By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, in response to reports Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol criticized Negros Occidental sugarcane plantation owners as living in “Mar Roxas country,” said the cabinet secretary should not be politicizing the sugar industry.
“This issue is not political,” said Zubiri. “This issue is the survival of over one million farmers and, if you add their families, that’s five million people directly or indirectly affected by this industry.”
Negros Occidental Provincial Board Member Alain Gatuslao also offered a response to the senator’s rebuttal, saying, “This is an economic and social issue.”
“It would be best if our leaders can set aside the political and personal,” he added.
Meanwhile, labor leader Wennie Sancho remarked, “[Piñol] has created a lot of enemies in the sugar industry,” while former Negros Occidental Governor Rafael Coscolluela voiced his support for Zubiri.
“We should thank Senator Zubiri for taking up the cudgels for the industry,” he said. “Partisan politics had nothing to do with the rally or the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) issue.”
The senator also noted Negros Occidental is not the only sugar-producing province, naming his home province of Bukidnon, along with Piñol’s, North Cotabato.
He also cited HFCS as the primary driver in the decline of sugar prices, saying the price of a 50kg bag of sugar has seen a decline from P1,700 to P1,300, which he claims leaves farmers with a profit margin of around P1,000 per bag.
Zubiri also discussed the secretary’s hand in calling for the suspension of Sugar Order No. 3, enacted by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), which regulates the importation of HFCS.
“It boggles my mind why [Piñol] has to order [SRA] to stand down,” the senator said. “I was hoping the Department of Agriculture, through its secretary, would protect the farmers.”
He said he is looking forward to the April 10 senate hearing surrounding the issue, saying it is going to be “exciting.”/WDJ