The Planters’ Association of Southern Negros Inc. issued a statement of support on Friday, August 12, for Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. on his appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as acting member of the Sugar Regulatory Administration Board representing the planters.
PASON is the biggest planters’ association of the Biscom Milling District whose membership is 95 percent small sugar farmers and is an independent non-aligned association, its president Luis T. Garingalao said.
Garingalao said PASON strongly believes that Valderrama is well-qualified for the position as he is a hands-on sugar farmer because of his long years of experience in the sugar industry.
“He is very much acquainted with the problems besetting the sugar farmers, particularly the small ones. We are confident that he will do a very good job in espousing the interest of the sugar farmers in the SRA Board, especially in these critical times,” the PASON statement said.
The farmers are currently facing multiple challenges resulting from the prohibitive rising cost of inputs such as fertilizers, fuel, spare parts, cost of labor, shortage of labor and the erratic weather conditions such as Typhoon “Odette”, which caused the big drop in sugar production last crop year, the statement added.
Earlier the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, Confederation of Sugar Producers and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers Inc. also issued a joint manifesto of support for Valderrama.
Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer has called for the revocation of the appointment of Valderrama to the Sugar Board.*