By CESAR JOLITO III
The Sugar Council has joined labor groups in demanding transparency from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), particularly over the approval of a controversial sugar importation order amounting to 424,000 metric tons.
In a statement, the council supported the call of the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (Nacusip-TUCP) for the release of the minutes of Sugar Board meetings, especially those related to Sugar Order No. 8 (SO8), series of 2024-2025.
The order, signed on June 28, 2025, authorized the importation of refined sugar but was reportedly approved before any public consultation took place.
A stakeholder consultation was only conducted nine days later, on July 7, 2025.
Signatories to SO8 included Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, Jr. as chairperson, alongside SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona, millers’ representative Mitzi Mangwag, and planters’ representative Dave Sanson.
The Sugar Council argued that the sequence of events may have violated provisions of Republic Act No. 10659, which mandates prior consultation with stakeholders before approving programs or policies.
Its implementing rules also require consultative assemblies to be conducted before any decision is finalized.
During the July 7 consultation, producers reportedly recommended importing only 150,000 metric tons.
However, the SRA proceeded to issue SO8 the following day, increasing the volume to 424,000 metric tons, scheduled for entry between July 15 and November 30, 2025 — overlapping with the start of the milling season on October 1.
“The stakeholders need to understand how these decisions, perceived to be injurious to them, came about,” the Sugar Council said, stressing that access to the meeting minutes would clarify the basis of the board’s actions.
Nacusip-TUCP, which represents labor unions across the sugar industry in Negros, formally requested the release of the minutes on January 22, 2026.
In a reply dated March 20, the SRA denied the request, citing the confidentiality of internal deliberations.
The labor group later criticized what it described as a “culture of secrecy” within the agency and reiterated its demand for full disclosure.
The Sugar Council echoed these concerns, emphasizing that SRA officials, as public servants, must ensure transparency in decisions affecting the livelihoods of sugar producers.
It added that the issue of sugar importation carries significant public interest and that openness is essential to maintaining trust and accountability in the industry./CJ, WDJ