By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP), the largest organized labor federation in the sugar industry, endorsed the call for  Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) head Hermenegildo Serafica’s resignation citing failures to stand up for the sugar industry.
Roland Dela Cruz. who serves as NACUSIP-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines national president, said the SRA official’s actions send “niggling signals to the workers of sugar industry.” The term “niggling” often refers to acts of annoyance or provocation.
“Serafica seems to act as a parrot for the government’s economic managers, who are considered pro-sugar import liberalization,” the union official stated. “Serafica’s acts of omission against sugar import liberalization are a clear act inimical to the sugar industry and its workers.”
“Serafica failed to effectively implement the Sugar Industry Development Act, which is the law mandated to improve the competitiveness of sugar producers and extend support services to marginal sugar farmers and agrarian reform beneficiaries,” he added. “His inefficiency in the implementation of the program, and [the] underspending of program funds, caused serious [and] damaging effects to the supposed beneficiaries of the program.”
A manifesto was signed and authorized various labors officials and agrarian reform beneficiary representatives from the Cagayan Valley, Tarlac, Batangas, Bukidnon, Davao, Negros Oriental, and Negros Occidental./DGB, WDJ