By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Sugar Alliance of the Philippines (SAP) recently accused Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Inc. of smuggling high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and is planning to file charges against the beverage corporation.
SAP official, United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines, Inc. (USPFP) President Manuel Lamata, said he will personally see to it smuggling charges are filed.
According to SAP, Coca-Cola directly utilized HFCS retrieved from the Bureau of Customs (BoC); however, while Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Sugar Order No. 3 is in effect, which regulates the use of HFCS, SRA should be managing the use of the artificial sweetener.
Lamata also claims Coca-Cola has yet to fulfill their promise of purchasing more local sugar.
He claims, of the eight million bags of local sugar the company pledged to purchase, it has only bought one million.
The USPFP chief characterized it as “billions of pesos of losses to the sugar industry.”
Meanwhile, with regards to Pepsi-Cola, he said they have purchased three million of the pledged four million bags of local sugar./WDJ