Responding to local farmers and producers, 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez convened a public consultation in Talisay City on the significant decline in millgate sugar prices in Negros Occidental.
The joint inquiry followed Benitez’s filing of House Resolution 373, which called for a formal investigation into the price drop and its impact on agricultural communities. Benitez brought together leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives to provide a platform for stakeholders to demand policy reforms.
In his welcome address, Benitez said the industry faces an unprecedented emergency threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Negrosanon families. He stated that the sugar industry across the country is once again in a critical state and noted that while the alarm has been sounded many times, the industry has moved past the stage of symptoms and now requires resuscitation.
Benitez cited a compounding set of factors driving the crisis, including the alleged over-importation of refined sugar, the proliferation of artificial sweeteners, and soaring costs for fertilizer and fuel.
He noted that while the global market outlook remains promising, local producers are trapped in a cycle of hardship exacerbated by El Niño and pest infestations.
The consultation served as a show of force for the sector, with attendance from the Confederation of Sugar Producers’ Associations, United Sugar Producers Federation, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, and Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers. Also present were representatives from the Sugar Master Plan Foundation Inc., Philippine Sugar Millers Association, and the Association of Sugar Planters, alongside local cooperatives and agrarian reform beneficiary groups.
Benitez was joined by Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, and Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food. Other officials in attendance included Reps. Albee Benitez, Manuel Frederick Ko, Jeffrey Ferrer, Dino Yulo, and Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang; Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson; and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.
Benitez stressed that the inquiry’s primary goal is to work with the SRA and legislative bodies to balance production and stabilize prices. He said the shared purpose of the group is to find sustainable solutions to secure the lifeline of the industry, noting that stakeholders till the same soil and face challenges that affect them on every level.
The consultation’s findings shall form as basis for the issuance of urgent legislative measures and administrative adjustments to safeguard the industry from collapse.
