The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines (NACUSIP) recently issued a manifesto call for a review of the Executive Order No. 18, signed in 1986 by then-President Corazon Aquino, which created the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA).
“The call for the review of the charter of SRA is timely since sugar industry stakeholders such as the [Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations] has called for a legislative inquiry to improve the SRA’s exercise of its regulatory functions,” the organization said in a press statement.
They also noted, the Department of Agriculture was earlier urged to “conduct a performance audit on SRA.”
NACUSIP said the current charter allows “free market forces” to influence how sugar is marketed.
“The current set up in the SRA is not responsive anymore to the plight of the sugar farmers,” said NACUSIP National President Roland de la Cruz. “SRA should be inclusive in crafting its policies.”
Earlier this year, he endorsed the call for SRA head Hermenegildo Serafica’s resignation citing failures to stand up for the sugar industry.
“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.”/WDJ