• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Seven years after the passage of the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA), Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito expressed his dismay that the industry has not attained self-sufficiency despite the annual earmarked budget of P2 billion.
“The sugarcane industry should have been already self-sufficient, less importation and have better production,” he said.
Ejercito was the guest of honor and speaker at the opening of 30th Panaad sa Negros Festival on April 13.
On Tuesday, April 14, the senator, who is one of the authors of the SIDA, met with sugar industry leaders affiliated with the United Sugar Producers Federation of the Philippines and the Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. to solicit their inputs on how to further address the plight of the sugar industry as he pushed for amendments in the law.
The senator said he wants to be clarified why the P2 billion annual budget earmarked for SIDA, which was later lowered to P300 million, was not maximized for utilization.
Ejercito also had initial talks with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Governor Jose Benito Alonso on the issues related to the sugar industry.
Ejercito said he wants it to work, especially for Negros, with sugar as its most vital industry, noting also that his mother, former San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez, is a Negrense.
In his next visit to Negros Occidental, the senator said he will conduct another consultation with farmers, business leaders, and other sugar industry stakeholders. | GB
