The Sugar Council has joined the call of the National Congress of Unions in the Sugar Industry of the Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (NACUSIP-TUCP) and allied labor organizations for the release of the minutes of the Sugar Board meetings.
“We call on the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to disclose the minutes of those meetings, particularly the minutes of the meeting which approved Sugar Order No. 8, Series of 2024-2025, authorizing the importation of 424,000 metric tons of refined sugar, which was signed prior to public consultation,” a press statement from the Sugar Council said on Tuesday, April 14.
SO#8, Series of 2024-2025 was signed by all the members of the Sugar Board on June 28, 2025, but stakeholder consultation was only conducted nine days later on July 7, 2025. Those who signed the Sugar Order include DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel as chairman, and SRA Administrator Pablo Azcona, Millers Representative Mitzi Mangwag, and Planters Representative Dave Sanson, as members of the Sugar Board, it said.
The conduct of prior consultation is mandatory as required by Sec.11 of Republic Act 10659, or the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA), which says in part, “In the identification and prioritization of specific programs and projects, the SRA shall conduct prior consultation…”, the Sugar Council said.
Rule 11.4 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), titled “Call for a Stakeholder Consultative Assembly”, also says in part, “…The consultative assembly shall serve as forum where SRA shall conduct consultations prior to approval or implementation of any program, project, or activity under the Act. …”, it added.
The Sugar Council pointed out, during the July 7, 2025 consultation, the producers suggested to import only 150,000MT, but SRA turned around and on July 8, 2025 released SO#8 announcing the importation of a massive 424,000MT, to enter the country between July 15 and November 30, 2025, overlapping with the start of the milling season that started on October 1 that year, the Sugar Council said.
“The stakeholders need to be enlightened how these decisions, perceived to be injurious to them, came about. And this can only be explained by the minutes of the meeting that NACUSIP-TUCP has been asking for,” the group added. Last January 22, 2026, NACUSIP-TUCP, the largest aggrupation of labor unions in the sugar industry (called on SRA to release the minutes of the meeting when the Sugar Board discussed and approved SO#8. In its reply dated March 20, 2026, SRA denied the request, citing confidentiality of information relating to internal deliberations, the Sugar Council said.
In its statement last March 27, 2026, NACUSIP-TUCP slammed SRA’s “culture of secrecy” and lack of transparency, and reiterated their demand for the release of the minutes of the meeting.
“SRA officials, who first and foremost are public servants, should be transparent in their deliberations and decisions which affect the livelihood of sugar producers,” the Sugar Council said.
Only by disclosing the minutes can stakeholders decide if SRA remained true to its mandate to establish and maintain such balanced relation between production and requirement of sugar and such marketing conditions as will insure stabilized prizes at a level reasonable profitable to the producers and fair to consumers, it said.
“After all, the concern regarding the importation of sugar is imbued with public interest and if SRA has nothing to hide, there’s no need for secrecy or alleged confidentiality,” the Sugar Council said.*
[sibwp_form id=1]