By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

In response to Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol responding to the recent demonstration before the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Barangay Mansilingan, Sugar Alliance of the Philippines spokesperson, Atty. Emilio Yulo, told him to stop playing the “blame game.”
“He should be man enough to own up to whatever problems the sugar industry is facing and not play the blame game,” he said.
In his response, the agriculture secretary said sugar industry agitators were acting like “spoiled brats,” and that he was only asking for the suspension of Sugar Order No. 3, enacted by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), which regulates the entry of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), pending the resolution of issues raised by Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola.
“Why is he so defensive?” Yulo asked. “These are legitimate sentiments coming from frustrated constituents in his agriculture sector.”
He also questioned the sincerity of the claims that Coca-Cola is requesting a dialogue, asking why the beverage company filed for a restraining order before a Quezon City court.
“The court did not find sufficient basis for the issuance of a TRO (temporary restraining order) and here is Piñol doing exactly that and granting to Coke what it failed to get with the courts,” Yulo asserted.
He also offered the suggestion, “Judicial interference?”
Labor rights activist and lead convenor of the Save the Sugar Industry Movement (SAVE-SIM) Wennie Sancho also criticized Piñol’s statement, calling it an insult to the thousands of workers who joined the rally./WDJ