QUEZON CITY — Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) has been designated to head the Technical Working Group (TWG) that will consolidate and harmonize six proposed measures seeking to strengthen the country’s sugar industry following the House Committee on Agriculture and Food hearing at the Romualdez Hall here at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
House Committee on Agriculture and Food Chair Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga (Quezon Province , 1st District) announced Benitez’s designation during the hearing.,
Enverga said the TWG will consolidate the six bills proposing amendments to the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SIDA) of 2015 into a single substitute measure that lawmakers hope will modernize government support for the sugar industry.
He added that the TWG will be composed of members of the House agriculture panel as well as lawmakers representing sugar-producing districts affected by issues confronting the industry, including the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) infestation.
Enverga said the TWG is expected to begin its work within the next two weeks, starting with an initial briefing before proceeding with the drafting of the substitute bill.
The committee also discussed whether proposed amendments involving the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) charter should be deliberated separately because of the House’s one-subject-per-bill rule.
BENITEZ: A BIG HONOR
Benitez, principal author of House Bill No. 9088 or the proposed Tunay na Ugnayan, Buhay, at Oportunidad sa Asukal (TUBO) Act of 2026, welcomed his designation as TWG chair.
He described the Sugarcane Industry Development Act as a landmark law that helped the industry over the past decade but said it now requires significant amendments to respond to present-day challenges.
“The first thing that we will look at is the feedback from the past 10 years, what worked well and what needs improvement,” he said.
Benitez noted that government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration, along with sugar federations and industry stakeholders, have already submitted position papers and recommendations during the committee hearing.
He said the proposed TUBO Act would serve as the “mother bill” that would absorb provisions from the other pending measures, although additional amendments agreed upon during the TWG discussions may also be incorporated.
WIDER CONSULTATIONS PLANNED
Benitez said the TWG intends to hear from all sectors of the sugar industry, not only those able to attend congressional hearings.
“We want everyone to be heard, especially the Negrenses,” he said.
He said consultations will include small farmers, agrarian reform beneficiaries, workers, federations, cooperatives and stakeholders from other sugar-producing provinces to ensure the substitute bill reflects the industry’s needs nationwide.
The lawmaker said he hopes the committee can complete the measure as soon as possible, stressing that amendments to the SIDA law are urgently needed.
Once finalized by the TWG, the substitute bill will return to the House Committee on Agriculture and Food for approval before proceeding to the plenary, then to the Senate, and eventually to the President for signing if enacted into law.
COMMON PRIORITIES EMERGE
Benitez said several proposals already enjoy broad support among lawmakers and stakeholders.
Among these are increasing the annual funding for the Sugar Industry Development Fund, adopting a more data-driven approach in industry planning, strengthening climate resilience, expanding research on pest infestations, and improving coordination between SIDA programs and the SRA.
He added that discussions on amendments to the SRA charter may eventually be handled separately through a joint hearing involving the House Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Committee on Government Enterprises.
“It would be better to separate SIDA reforms from SRA charter reforms so the discussions will not be confused,” Benitez said.
RESPONDING TO TODAY’S CHALLENGES
The hearing comes as the Philippine sugar industry faces several challenges, including the continuing spread of the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI), concerns over sugar importation policies, climate-related production risks, and calls from industry groups to modernize government support mechanisms.
In his opening remarks before the committee, Benitez said RSSI has already affected thousands of farmers and tens of thousands of hectares of sugarcane farms, arguing that the outbreak demonstrates the need for reforms that are data-driven and capable of responding quickly to emerging threats.
He also called for improved monitoring systems, stronger research on climate-resilient cane varieties, greater support for small farmers, and increased funding under the SIDA law.
House Bill No. 9088, or the proposed TUBO Act, seeks to amend the Sugarcane Industry Development Act by strengthening industry planning through data-based decision-making, expanding eligibility for SIDA programs, increasing annual funding, institutionalizing climate adaptation measures, improving pest response, and providing emergency assistance and financing support for affected farmers.
The committee’s deliberations also covered five other measures seeking to amend the SIDA law, with lawmakers aiming to produce a consolidated substitute bill through the newly created TWG.*
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