By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental 3rd district Congressman Francisco Benitez is scheduled to meet with stakeholders of the sugar industry today in Talisay City in order to discuss the proposed amendments to the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA).

Previously, Negros Oriental 2nd district Congressman Manuel Sagarbarria filed a bill seeking amendments to SIDA in order to protect the domestic sugar market from the saturation of imported sugar.

The protection of the domestic sugar market will also stabilize prices and form a competition among the local sugar producers.

House Bill 2971 seeks to amend Section 11 of Republic Act 10659 to ensure a proportionate allocation of the SIDA funds based on productivity and the strengthening of the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s supervisory powers on the importation of sugar.

Benitez is the brother of former 3rd district Congressman and Capitol consultant Alfredo Benitez who was the principal author of SIDA and chaired the House Committee on Agriculture Technical Working Group./DGB, WDJ