Former Senate President and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino senatorial candidate Juan Ponce Enrile rallied supporters in Bacolod City as he called on government to protect the local sugar industry amid plans by the country’s economic managers to deregulate sugar imports.
Speaking to sugar farmers and laborers from various parts of Negros Island on Saturday, the four-term senator said the sugar industry is the primary livelihood of five million Filipinos.
“The inordinate importation of sugar will have a very negative impact on the local sugar industry and the people who depend on it. Maraming magugutom,” he said.
“Other than that, the industry is contributing at least P120 billion annually to the economy not just because we are selling sugar but also for bio-ethanol, bio-power and other products,” he added.
Enrile said the government should first aid local farmers with programs to improve the industry’s productivity.
“If we want sugar to become cheaper, let’s seek measures to reduce the costs of production such as the costs of fuel, farm inputs, and farm tools. We can also assist farmers by providing them loans to modernize their equipment,” Enrile said.
