When we speak of Nicolas “Nico” Alvarez Alonso, we remember a distinguished public servant and sugar-industry leader who served as administrator of the Sugar Regulatory Administration during a challenging period for the Philippine sugar industry.
He is the elder brother of Negros Occidental Vice Governor Joeben Alonso and Pontevedra Mayor Joemar Alonso. But to me, Nico is more than a former SRA Administrator.
Long before his government service, I knew him as an older-brother figure whose family shared our compound in Hacienda Rosario-Nato, La Castellana. Those simpler days taught us valuable lessons through family, friendship, and the examples set by the adults around us.
Nico’s SRA tenure, around 1999–2001, coincided with depressed sugar prices, smuggling, uncertain production, surplus stocks, and debates over importation. Thousands of sugarcane farmers depended on sound government decisions for their livelihoods.
In early 2000, raw-sugar prices reportedly fell from approximately P800 to P600–P650 per 50-kilo bag, partly because of cheap smuggled sugar. Under Nico’s watch, the SRA monitored the situation. He reported that smuggling appeared to have diminished as prices recovered to above P700 per bag.
He advocated a measured approach to sugar importation, emphasizing reliable assessments of domestic production and consumption. He assured planters that imports should not undermine the milling season and that decisions must consider the industry’s actual requirements.
Nico also participated in government efforts to address surplus stocks while protecting farmers from further declines in farm-gate prices.
Working with Agriculture Secretary Edgardo Angara and NFA Administrator Eduardo Nonato Joson, he was involved in measures concerning domestic raw-sugar exports and corresponding import arrangements.
By April 2000, Philippine sugar production had reached approximately 1.468 million metric tons, compared with 1.33 million during the same period the previous year. Nico projected production of 1.65–1.7 million metric tons for the crop year while monitoring the country’s U.S. sugar export quota.
His industry involvement continued beyond the SRA. By 2005, he was associated with the Sugar Master Plan and participated in discussions about the emerging bioethanol industry.
These initiatives reflected the growing recognition that sugarcane could contribute not only to sugar production but also to renewable energy, industry diversification, and better economic opportunities for farmers.
Yet my most enduring memories of Nico are not about policies or production figures.
I remember him as the young man who owned what I recall as La Castellana’s first big motorcycle. He loved riding it and was remarkably skilled at tinkering with machines. Once, I watched him dismantle parts of his motorcycle and wondered how he could remember how to put everything back together.
His answer remains unforgettable:
“When you’re the one who broke it, you must know how to fix it.”
To a curious youngster, this was about repairing a motorcycle. Looking back, I realize it was also a lesson in responsibility.
When I was in my early teens, Nico gave my father a used bicycle. My father restored it, and it became an important part of my childhood. As a Grade 5 pupil, I rode it daily between the farm and town. On Sundays, my siblings and I used it to go to church.
What seemed like an ordinary act of generosity became an extraordinary childhood memory.
From Nico and his siblings, I learned the importance of respect, honesty, humility, resilience, generosity, and family. These lessons are difficult to measure, yet they remain among life’s most valuable inheritances.
When we met at his Capitol Heights home on Sept. 27, with some of his siblings and other Alonsos, including Steve Zayco, I noticed that the sparkle in Nico’s eyes and his warmth had not changed. Even as I prepared to leave, he made me feel welcome through his gracious farewell.
Perhaps this is the greater measure of a person’s life. Public positions end, titles fade, and policies become history. But kindness, personal values, and the lives we touch endure in the memories of others.
The Bible reminds us:
“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” — Proverbs 22:1
Nico’s distinguished career in public service and the sugar industry deserves recognition. But beyond his titles and accomplishments, I will remember him as the older-brother figure from Hacienda Rosario-Nato, the man with the big motorcycle, the generous giver of a bicycle that helped a young boy travel to school and church, and the man whose simple words taught me an enduring lesson.
When we are responsible for something, we must also have the courage to fix it.
That, perhaps, is the legacy that matters most. | NWI
