The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Negros has rejected claims by Confederation of Sugar Producers Association (CONFED) President Aurelio Valderrama that a labor case filed against him was weaponized to discredit his reputation.
During the hearing of the House Committee on Agriculture regarding the amendment of the Sugar Industry Development Act (SIDA), the case filed by 28 workers at Hacienda Lolita in Barangay Luna, Cadiz City—which is managed by Valderrama—was brought up, Noli Rosales, KMU Negros secretary general, said in a statement released Friday, August 7.
Valderrama stated that instead of going through the Department of Labor and Employment’s Single Entry Approach (SENA), a press conference was held to publicize the complaint against him, weaponizing the case to discredit him after their group called for the termination of the Sugar Board, Rosales said.
“Let it be clear that the KMU assisted the farmers in airing their complaints with the sole intention of informing the government of their situation so it could be given proper attention and justice,” he said.
The complainants are actually thankful because if not for the news reports that circulated in the mainstream and social media, a swift action of the DOLE and Valderrama himself, who offered to settle through his lawyer, would have been remote, Rosales said.
“This is not about Valderrama, this is about the workers who tirelessly till the lands that make this nation’s agriculture survive,” he said.
“We will continue to fight for the rights of hacienda workers, not only in the Negros Island but anywhere in the Philippines, with or without a Sugar Board,” he added.*
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