By CESAR JOLITO III
The National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (Nacusip-TUCP) has expressed strong support for the proposal to raise the country’s ethanol blend from E10 (10 percent) to E15 (15 percent), emphasizing its critical impact on thousands of sugar workers and bioethanol industry employees.
Nacusip-TUCP stressed that increasing the ethanol blend would boost demand for locally produced bioethanol, providing higher income security for sugarcane farmers, mill workers and bioethanol plant personnel.
The labor group said that every additional liter of bioethanol produced sustains employment in rural communities where job opportunities are limited.
The federation highlighted the importance of the Social Amelioration and Welfare Program (SAWP) under the Department of Labor and Employment’s Department Order No. 144-15, which collects a P0.07 lien per liter of molasses-based bioethanol to fund livelihood projects, emergency assistance and financial benefits for workers.
Nacusip-TUCP noted that raising the ethanol blend to E15 would directly increase these funds, strengthening the social safety net for workers.
“If the blending requirement increases, the volume of bioethanol sold by local producers will likewise increase, resulting in higher lien collections — of which about 80 percent goes straight to sugar workers as cash bonuses or financial benefits,” Nacusip-TUCP National President Roland de la Cruz said.
“This is real money that goes to real families. Any delay or rollback in blending requirements is a direct attack on workers’ welfare,” he added.
The federation, which actively participates in the Tripartite Consultative Council for SAWP in the Bioethanol Sector, also joined the Confederation of Sugar Producer Associations Inc. and the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters in opposing any legislative attempts to suspend mandatory ethanol blending.
Nacusip-TUCP warned that halting the program would cripple the bioethanol industry, reduce income for sugarcane farmers, and put thousands of jobs at risk.
“Suspending the blending mandate will not only weaken the industry — it will push workers deeper into poverty,” the group said.
“Lawmakers must recognize that the E15 transition is not merely an economic adjustment. It is a pro-worker, pro-farmer and pro-community policy that strengthens rural economies and protects the country’s labor force,” it added.
The federation urged Congress to prioritize workers’ welfare and reject measures that would undermine progress in building a stable, job-generating bioethanol sector./CJ, WDJ