The Confederation of Sugar Producers Associations Inc. (CONFED) unanimously re-elected Aurelio Gerardo J. Valderrama Jr. as president for Crop Years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 during its annual membership meeting in Makati City Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Marking his fifth and sixth crop years in the post, the move secures Valderrama’s position as the longest-serving president in CONFED’s history, a press release from the group said.
Joining Valderrama on the newly elected executive line-up are:
- VP for Luzon: Loreto C. Mabborang
- VP for Visayas: Alfonso F. Gamboa
- VP for Mindanao: Antonio Ferdinand Y. Marañon
- Treasurer: Nicholas Gerardo P. Lede.sma Jr.
- Secretary: Maria Regina B. Martin.
During the meeting, the Board also unanimously approved the appointment of Belmonte Sison & Associates as the federation’s legal consultants. Managing Partner Atty. Kathryn G. Sison was in attendance to formally accept the appointment.
Expressing his gratitude to CONFED members and Board representatives for their continued trust and confidence, Valderrama reaffirmed the federation’s mission.
He emphasized that CONFED will remain an independent and steadfast voice for sugar producers and workers, particularly as the industry navigates serious challenges that demand stronger representation, heightened accountability, and stakeholder unity.
In his address to the membership, Valderrama urged decisive action: “Every time we choose silence because speaking up is uncomfortable, someone else speaks for us. Every time we refuse to take a firm position because we are afraid of offending someone, someone else makes the decision for us. And every time we put our individual interests ahead of the collective interest of the industry, we become weaker.”
CONFED remains the country’s leading sugar federation by volume, accounting for 32.81 percent of total national output, according to Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Circular Letter No. 11, Series of 2025-2026, the press release said.
To reinforce industry solidarity, CONFED has partnered with the National Federation of Sugarcane Planters (NFSP) and the Panay Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (PANAYFED) to form the Sugar Council. The federation has also built key alliances with major labor organizations, including the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry (NACUSIP) and the Democratic Alliance of Labor Organizations (DALO), it added.*
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