• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Thousands of farmers in southern Negros are urging Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez to take immediate action on the long-delayed revival of the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill project, which local leaders describe as vital to economic recovery and peacebuilding in the insurgency-affected sixth district.
In a letter dated May 10, retired fiscal Rolando Parpa, chairman of the Dacongcogon Cooperative, appealed to Benitez to convene the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) Negros Island Region (NIR) Full Council for deliberation and implementation of the resolution supporting the project’s revival.
Benitez serves as the cabinet officer for regional development and security.
The call came after the RTF-ELCAC Region 6 Full Council issued Resolution No. 03 on Feb. 12, 2026, endorsing the revival of the sugar mill as a “strategic socio-economic intervention” aimed at promoting peace, economic recovery, and development in Negros Island’s hinterland communities.
The resolution stemmed from directives earlier issued by then NTF-ELCAC Vice Chairman and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año as well as recommendations from the Office of the Presidential Management Staff and the Office of the Ombudsman.
In a statement, Parpa said nearly 10,000 farmers have long awaited government action on what he described as a “masses-based social project” that could help restore both the local economy and public trust in government institutions.
“The revival of the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill will not only improve the lives of farmers and their families, but will also preserve and restore the trust and confidence of the people in government,” he added.
The renewed appeal comes amid continuing violence in parts of Negros Occidental, including the series of encounters between government forces and remnants of the New People’s Army in Toboso and Cauayan town, and liquidation of a farmer by suspected rebels in Sipalay City
Advocates argue that fast-tracking the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill revival aligns with Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach to ending local communist armed conflict.
“For the people in the hinterland areas, economic opportunity is the better answer,” Parpa said. | GB
