The Himamaylan Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously adopted a resolution expressing support for the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and its regulation of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) importation.
Councilor Justin Silos Gatuslao, its main proponent, said the resolution was necessary to “safeguard the general welfare of the thousands of sugar industry stakeholders in our city.” He noted Himamaylan has an agricultural economy primarily devoted to sugarcane farming.
“A further drop in sugar prices threatens millions of sugar industry dependents, the general economic and political stability of Negros Island, and our way of life,” Gatuslao added.
The resolution comes a week after the Provincial Board of Negros Occidental adopted its own resolution backing the SRA in exercising its regulatory function over HFCS imports./WDJ