By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Local labor advocate Wennie Sancho, who also serves as lead convenor for the Save the Sugar Industry Movement, yesterday announced his opposition to alleged attempts to resurrect the sugar import liberalization scheme. The statement was made amid reports a major beverage company was lobbying to reduce taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks in an effort to encourage high fructose corn syrup importation.
The labor official affirmed his criticism of high fructose corn syrup importation “in lieu of domestic sugar,” calling the latter “the lifeblood of Negros Occidental.”
“Two years ago, we sent a loud and clear message for them and we shall not hesitate to do it again if they will not heed our call to stop,” Sancho warned.
He added, 714,000 sugar and mill workers, along with 800,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries and small farmers, will be adversely affected if sugar liberalization is implemented.
During a hearing conducted earlier this month, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri made the claim there would be no insurgency in Negros if sugar industry workers were paid more.
“If they go hungry because there is no food on the table, of course, they would take up arms,” he explained./DGB, WDJ