Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona *
Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona said on Wednesday, Nov. 20, that he takes offense to the claim that the SRA announcement of no importation until the end of the harvest was “misleading”.
“I hope the NFSP (National Federation of Sugarcane Planters) will be able to substantiate their claims as this kind of accusations show how warped and distorted their state of mind is”, Azcona said in a press statement.
Azcona was reacting to the statement of NFSP President Enrique Rojas on Tuesday when he retracted his initial statement of support to the no importation pronouncement issued by both the SRA and Agriculture Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel until after the harvest.
“It’s funny that I even sent a letter of thanks for NFSP’s support to our initial announcement but unlike Mr. Rojas, I will not retract the same as I think it was done in good faith in the beginning,” Azcona said.
“I’d like to believe I still have some modicum of respect for Mr. Rojas despite this accusation because clearly, and upon his own admission, he sent out this retraction and claims after he was convinced by certain individual/s who have irrational and persistent distrust of others in a group he belongs to, but I just hope that he (Rojas) should at least study the figures to get his facts straight and so he does not come out laughable,” Azcona said.
Azcona said he feels sorry for Rojas, who is a friend, but more so for his planters-members, “because this shows how their leader can easily get swayed by others, particularly by one individual who probably has an even more clouded perception because this person got kicked in the past”.
“Mr. Rojas claimed we were not ‘totally candid’ in our pronouncements for failing to mention a previous importation that came in when it is all there in the figures they claimed was their basis for their accusations,” Azcona said.
Rojas further stated that it is incumbent upon the SRA to explain such to the farmers, Azcona said.
They could have easily obtained the explanation on how these pronouncements were arrived at if they did not snub the invitation for a stakeholders’ consultative meeting, Azcona said.
“Even if they repeatedly snubbed invitations, I am sure they have been informed that during the August 6 meeting, refiners and mills’ representatives were asked if they can assure government that they will have ample refined sugar by the end of November to ensure a balanced supply, and their answer was a collective No”, Azcona said.
These refiners and mills even asked if they can import raw to refine but we knew how devastating this would be to our sugar farmers and so we said no to this option and agreed to import refined sugar already, he added.
This was no secret and they could have explained this to their planters-members if they care to be part of the discussion and decision-making policy, otherwise, what’s the point of even representing their members who pay them dues to protect their interests, he added.
NFSP is the first and oldest federation in the Philippines, and Rojas has headed it for decades now, Azcona said, adding that he is sad that he has to come out and retract his statement to satisfy the whims of others.
“I am sure Tito Nene knows that all our inventory figures include local and imported, and for a man of his stature and experience to claim he doesn’t know, just to retract his message of appreciation to the efforts of SRA and DA in order to satisfy other people is sad, and I pity Tito Nene for doing so. But I personally called him to thank him still,” he added.
Azcona said the Oct, 20 figures the Sugar Council used showed that raw production was down by 73.46 percent and raw stock was down 31.26 percent.
He also said refined production is down 97.77 percent and refined stock is down 37.23 percent, which includes local and imported, so clearly there is no oversupply.
“Respect begets respect and while I have been very patient with these so-called sugar leaders, let me just state that it is clear they are nothing else but consistent detractors of this administration”, Azcona said.
“Because no matter how pure your intentions are, no matter how much effort, dedication, and sincerity you invest in performing the tasks that you have promised to undertake, it will still be unappreciated by people who have irrational and persistent distrust of others,” he said.
“These aggrupation called the sugar council, has not been doing anything but make noise and upon advisement, from hereon we will treat them as that – noise”, Azcona said.
ROJAS REPLIES
“Perhaps the SRA Administrator is carried away by his emotions. Unlike what he is doing in personally attacking me and casting aspersions on my leadership of the NFSP, I never stated anything personally attacking him,” Rojas said.
Rojas said NFSP has always been professional in its public statements, and sticks to the issues at hand.
“I suggest the SRA Administrator also stick to the issues at hand and enlighten the sugar farmers on what is presently happening to the sugar industry.” Rojas said.*