Villar: The P2B should be utilized at all costs

By Paulo Loreto Lim

According to Senator Cynthia Villar, who was in Bacolod City over the weekend for the MassKara Festival, the government will be providing the sugar industry with P750 million next year through the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA), instead of P2 billion.

Villar said only P1 billion of the P2 billion allocation was spent this year, affirming, “The P2 billion should be utilized at all cost.”

According to SIDA, or RA 10659, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is mandated to provide P2 billion for items including infrastructure, the Block Farm Program, a scholarship program, among others.

She noted, P250 million of the allotment will be set aside for agrarian reform beneficiaries.

The underutilization of funds was an issue for Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol earlier this year, which was brought up during the change of leadership at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).

He noted, in 2016, less than half of the funding provided by SIDA was used.

In addition, towards the end of last month, Piñol said the P350 million fund with the Land Bank of the Philippines had yet to be accessed./PLL, WDJ