Abang Lingkod partylist Rep. Stephen Paduano said the proposal to create a National Sugar Program, which was proposed by Senator Cynthia Villar and backed by Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, needs further study. The proposal was made due to the underutilization of the P2 billion fund provided by the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA).
The partylist representative said he has nothing against the proposal but the performance of the SRA should be thoroughly assessed first.
“What are the things done by the SRA?” he asked. “We should assess first because, when we create another office and the implementing rules and regulation comes out, conflicts may surface.”
Paduano noted, the passage of Sugar Order No. 5 allowed for the importation of 250,000 metric tons of sugar, which he claimed hurt local farmers because farmgate prices dropped. He said, “SRA Administrator Hermenegildo Serafica was the only one who voted against the passage.”
“The sugar industry cannot manage the P2 billion budget mandated by the SIDA Law,” the governor earlier stated in his endorsement of the program. “Obviously, there is something wrong.”
During her recent visit to Negros Occidental, Villar said she plans to amend SIDA in order to make the sugar industry competitive.
“We need to be competitive,” she stressed. “We have to compete with other sugar-producing countries.”/DGB, WDJ