By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental fifth district Rep. Marilou Arroyo recently filed HB 2272, which seeks to amend RA 6982, or the Social Amelioration Law. Currently, the law covers entitlements pertaining to death, various socio-economic projects, and maternity benefits. If passed into law, the bill would be expanded to fund health, medical, and educational benefits.
“Sugar farmers are key partners in the Philippine sugar industry; they play a vital role in our economy and nation building,” she explained. “This bill is my way of recognizing their years of hard work in building and continuing the vital work needed to sustain the sugar industry, particularly in the Western Visayas.”
“There are a lot of changes that have happened in the span of 28 years since the passage of RA 6982, yet sugar farmers are still bound to the same limited benefits,” the congresswoman added. “The law must evolve to recognize and address some of the most vital needs of our sugar farmers in the present.”
In the last quarter of 2018, the domestic sugar industry made up 3.09 percent of the total value of agricultural exports./DGB, WDJ