Marañon: Diokno won’t be DBM secretary forever

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. echoed earlier statements made by Sugar Regulatory Administration board member, Atty. Emilio ‘Dino’ Yulo III, calling President Rodrigo Duterte the “last resort” in stopping the proposal to deregulate the importation of sugar.

He said the plan was proposed by Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno and not the president.

“It is Diokno’s personal comment and he won’t be there forever,” the governor noted.

Marañon also reiterated earlier speculation made by others opposed to the proposal by predicting the domestic sugar industry would be destroyed with liberalization.

“If the sugar industry will be killed how many thousands of workers will lose their jobs and how many families will suffer?” he asked. “In other countries [sugar] is being subsidized by the government, it is only here in the Philippines that the producers are not being subsidized.”

The governor echoed another position expressed by Yulo, which was also reiterated in an ordinance earlier passed by the Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod, going after traders.

“They have sure profit,” he alluded.

Marañon believes industry leaders are approaching the president.

“Industry leaders should show him the real facts of the industry,” he added.

According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), despite 2018 fourth quarter agriculture numbers up, sugarcane production was in decline.

Based on their 4Q report, agriculture overall, which includes crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries, saw an increase of 1.8 percent; crops, in particular, saw a marginal 0.25 percent increase.

However, the report noted sugarcane production saw a 2.22 percent drop, noting a reduction in areas harvested in the Western Visayas.

Last week, Diokno said deregulating the sugar importation policies will help curb rising commodity prices, which is in line with Duterte’s Administrative Order No. 13./DGB, WDJ