Workers’ solidarity forum scheduled for Friday
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

In response to reports claiming Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines Inc. is lobbying for lower taxes as a means of facilitating the importation of high fructose corn syrup, Wennie Sancho, secretary-general for a group called Sugar Watch of the Philippines, said his organization plans to “declare war” on the importation of the sweetener.
“We are frustrated by the lack of commitment on the part of our economic managers to withdraw their plans for the sugar import liberalization scheme,” he said.
Sancho said a workers’ solidarity forum is scheduled for Friday, September 6, where the labor sector plans to “gear up and flex their muscle” to declare war on any form of sugar importation.
He said importation would be “destructive for the sugar industry” and called opposition to potential importation reforms “the right of the people.”
Back in 2017, several Negros Occidental localities banned the sale of Coca-Cola products, who had been using high fructose corn syrup in their drinks. Such bans were later lifted after Coca-Cola agreed to patronize locally-produced sugar.
Earlier that year, Coca-Cola put out a press release affirming the company uses 100 percent locally-sourced sugar, pointing out it is a practice employed since opening their bottling plant in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City in 1998.
The beverage company also recalled a University of the Philippines study, which was also cited by the Sugar Regulatory Administration, that found, with the company’s use of approximately 40 percent of all sugar production in the Philippines, Coca-Cola is a “main purchaser” of local sugar./DGB, WDJ