the province is considered “highly vulnerable” because it is a coastal area.

He added that due to climate change, the province and the municipalities will be expecting ocean acidification due to increased water temperature.

“The enhanced Local Climate Change Action Plan will be the bible of each and every LGU (local government unit) in our fight against the debilitating effects of climate change,” he said, adding that the lives of livelihood of the people are at stake.

The action plan contains how the LGU will address the risk of hunger due to climate change, and an inventory of vulnerable sectors and indigenous communities who are exposed to the problem, among others.

Climate Change Commission Senior Consultant Dr. Michael Raymond A. Aragon said climate change “impacts deeply” in Guimaras, citing, in particular, the effects of the El Niño and the La Niña phenomena.

“If we have this phenomenon, its impact in Guimaras is hunger, the livelihood. The drought will impact the agriculture sector, the drought will impact poverty. These are the things that we would like to talk about in these two days,” he said.

Aragon added that among the five LGUs, the municipality of Nueva Valencia has already submitted its LCCAP but they would like the local government to put it into an ordinance.

If it is an ordinance, then funds can be allocated to implement the action plan, he said.PNA

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Vice Governor John Edward Gando sees “nothing unusual” about the inclusion of a liquor brand’s logo in the newly erected landmark in the island province of Guimaras.

In an interview over radio station RMN-Iloilo, Gando said the landmark, which is similar to the iconic “Hollywood” sign in the USA, was sponsored by rum maker Tanduay Distillers Inc.(TDI).

The provincial government, according to him, did not release any single centavo for the landmark on a privately-owned property in Barangay Rizal, Jordan town.

Gando disclosed that the liquor firm allotted more than P1 million for the project. The “Guimaras” signage measures approximately 18 feet in length and 12 feet in width.

Aside from Guimaras, TDI also sponsored signages in Iloilo City and the towns of Leon and Tubungan in Iloilo province.IMT

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The post Guimaras mangoes’ reputation as ‘sweetest’ now protected first appeared on Iloilo Metropolitan Times.

For the “Mango Eat-All-You-Can” feast, the provincial government of Guimaras will allot 10 tons of the fruit as it is one of the sought-after activities of the annual Manggahan Festival that will officially start on April 29.

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