Sugar stakeholders lauded the House of Representatives for the recent passage of two bills opposing the proposed liberalization of sugar importation.
Tatak Kalamay convenor, David Alba, said the move is “another victory for the industry following the unanimous opposition of the Senate.”
“We thank those who supported our call, particularly the sugar bloc and the Makabayan bloc (in Congress),” he said in a statement.
National Federation of Sugar Planters (NFSP) President Enrique Rojas, for his part, said House Resolutions Nos. 412 and 439 passed by the Lower Chamber “should send a strong message to cease the call for liberalization because the legislative branch which represents people from all walks of life, opposes sugar import liberalization.”
Former Negros Occidental Board Member Gary Acuña of Tatak Kalamay also said they believe that “calls to liberalize importation (of sugar) are due to industrial users.”
“We appeal particularly to the bottling companies (and other industrial users) to moderate your profit,” he said.
Meanwhile, Manuel Lamata, president of the United Sugar Producers’ Federation, welcomed the move of Senator Imee Marcos to conduct an inquiry on the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s (SRA) management of the PHP2 billion Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) budget.
Marcos, who was in Negros Occidental over the weekend, was toured by Lamata around sugar farms where she met agrarian reform beneficiaries and other sugar stakeholders.
“Someone has to be held accountable for the neglect of the sugar industry,” she said, adding that she will pursue an investigation into the “continued incapacity of the SRA to use the PHP2 billion annual budget to strengthen the ailing sugar industry.” (PNA)
