By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) board member, Atty. Emilio ‘Dino’ Yulo III, recently affirmed the sugar smuggling problem is a priority for the agency.

In a radio interview over the weekend, Yulo said SRA lauded the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for the recent apprehension of several sugar smugglers.

Yulo stressed, the entry of smuggled sugar would have disastrous effect on the local sugar industry, especially on the supply side.

He explained, the supply of unregulated smuggled sugar would be an additional problem for producers since prices would go down.

Yulo said all ports in the country are potential entry points for smuggled sugar.

He noted, with the recent hike in the price of sugar, the temptation to bring in smuggled sugar is very high and SRA has further strengthened coordination with BOC.

The SRA is also scheduled to conduct a dialog with the Philippine International Trading Corporation in the next few weeks in order to stop smuggling.

Meanwhile, Yulo also requested the Department of Labor and Employment to urgently process their request for the release of the three percent share of labor for sugar farm workers.

He pointed out, the three percent share of labor would be a big help to the workers, especially during “Tiempo Muerto,” or the dead season./DGB, WDJ