Negros Occidental: Stakeholders advocated for a more inclusive and responsive Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA) during a public hearing on the proposed amendment of the nine-year-old law, held by the House of Representatives at Nature’s Village Resort on Thursday, reports Philippine News Agency.
“We intend to come up with a better SIDA law that is inclusive and beneficial to the sugarcane industry,” stated Quezon 1st District Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food.
The hearing focused on House Bill 835, introduced by 1-Pacman Party-list Rep. Michael Romero, which aims to increase the mandatory appropriation for SIDA implementation from PHP2 billion to PHP5 billion. Additionally, House Bill 2207, proposed by Negros Oriental 2nd District Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria, was discussed. This bill seeks to amend Sections 9 and 11 of Republic Act 10659, known as the SIDA of 2015.
Section 9 mandates that the Bureau of Customs requires importers and consignees to obtain authorization from the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) for importing and classifying sugar before its release. Section 11 requires the SRA to consult with all concerned sectors to identify and prioritize specific programs and projects.
SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona highlighted that stakeholders are pushing to increase the annual budget for SIDA implementation. “The sugar industry contributes significantly to the Philippines, but only PHP2 billion is returned to us. We receive very little assistance from the government,” Azcona said.
Under the law, the Department of Budget and Management is mandated to include an annual amount of PHP2 billion for SIDA implementation, intended to enhance production efficiency in sugarcane farms and sugar mills through research, technological innovation, infrastructure, and human resource development. The allocation comprises 50 per cent for infrastructure support programs, 15 per cent for research and development, capability building, and technology transfer activities, 15 per cent for grants to block farms, 15 per cent for socialized credit, and 5 per cent for scholarship grants.
According to SRA data, total appropriations for SIDA implementation from 2016 to 2024 amounted to only PHP8.645 billion, including PHP1 billion each for 2023 and 2024.
“We need to understand the concerns delaying or affecting the SRA’s capacity to implement a very good program,” Enverga said.
Sagarbarria emphasized that his proposed amendments aim to “give more teeth and power” to the SRA. “It’s about time because if we continue this way, the SRA administrator will face problems. He needs the freedom to develop the industry with all stakeholders involved,” he added.
Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez urged both government and private sector stakeholders to find solutions to the challenges facing the sugarcane industry, which remains the backbone of Negros.
Representatives from various sectors, including planters and producers’ federations, sugar millers’ associations, sugar worker groups, the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Bureau of Customs, and other concerned government agencies, attended the public hearing.
